More Than 100 Cases of Norovirus Reported on Cruise Ship: CDC

By Jack Phillips

A norovirus outbreak has sickened more than 100 people on an Aida Cruises ship, according to an update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The latest outbreak was confirmed on the AIDAdiva cruise ship, which is on a 133-day world cruise that began on Nov. 10 in Hamburg, Germany. The outbreak was reported on Nov. 30, which was posted online by the agency on Dec. 4.

The CDC said that 95 passengers out of 2,007 and six crew members out of 640 were sickened in the outbreak. The primary symptoms of noroviruses are vomiting and diarrhea, it said.

Aida Cruises told the CDC that it would increase its cleaning and disinfection procedures, collect stool samples from illness cases for testing, isolate sick passengers and crew members, and consult with the CDC’s cruise ship team.

“Seasonal illness peaks between November and April, and the AIDAdiva report reflects infection patterns on land,” a spokesperson for the cruise operator told media outlets in response to the CDC report, adding that it has “added more hygiene protocols onboard, and cases are already going down.”

The AIDAdiva is making various stops in the United States, England, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, and more countries, according to tracking website CruiseMapper. The cruise is continuing until March 2026.

So far in 2025, at least 21 outbreaks have been reported on cruise ships. The majority were caused by norovirus, a highly contagious virus. Two outbreaks were caused by E. coli or ciguatera, a type of marine toxin.

Norovirus is the leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States, responsible for 58 percent of such infections acquired in the country each year, according to the CDC.

On average, there are around 900 deaths, mainly in adults aged 65 and older, 109,000 hospitalizations, 465,000 emergency room visits, and 19 million to 21 million illnesses in the United States each year, it said.

Along with vomiting and diarrhea, other frequently reported symptoms include nausea, stomach pains, aches, headache, and fever.

Generally, people with norovirus will experience symptoms around 12 to 48 hours after they are exposed to the virus. Most people recover within one and three days.

Young children, older people, and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk, with dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea the top concern.

The CDC reported in October that 98 people aboard a Royal Caribbean ship were sickened with the virus, and that same month, 75 cases were confirmed on an Oceania Cruises vessel.

“Norovirus can be especially challenging to control on cruise ships because of the close living quarters, shared dining areas, and rapid turnover of passengers,” the CDC says.

“When the ship docks, norovirus can be brought on board in contaminated food or water; or by passengers who were infected while ashore.”

The Epoch Times contacted Aida Cruises for comment on Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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