That Happened!

According to reports Sunday, at least four crew members and 105 passengers contracted the norovirus on a cruise ship.

The Holland America MS Oosterdam — sails out of San Diego — was
about to embark on the second half of a 14-day cruise through the
Panama Canal.

The ship had 1,800 guests traveling at the time of the outbreak.

“Guests who demonstrated symptoms were asked to remain in their
cabins until symptoms disappeared,” Holland American Spokesperson Erik
Elvejord said.

According to the CDC, Noroviruses (genus Norovirus, family
Caliciviridae) are a group of related, single-stranded RNA,
nonenveloped viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis in humans.
Norovirus was recently approved as the official genus name for the
group of viruses provisionally described as “Norwalk-like viruses”
(NLV).

Initial reports suggested that one woman died, but a spokesperson for Holland America denied the claim.

The MS Oosterdam was sterilized by crew members before it returned to San Diego Saturday morning.