Norovirus Is Making Waves On Cruises

Of the three cruise trips I had taken, I got a bug of some sort during two of them.

In 2001, during a cruise to Alaska, I got a 24-hour flu. In 2019, during a cruise to Cuba, I got a minor cold. Those illnesses were respiratory in nature. I came through last year's Bahamas cruise unscathed.

But currently, gastrointestinal bugs, norovirus in particular, have gotten cruise passengers sick.

USA Today has posted an article on how norovirus is "making waves" with outbreaks.

Here's a snippet:

Gastrointestinal illness has continued to plague cruise ships in recent months. Less than five months into the year, a steady string of norovirus cases has sickened guests and crew members on cruise ships.

There have been 16 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on those vessels that met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s threshold for public notification so far in 2025. Most recently, there was an outbreak aboard Holland America Line's Eurodam, where more than 60 guests reported abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. Twelve of those 16 outbreaks were caused by norovirus.

For comparison, there were 18 in all of 2024 and 14 the year prior, with norovirus listed as the causative agent in 15 and 13 of those, respectively.

To read more, go here.