A norovirus outbreak has been implicated in a gastrointestinal illness on board the Holland America Line cruise ship ms Volendam, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After 7-day long Alaska cruise, the vessel arrived in Vancouver, Canada, on Wednesday, July 19, 2017, with 68 of 1,480 (4.59%) passengers and 1 of 610 (0.16%) crew sickened presenting the symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting.

In response to the outbreak, Holland America Line and the crew on board ms Volendam reported the following actions: Increased cleaning and disinfection procedures in all public areas according to their outbreak prevention plan, collected stool specimens and submitted to the British Columbia (Canada) Centre for Disease Control laboratory, and made twice daily reports of GI cases to the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program. A CDC environmental health officer boarded the ship in Vancouver once the vessel docked to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities.

Norovirus is a highly contagious viral illness that spreads fast with symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. The illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick instantly. In most people, the illness is self-limiting with symptoms lasting for about 24 or 48 hours.