London - Up to 260 passengers and crew have fallen ill after norovirus hit a cruise from Britain to the US.
The vomiting bug left more than a quarter of 919 holidaymakers on the liner Balmoral unwell.
As the luxury ship docked in Portland, Oregon, the US government Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 252 passengers and eight crew members had been struck down.
Efforts were continuing to prevent the spread of the virus on the Fred Olsen-operated ship. Ethan Strimling, mayor of Portland, Maine, who boarded the liner for a tour when it docked on Sunday, said: “I could see there were people wiping things down constantly.”
The outbreak has increased significantly since the problem was first reported on April 29, when Fred Olsen bosses said seven passengers were being treated in isolation.
Two CDC health officers and an epidemiologist boarded the ship during its previous stopover in Baltimore, Maryland, last week.
Affected travellers have been forced into isolation in their cabins, the CDC said.
Most passengers on the 710-room liner, the largest ship in the Fred Olsen fleet, are from the UK. The ship left Southampton on an “Old England to New England” trip on April 16 and it is due to return to the UK on May 20.
The highly contagious norovirus stomach illness is often found where large numbers of people are in close contact. As well as cruise ships it has also affected hotels, schools and hospitals.
Symptoms which include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea usually show up a couple of days after a person is infected and last up to three days.
There is no cure and those hit by the virus have no choice but to let it run its course.
It is not the first time Fred Olsen cruise passengers have been struck down by gastric illnesses.
Last year alone, the Balmoral was hit by two incidents of the virus, in May and June, each affecting more than 200 passengers.
Between October 2009 and May 2010, 130 passengers fell ill on the Fred Olsen cruise liner Boudicca, leading to the company paying out £280 000 (about R5.8-million) in compensation.
Between March and April of the following year, 12 passengers sailing around the Mediterranean on Boudicca became ill, with some later receiving £10 000 payouts.
In 2013, the company reported an outbreak of ‘a gastroenteritis-type illness’ on Boudicca after it left Belfast for a 10-night “Scandinavian Cities Cruise” and 72 passengers were affected.
The Balmoral, named after the Royal Family’s Scottish residence, has two swimming pools, Jacuzzis, a pub and five restaurants.
Daily Mail