Passengers and crew onboard the cruise ship Celebrity Reflection which left Fort Lauderdale on November 17, have been hit with an aggressive outbreak of gastro virus. Ship authorities have reported to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 176 people being ill during the voyage (173 passengers and 3 crew members), with predominant symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. In a response to the outbreak, Celebrity Cruises has sent public health and shore side operation support teams to help with the ongoing sanitation procedures and public health measures.
- Celebrity Cruises and the crew onboard Celebrity Reflection reported the following actions:
- Increasing cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response plan.
- Collecting stool specimens from passenger and crew gastrointestinal illness cases for testing, and
- Making twice daily reports of gastrointestinal illness cases to VSP.
The crew is doing their best to try to contain the spread of the virus following the Vessel Sanitation Program and constantly cleaning down the railings in the hallways, elevators, doors etc. Affected passengers are quarantined in their cabins and treated on board by the ship’s doctor with over-the-counter medication.
Once the ship arrived back in Ft. Lauderdale on November 27, CDC health officers boarded the vessel to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak.
Health experts recommend simple hand hygiene is the best defense against Norovirus, avoid handshakes, and touching railings in the public areas.
