The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 170 people on the Radiance of the Seas were sickened with diarrhea and abdominal cramps among other gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. The CDC reports that during the last cruise (September 20th– September 27th), 167 out of 2,172 (7.69%) passengers reported being ill during the voyage on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Three of 894 (0.34%) crew members also reported GI symptoms.
The CDC did not list the type of GI infection. Of the last ten GI infections this year, seven cases involved norovirus, one involved E. coli and two were unknown. As usual, the CDC did not state how or why the outbreak took place and did not disclose the probable cause of the infections.
It is well established by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the usual cause of a norovirus outbreak is contaminated food or water. Norovirus is also easily spread via airborne transmission. But the cruise line invariably blames their guests irrespective of the true facts.
Of the last ten GI outbreak cases on cruise ships, six involved ships owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. (which involved ships operated by Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises).
The Radiance of the Seas has had two GI outbreaks this year alone, the last one occurred in April which involved the common culprit norovirus.
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Image credit: Radiance of the Seas – Fletcher6 CC BY-SA 3.0 commons wikimedia; abdomen – egeamedical.com.
Update: The number of infected quests increased to 180 of 2,172 (8.29%) with 2 crew members sickened.