Nearly 90 people aboard a Holland America cruise liner based in Florida suffered “symptoms of gastrointestinal illness” from a norovirus outbreak, forcing a “comprehensive sanitization of the ship,” officials said Sunday.<\/p>\n
The Rotterdam had pushed out of Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 28 before it returned Friday, ending a journey that sickened 81 of the ship’s 2,593 passengers and eight members of the 1,005 crew, Holland America and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <\/a>said.<\/p>\n “During its previous voyage, a number of guests onboard Rotterdam reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. The cases were mostly mild and quickly resolved,” the cruise line’s statement said. <\/p>\n “The health of our guests and crew is a top priority and consistent with CDC protocols, we conducted a comprehensive sanitization of the ship when the cruise ended Friday in Fort Lauderdale.” <\/p>\n The norovirus outbreak had predominant symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC. <\/p>\n The crew collected stool specimens and isolated ill passengers and crew members, the CDC said<\/a>.<\/p>\n It is the second norovirus outbreak aboard the same ship, the Rotterdam, within 11 months.<\/p>\n