Hundreds of passengers on the Ruby Princess cruise ship contract norovirus

At least 284 of the 2,881 passengers on the Ruby Princess cruise ship have contracted norovirus, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition, 34 of the 1,159 crew members reported illness.

The flight was operated from February 26 to March 5 . Currently, the liner has docked in Galveston, Texas, where epidemiologists are already collecting the necessary samples from passengers.

As clarifies CBC News, all passengers are isolated in their cabins, many of them have bouts of vomiting and diarrhea. The ship's owner, Carnival Corporation, said the source of the disease has not yet been determined, but norovirus is often referred to as the "cruise ship virus."

Norovirus is the causative agent of viral gastroenteritis, an infectious disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract. The infection is characterized by diarrhea without blood, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Fever or headaches may also occur. The virus is usually spread by the fecal-oral route, such as through contaminated food or water.

This isn't the first time Ruby Princess has made headlines in the media. So, in March 2020, the liner moored in the port of Sydney with hundreds infected with covid-19 . Subsequently, the number of infected increased to 663 people, 28 of them died.