139 fall ill in outbreak on Queen Victoria cruise

Dozens of passengers and crew members onboard Cunard Cruise Line’s Queen Victoria reported being ill on a three-week cruise that set sail last month, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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In a report issued Thursday, the CDC said 139 of the 2,791 people onboard the ship — including 123 passengers and 16 crew members — reported being sick. Investigators did not immediately know what caused the illnesses, although the CDC said most people reported diarrhea and vomiting.

Crew members and passengers who reported being sick were isolated, and cleaning and disinfection procedures were boosted in response to the outbreak, officials said.

The Queen Victoria set sail Jan. 22 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in a voyage scheduled to end Feb. 12. It is part of a 107-night sailing that started Jan. 11 in Southampton, England, according to CNN. The trip, billed as a “full world voyage,” is sold as a complete sailing and in segments, USA Today reported.

In a statement obtained by ABC News, Cunard confirmed “that a small number of guests had reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness on board Queen Victoria.”

“They immediately activated their enhanced health and safety protocols to ensure the wellbeing of all guests and crew on board,” the statement read. “Measures have been effective.”

The illnesses come after an outbreak of norovirus sickened 100 people on Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Constellation ship earlier this month. In 2023, 14 outbreaks were reported on cruise ships, with most of them later being attributed to norovirus.