Dawn Princess norovirus outbreak investigation update
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an outbreak update last week concerning the Princess Cruises Dawn Princess norovirus outbreak.
According to the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program Update, the investigation involves Dawn Princess cruise ship voyage dates were from August 21 to September 13, 2012.
Of the 1,778 passenger on board the ship, 114 were stricken with the symptoms of norovirus infection. In addition, of the 851 crew aboard the ship, 11 displayed symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.
Princess Cruises have reportedly increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response plan.
In addition, the following other actions have been taken:
- Made announcements to notify onboard passengers of the outbreak, encourage case reporting, and encourage hand hygiene,
- Collected stool specimens from ill passengers and crew, tested the specimens onboard using a rapid Norovirus test, and made plans to send them to the CDC lab,
- Made twice daily reports of gastrointestinal illness cases to the VSP,
- Has deployed a public health officer from the corporate office to supervise implementation of the ship’s response plan,
- Is consulting with CDC on plans for their super sanitation procedures in Seward, AK.
The CDC reports that two CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers will board the ship on arrival in Juneau, AK on September 7, 2012 to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. Stool specimens will be sent to the CDC lab for confirmatory testing and genome sequencing.
Norovirus is a highly contagious illness caused by infection with a virus of the same name. It is often called by other names, such as viral gastroenteritis, stomach flu, and food poisoning.
The symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. Sometimes people additionally have a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of tiredness. The illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick. In most people, the illness is self-limiting with symptoms lasting for about 1 or 2 days. In general, children experience more vomiting than adults do.
Norovirus is spread person to person particularly in crowded, closed places. Norovirus is typically spread through contaminated food and water, touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus and then putting your hand or fingers in your mouth and close contact with someone who is vomiting or has diarrhea.
Norovirus causes more than 20 million illnesses annually, and it is the leading cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks in the United States.
[…] Pulled From “Carnival Magic” Over Bioterror Hoax (Galveston, Texas) 16. September 9, 2012: Norovirus Outbreak On “Dawn Princess” (Juneau, Alaska) 17. November 6, 2012: Norovirus Outbreak On “Constellation” (Southampton, […]
[…] Pulled From “Carnival Magic” Over Bioterror Hoax (Galveston, Texas) 16. September 9, 2012: Norovirus Outbreak On “Dawn Princess” (Juneau, Alaska) 17. November 6, 2012: Norovirus Outbreak On “Constellation” (Southampton, […]
[…] Pulled From “Carnival Magic” Over Bioterror Hoax (Galveston, Texas) 16. September 9, 2012: Norovirus Outbreak On “Dawn Princess” (Juneau, Alaska) 17. November 6, 2012: Norovirus Outbreak On “Constellation” (Southampton, […]