Royal Caribbean cruise turns into nightmare as 71 passengers become unwell

The outbreak took place on the Serenade of the Seas ship. (Image: Getty)

A Royal Caribbean International Cruise ship has turned into a nightmare after 71 passengers contracted the highly contagious norovirus. The outbreak was reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday, September 28.

At least 71 passengers and one crew member were confirmed to have been infected aboard the Serenade of the Seas ship. The vessel has a total of 1,874 passengers and 883 crew, meaning that around 4% of passengers have been infected. The symptoms of norovirus include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and headaches.

As reported by the Daily Mail, the Serenade of the Seas left San Diego on September 19 before stopping in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and Columbia. It is due to dock at Miami on Thursday (October 2).

The sick passengers are now being isolated from the rest of the ship. Staff onboard are collecting stool samples for testing and ramping up cleaning procedures.

Royal Caribbean said: "The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority. To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines."

The CDC declares a cruise ship outbreak if at least 3% of more than 100 passengers fall ill. A total of 19 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses have been recorded on cruise ships so far this year, 14 of which were norovirus.

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus (Image: Getty)

The CDC told USA Today: "While the number of recent cruise ship outbreaks has been higher than in years prior to the pandemic, we do not yet know if this represents a new trend.

"However, CDC data show a newly dominant strain is currently associated with reported norovirus outbreaks on land. Ships typically follow the pattern of land-based outbreaks, which are higher this norovirus season."

Norovirus is a highly-contagious virus that can affect anyone. It is transmitted most easily in confined spaces, with symptoms typically beginning 12 to 48 hours after infection.