The Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) is closely monitoring a reported outbreak of gastrointestinal illness aboard the Queen Victoria cruise ship, which is set to dock in Honolulu on Feb. 12.
The illnesses appear to have occurred during the ship’s voyage between Florida and San Francisco from Jan. 22-Feb. 6.
About 140 of the ship’s 1,800 passengers and 970 crew reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, including diarrhea and vomiting, when it was docked at Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Jan. 22.
As of Thursday, Feb. 8, 129 passengers and 25 crew members were reported ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Mitigation measures such as increased disinfecting of surfaces and isolation of ill passengers and crew have been implemented.
The cause of the illness has not been confirmed at this time, but the symptoms and spread appear to be similar to norovirus.
DOH continues to be in active communication with the CDC and will provide more details as they become available.
