The quantity of travelers hit with a gastrointestinal illness on a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship has increased to about 500, a day after the organization said 277 travelers on the Oasis of the Seas had at first fallen sick.
Travelers began feeling wiped out after the cruise ship departed from Port Canaveral in Florida on Sunday, revealed NBC News.
The trip, presently stopped, was set to sail for seven days through the Caribbean. The Oasis of the Seas will dock back at Port Canaveral on Saturday. The majority of the travelers will get a discount because of the outbreak, revealed NBC News.
Travelers were informed about the rising number of individuals influenced on Friday. Traveler Shawn Popeleski told the Orlando Sentinel that they were told the outbreak is “most likely norovirus.”
Norovirus is considered “very contagious” by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. Individuals contract norovirus from an infected individual, from contaminated food or water, or by contacting polluted surfaces. Symptoms include stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea, and although highly contagious, the CDC states the illness is “relatively infrequent on cruise ships.”