Cruise Ship Stomach Flu

February 19 2011 According to US health officials more than 300 people on board the Queen Elizabeth II cruise ship have been struck down with a suspected stomachflu.

Cruise ship stomach flu. Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that has symptoms resembling those of food poisoning or the flu. This leads you to have stomach pain nausea and diarrhea and to throw up. Someone who has the stomach flu can be contagious for a few days up to 14 days or longer.

Officials from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention CDC are beginning an investigation into a stomach flu outbreak that occurred on a Disney cruise ship last week. It is definitely contagious. It is frequently called the stomach flu.

Three ships returned to US. In some cases guests may be asked to disembark due to illness. Learn more about norovirus Why are acute gastrointestinal illnesses including noroviruses associated with cruise ships.

The sickness usually lasts no more than three days. Outbreaks of stomach flu caused by norovirus commonly occur in semi-closed environments such as cruise ships schools nursing homes and hospitals. Called norovirus it is a common scourge of cruise ships hospitals and nursing homes and causes severe diarrhea and vomiting.

Only 1 of all cases of norovirus occur on cruise ships. Ports last month with at least 5 percent of passengers with a stomach flu. Torres said returning a day early gives the cruise line more time to completely clean and sanitize the ship before it sails again.

But thankfully youre not as likely to contract norovirus -- marked by symptoms like vomiting nausea diarrhea and stomach pain -- as you may think. Norovirus is frequently associated with cruise travel because health officials are required to track illnesses on ships and report the number of cases of diarrhea to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC within 24 hours of arrival at a US port. After visiting the ships infirmary I was put under a 24-hour.