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In Bordeaux, more than 1,700 people are confined to a cruise ship after the death of a passenger and a suspected gastroenteritis outbreak.
Among the 1,233 passengers, mostly British and Irish, in addition to the deceased victim who was 90 years old, about fifty have shown symptoms and tests are underway to detect the possible presence of norovirus.
Le Monde with AFP
Published today at 12:58 PM, updated at 2:40 PM
More than 1,700 people are confined on board a cruise ship that arrived in Bordeaux on Tuesday evening from Brest, after the death of a passenger and a suspected gastroenteritis outbreak, health authorities said on Wednesday, May 13.
Among the 1,233 passengers, mostly British and Irish, in addition to the deceased man in his nineties, about fifty "experienced symptoms consistent with an acute gastrointestinal infection ," according to the Gironde prefecture and the Regional Health Agency (ARS), which ruled out any link with the hantavirus cases detected on the MV Hondius cruise ship . They were treated by the ship's doctor and isolated in their cabins.
The situation was reported overnight as the ship, which also carries 514 crew members of Indian nationality, arrived in the port of Bordeaux.
The Ambition, a cruise ship operated by the British company Ambassador Cruise Line, departed from the Shetland Islands north of Scotland on May 6th and previously called at Belfast, Liverpool, and Brest. The ship is scheduled to sail to the port of Ferrol in northern Spain before returning to Liverpool on May 22nd.
Precautionary measures
On Wednesday at midday, it was docked in the city center, with no security measures in place on land. Passengers were taking pictures of Bordeaux from a deck of the cruise ship.
The peak of symptoms, vomiting and diarrhea, occurred on Monday when the ship was in Brest, according to health authorities. The victim, in his nineties, whose exact cause of death has yet to be determined, died before the ship arrived in the Breton port.
Initial analyses on board ruled out the presence of norovirus, a category of infectious agent that causes gastroenteritis in humans, but further analyses, the results of which are expected during the day, are underway in the infectious disease department of the Bordeaux hospital center, according to the same source.
Faced with rumors of the presence of hantavirus on board and to "avoid any panic ," the authorities explained these precautionary measures—confinement on board, limitation of interactions with the port— "in light of the international context . " "This climate leads us to exercise the utmost caution, even though this type of epidemic on a ship, in an enclosed environment, is not uncommon ," they told the press on Wednesday.
In addition to the possible presence of norovirus on the cruise ship Ambition , authorities are not ruling out the possibility of food poisoning.
...https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/arti...epidemie-de-gastro-enterite_6688681_3224.html
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Press release - Gastrointestinal disturbances on the cruise ship "Ambition" at anchor in Bordeaux - May 13, 2026
Press release
May 13, 2026
Following the report during the night of an episode of gastrointestinal disturbances on board the cruise ship "Ambition", the prefect of Gironde in conjunction with the ARS Nouvelle-Aquitaine, activated the health management system in accordance with this type of event.
According to information relayed last night by the ship's captain, up to fifty passengers experienced symptoms consistent with an acute gastrointestinal infection. These passengers were immediately attended to by the ship's doctor and isolated in their cabins.
A medical team, supervised by the maritime medical coordination service and under the authority of the maritime prefect, was dispatched on board to assess the health situation. Samples are currently being taken by the infectious diseases department of the Bordeaux University Hospital.
These analyses should allow us to:
As a precautionary measure due to the contagiousness of gastroenteritis-type illnesses and pending the results of the tests, the Prefect of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, Prefect of Gironde, Etienne Guyot, based on the recommendations transmitted by the ARS (Regional Health Agency), has decided:
These measures are temporary, proportionate and continuously reassessed.
A further update will be provided as soon as the results of the investigations clarify the evolving situation. These are expected later today.
https://www.nouvelle-aquitaine.ars....tinaux-sur-le-navire-de-croisiere-ambition-au
In Bordeaux, more than 1,700 people are confined to a cruise ship after the death of a passenger and a suspected gastroenteritis outbreak.
