AIDA Cruises reported to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that 95 passengers and 6 crew members are sick with norovirus on its AIDAdiva ship. The AIDAdiva is currently in port in Colón, Panama as part of its 133-day cruise originating from Hamburg, Germany.
As part of the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), cruise lines are required to report outbreaks when 3% or more of passengers and crew members show signs of GI infection, which include vomiting and diarrhea. Currently, 5% of passengers and 1% of crew members on the AIDAdiva have symptoms of norovirus. The total number of infected passengers and crew may increase as the ship is at sea for several more months.
This outbreak continues the record year for gastrointestinal (GI) outbreaks on cruises, bringing the total to 21 for the year.
Norovirus has been the primary causative agent for most cruise ship GI outbreaks, accounting for 16 of the 21 outbreaks this year. Cruise lines and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) continually downplay norovirus and put the blame on “unhygienic passengers.” However, there is a reason norovirus is known as the cruise ship virus. Tight living quarters and shared dining spaces are the perfect environments for the highly contagious virus to spread.
The root cause of the outbreak will not be determined, as it’s not part of the CDC’s VSP scope. Furthermore, cruise lines have no requirement and little incentive to investigate.