16.nov.06
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Sofia Santana and Bob LaMendola
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.-- By the time Carnival Cruise Lines' Liberty pulls into Port Everglades this weekend from a transatlantic voyage, more than 700 people on board will have been afflicted with a highly contagious, stomach flu-like illness that appears to be norovirus, the cruise line said Wednesday.
The story says that the outbreak could be the largest reported in recent years by the cruise industry.
David Forney, chief of the cruise ship sanitation program at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was quoted as saying, "It's impossible for now to say what the source is," adding that it's likely passengers brought the virus with them when they boarded and it spread from there, but U.S. inspectors will look at whether food or water contributed to the outbreak.
The cruise industry, which is required to report the illnesses to the CDC, records dozens of viral outbreaks annually, with most affecting fewer than 100 people.
Christine Fischer, spokeswoman for the International Council of Cruise Lines, an industry lobbying group, was cited as saying that while often publicized, the cruise ship outbreaks are far less common than they seem, affecting about one in every 3,600 cruise ship passengers, adding, "Your chances of actually contracting norovirus are much higher on land than on a cruise."
As of Tuesday, 556 guests and 154 crewmembers on board the Liberty had reported symptoms lasting one to three days, according to a statement issued Wednesday by Carnival Cruise Lines. The Miami-based company said the ship is carrying 2,804 paying passengers and 1,166 crewmembers.
The ship, currently on a 16-day tour that began Nov. 3 in Rome, is scheduled to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday.