Cruise Ship Rocked With 3rd Illness Outbreak in 6 Weeks

A U.S. flagged cruise ship sailing to Alaska has been hit with their third Gastrointestinal illness outbreak in the past six weeks.

National Geographic Sea Bird, a cruise ship that sails with Lindblad Expeditions, reported to the CDC this week that 29% of passengers on its most recent cruise reported vomiting and abdominal cramps.

While the causative agent for this latest outbreak is currently unknown, the cruise ship recently had two norovirus outbreaks over the past month and a half.

The first happened on back-to-back sailings that took place on May 31 and June 5. The second was just a couple weeks ago on the June 25 cruise.

On the July 10 sailing on National Geographic Sea Bird, 29% (18 of 62) passengers reported being ill during the cruise.

In response to the illness, the crew on board the cruise ship reported the following actions:

• Increased cleaning and disinfection around the ship
• Ill passengers were isolated
• Stool specimens were collected
• The crew consulted with the VSP about sanitation, cleaning procedures, and reporting ill guests

The VSP, Vessel Sanitation Program, is an arm of the CDC and is responsible for overseeing the health and well-being of crew and guests on cruise ships. They also are in charge of random surprise inspections of cruise ships twice a year.

Cruise lines are required to report to the VSP anytime 2% or more of crew members or guests report being ill during a voyage. If the number crosses 3%, it officially is labeled as an outbreak and reported on the CDC’s website.

About Sea Bird

National Geographic Sea Bird, a cruise ship which helped define expedition travel, is currently in its final year of cruising.

The 31 cabin cruise ship can access many unique places that larger ship’s cannot go to. It has six Zodiacs and 16 kayaks, perfect for expedition cruising in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.

The ship is currently sailing six-day, five-night cruises to Alaska with prices that start at $5,282 per person.