Illness aboard Hawaii-bound cruise ship contained, health officials say
ASSOCIATED PRESS / JAN. 27, 2010
Hawaii health officials said Friday that the mysterious gastrointestinal illness that left over 150 people sick on the Hawaii-bound Queen Victoria cruise ship appears to be contained. The Queen Victoria is seen here making its way into Pier 35 in San Francisco in 2010.
A mysterious gastrointestinal illness that left more than 150 people sick on a Hawaii-bound cruise ship appears to be contained, Hawaii Department of Health officials said Friday.
The department will continue to closely monitor the outbreak aboard the Queen Victoria, which is set to dock in Honolulu Monday, but it does not consider the ship’s docking to be a threat to the people of Hawaii, health officials said in a news release.
They said they will coordinate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as it monitors the situation aboard the ship.
The illnesses struck the Queen Victoria sometime in its journey between Florida and San Francisco from Jan. 22 to Feb. 6. As of Thursday, 129 passengers and 25 crew members had become ill, according to the CDC.
However, the number of cases diminished substantially by the time the ship arrived in San Francisco and after implementing increased disinfection of surfaces and isolation of ill passengers and crew.
The cause of the illness has not been confirmed but officials said the symptoms and spread appear to be similar to norovirus.
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