Among the 1,233 passengers, mostly British and Irish, in addition to the deceased victim who was 90 years old, about fifty have shown symptoms and tests are underway to detect the possible presence of norovirus.
Le Monde with AFP
Published today at 12:58 PM, updated at 2:40 PM
More than 1,700 people are confined on board a cruise ship that arrived in Bordeaux on Tuesday evening from Brest, after the death of a passenger and a suspected gastroenteritis outbreak, health authorities said on Wednesday, May 13.
Among the 1,233 passengers, mostly British and Irish, in addition to the deceased man in his nineties, about fifty "experienced symptoms consistent with an acute gastrointestinal infection ," according to the Gironde prefecture and the Regional Health Agency (ARS), which ruled out any link with the hantavirus cases detected on the MV Hondius cruise ship . They were treated by the ship's doctor and isolated in their cabins.
The situation was reported overnight as the ship, which also carries 514 crew members of Indian nationality, arrived in the port of Bordeaux.
The Ambition, a cruise ship operated by the British company Ambassador Cruise Line, departed from the Shetland Islands north of Scotland on May 6th and previously called at Belfast, Liverpool, and Brest. The ship is scheduled to sail to the port of Ferrol in northern Spain before returning to Liverpool on May 22nd.
Precautionary measures
On Wednesday at midday, it was docked in the city center, with no security measures in place on land. Passengers were taking pictures of Bordeaux from a deck of the cruise ship.
The peak of symptoms, vomiting and diarrhea, occurred on Monday when the ship was in Brest, according to health authorities. The victim, in his nineties, whose exact cause of death has yet to be determined, died before the ship arrived in the Breton port.
Initial analyses on board ruled out the presence of norovirus, a category of infectious agent that causes gastroenteritis in humans, but further analyses, the results of which are expected during the day, are underway in the infectious disease department of the Bordeaux hospital center, according to the same source.
Faced with rumors of the presence of hantavirus on board and to "avoid any panic ," the authorities explained these precautionary measures—confinement on board, limitation of interactions with the port— "in light of the international context . " "This climate leads us to exercise the utmost caution, even though this type of epidemic on a ship, in an enclosed environment, is not uncommon ," they told the press on Wednesday.
In addition to the possible presence of norovirus on the cruise ship Ambition , authorities are not ruling out the possibility of food poisoning.
...https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/arti...epidemie-de-gastro-enterite_6688681_3224.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Press release - Gastrointestinal disturbances on the cruise ship "Ambition" at anchor in Bordeaux - May 13, 2026
Press release
May 13, 2026
Following the report during the night of an episode of gastrointestinal disturbances on board the cruise ship "Ambition", the prefect of Gironde in conjunction with the ARS Nouvelle-Aquitaine, activated the health management system in accordance with this type of event.
According to information relayed last night by the ship's captain, up to fifty passengers experienced symptoms consistent with an acute gastrointestinal infection. These passengers were immediately attended to by the ship's doctor and isolated in their cabins.
A medical team, supervised by the maritime medical coordination service and under the authority of the maritime prefect, was dispatched on board to assess the health situation. Samples are currently being taken by the infectious diseases department of the Bordeaux University Hospital.
These analyses should allow us to:
- To precisely identify the pathogen that is responsible
- To assess the risks of transmission
- To take appropriate measures
As a precautionary measure due to the contagiousness of gastroenteritis-type illnesses and pending the results of the tests, the Prefect of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, Prefect of Gironde, Etienne Guyot, based on the recommendations transmitted by the ARS (Regional Health Agency), has decided:
- To suspend the disembarkation of passengers and crew
- To limit interactions with the port
These measures are temporary, proportionate and continuously reassessed.
A further update will be provided as soon as the results of the investigations clarify the evolving situation. These are expected later today.
https://www.nouvelle-aquitaine.ars....tinaux-sur-le-navire-de-croisiere-ambition-au