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Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...n-quarantine-after-vomiting-bug-outbreak.html
Cruise passengers in quarantine after vomiting bug outbreak
British holiday makers were among up to 60 passengers confined to their cabins on a cruise ship when it docked in Shanghai after an outbreak of a virulent vomiting bug.
By Stephen Adams
Last Updated: 2:26PM GMT 05 Nov 2008
The passengers were quarantined on board ?250 million Diamond Princess to stop the bug, also called the winter vomiting virus, from spreading, according to reports from passengers aboard the 116-ton vessel.
It is thought many of the passengers paid up to ?4,000 for the 16-day trip to Beijing.
They embarked on their 16-day South East Asia and China cruise from Bangkok on October 22. It has made calls in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore and Shanghai. The outbreak started at the weekend after stopping at Okinawa in Japan, 11 days into the cruise.
The norovirus, which causes gastroenteritis, is spread by faecal contamination of food or water or person-to-person contact.
It can spread very rapidly in enclosed environments like cruise ships or hospitals, especially if meticulous attention is not paid to personal hygiene.
It causes vomiting and diarrhoea for up to three days but usually resolves itself without treatment or long-term complications.
Norovirus is common in many parts of the world, especially tropical and subtropical locations. Cruise ships are hardly ever the sources of outbreaks; usually it is brought onboard
The virus is often brought on board cruise ships by passengers who have enjoyed a meal out while disembarked at a port.
About 500 of the 2,500 passengers on board the ship are British, most of the others being American.
Among those asked to stay onboard was John Lloyd, from Stevenage, Herts.
Mr Lloyd, 69, said he had been "cooped up here with this virus".
He added: "It has been hellish. It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime."
Michelle Eist said she was worried for her father Adrian Fowler, who suffers from angina.
Mr Fowler, from Margate, Kent, is on board with his wife Rosemary.
Mrs Eist said: "I am worried about what this virus will do to my father's health. He is very poorly at the moment. The trip cost a lot."
The Diamond Princess belongs to Princess Cruises, which is part of Carnival Corporation & PLC, the same British-American global cruise company that owns P&O Cruises.
A spokesman said up to 60 people had been asked to confine themselves to their cabins after becoming "symptomatic".
She said: "We have taken measures to stop the spread of illness, including asking passengers who are unwell to isolate themselves."
She added: "All passengers who were unaffected by the illness were allowed to disembark for their scheduled tours. We are working closely with the Chinese health authorities who are sailing with the ship until her arrival in Xingang on November 7.
"The ship is currently undergoing an extensive sanitisation to contain any further spread of the illness, and we have planned additional enhanced ship disinfection for the turnaround in Xingang."
She said the virus was in "steep decline" aboard the ship.
In June 20 people fell ill with the norovirus aboard the 3,600-berth P&O Cruises liner Ventura.
Last December 78 of 3,000 passengers on board the new Cunard vessel the Queen Victoria, which was named by the Duchess of Cornwall, fell ill with it.
Cruise passengers in quarantine after vomiting bug outbreak
British holiday makers were among up to 60 passengers confined to their cabins on a cruise ship when it docked in Shanghai after an outbreak of a virulent vomiting bug.
By Stephen Adams
Last Updated: 2:26PM GMT 05 Nov 2008
The passengers were quarantined on board ?250 million Diamond Princess to stop the bug, also called the winter vomiting virus, from spreading, according to reports from passengers aboard the 116-ton vessel.
It is thought many of the passengers paid up to ?4,000 for the 16-day trip to Beijing.
They embarked on their 16-day South East Asia and China cruise from Bangkok on October 22. It has made calls in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore and Shanghai. The outbreak started at the weekend after stopping at Okinawa in Japan, 11 days into the cruise.
The norovirus, which causes gastroenteritis, is spread by faecal contamination of food or water or person-to-person contact.
It can spread very rapidly in enclosed environments like cruise ships or hospitals, especially if meticulous attention is not paid to personal hygiene.
It causes vomiting and diarrhoea for up to three days but usually resolves itself without treatment or long-term complications.
Norovirus is common in many parts of the world, especially tropical and subtropical locations. Cruise ships are hardly ever the sources of outbreaks; usually it is brought onboard
The virus is often brought on board cruise ships by passengers who have enjoyed a meal out while disembarked at a port.
About 500 of the 2,500 passengers on board the ship are British, most of the others being American.
Among those asked to stay onboard was John Lloyd, from Stevenage, Herts.
Mr Lloyd, 69, said he had been "cooped up here with this virus".
He added: "It has been hellish. It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime."
Michelle Eist said she was worried for her father Adrian Fowler, who suffers from angina.
Mr Fowler, from Margate, Kent, is on board with his wife Rosemary.
Mrs Eist said: "I am worried about what this virus will do to my father's health. He is very poorly at the moment. The trip cost a lot."
The Diamond Princess belongs to Princess Cruises, which is part of Carnival Corporation & PLC, the same British-American global cruise company that owns P&O Cruises.
A spokesman said up to 60 people had been asked to confine themselves to their cabins after becoming "symptomatic".
She said: "We have taken measures to stop the spread of illness, including asking passengers who are unwell to isolate themselves."
She added: "All passengers who were unaffected by the illness were allowed to disembark for their scheduled tours. We are working closely with the Chinese health authorities who are sailing with the ship until her arrival in Xingang on November 7.
"The ship is currently undergoing an extensive sanitisation to contain any further spread of the illness, and we have planned additional enhanced ship disinfection for the turnaround in Xingang."
She said the virus was in "steep decline" aboard the ship.
In June 20 people fell ill with the norovirus aboard the 3,600-berth P&O Cruises liner Ventura.
Last December 78 of 3,000 passengers on board the new Cunard vessel the Queen Victoria, which was named by the Duchess of Cornwall, fell ill with it.