The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that a recent gastrointestinal illness outbreak on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship led to 89 passengers and two crew members reporting symptoms.
According to the CDC, the outbreak on the Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas was reported on Tuesday. The agency noted that the main symptoms experienced by the ill passengers and crew members were vomiting and diarrhea; however, the cause of the illness has not yet been released.
CruiseMapper’s website shows that the Radiance of the Seas departed from Tampa, Florida, on Saturday for a week-long cruise. The CDC reported that 2,164 passengers and 910 crew members were aboard the cruise ship.
Following the illness outbreak, a spokesperson for the Royal Caribbean Group told USA Today, “Enhanced measures have been implemented onboard in an abundance of caution to protect the health and comfort of all our guests and crew.”
The CDC announced that passengers and crew members with symptoms were isolated on the cruise ship and that Royal Caribbean implemented “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures.”
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According to the CDC’s website, cruise ships are required to report cases of gastrointestinal illnesses to the agency. The CDC noted that gastrointestinal illness cases reported by cruise ships represent the total number of cases for an entire cruise trip. The agency added, “It does not mean all people are sick at the same time, such as when they arrive or leave a port or ship.”
USA Today reported that the recent outbreak on the Radiance of the Seas is the sixth gastrointestinal illness outbreak on a cruise ship to be reported by the agency this year. According to the outlet, the CDC reported 18 outbreaks in 2024, many of which were attributed to norovirus.
“Norovirus is often a cause of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships, but we don’t always know the cause of the outbreak when we begin an investigation,” the CDC noted on its website. “Finding the agent that caused an outbreak (causative agent) can take time. When an outbreak occurs, people whose symptoms met the case definition are asked to provide stool or vomitus samples. These samples are tested to determine the causative agent.”