RSSNearly 100 Sickened on Florida Cruise Ship
Cruise ship illnesses are becoming more and more common these days as the cruise industry tries to cram more and more people into larger and larger ships. It makes sanitation more complicated.
On May 1, the Holland America Cruise Ship MS Maasdam returned to port at Port Everglades, Florida after people became sick from a gastrointestinal virus. The company said 71 passengers came down sick from the virus. As well, 11 members of the crew became sick. The ship had been scheduled for a 15-day Atlantic Coast cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Montreal, Canada. People who had become sick from the virus reported symptoms of diarrhea and vomiting.
Officials from the Centers for Disease say the ship was most liked infected with the norovirus. The virus causes 90 percent of gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships. It is spread when people touch the surface of an infected area or drink contaminated water. That can happen easily in the close confines of a cruise ship.
Centers for Disease Control officials boarded the ship when it docked and started an inspection of the ship. They wanted to determine where the outbreak originated and decide on ways to disinfect the ship.
Shortly after the ship departed from Port Everglades, passengers went to the ship’s medical facility and reported symptoms of the virus. The sick passengers were requested to stay in their rooms until the symptoms subsided. During the outbreak, crewmembers had tried to reduce the spread of the disease. They increased cleaning on the ship, disinfecting high-traffic areas. The ship had a total of 1,138 passengers.
The company plans to conduct a though cleaning of the ship. Norovirus is not fatal in adults but has been known to be deadly for children. Each year 19 to 21 million cases of the virus are reported in the United States, many on cruise ships. The virus can linger for a significant amount of time after infecting a ship, because many disinfectant cleaners do not kill the virus. So far, the Centers for Disease Control has investigated virus outbreaks on nine cruise ships this year. It investigated nine all of last year.
If you or a loved one has become sick on a Florida cruise ship, contact the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham, P.A. immediately at 877-FL-INJURY (877-354-6587) for a free initial consultation.
James O. Cunningham
Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.
Mr. Cunningham is an excellent and knowledgeable attorney.