A Royal Caribbean International cruise ship has returned to Port Everglades, Florida carrying over 100 passengers sick with what is thought to be norovirus.
The ship, called Vision of the Seas, carried 1,991 guests and 772 crew members. It returned as scheduled following its 11-night trip. It has been reported that those who fell ill responded well to over-the-counter medicine provided onboard.
In a statement to ABC News, Royal Caribbean International explained the sanitization process it implemented to prevent the spread of the illness.
"At Royal Caribbean International, we have high health standards for all our guests and crew," the cruise line said. "During the sailing, we conduct enhanced cleaning on board the ship to help prevent the spread of the illness. Additionally, when Vision of the Seas arrived to Port Everglades, Fla., today, we conducted an extensive and thorough sanitizing onboard the ship and within the cruise terminal to help prevent any illness from affecting the subsequent sailing."
Vision of the Seas stopped at a number of ports along its trip, including Basseterre, St. Kitts; Roseau, Dominica; Bridgetown, Barbados; St George's, Grenada; Kraledijk, Bonaire and Oranjestad, Aruba. The close quarters of a ship like the Vision of the Seas can cause something like the norovirus to spread very quickly.
"Norovirus is a very contagious virus," the Centers for Disease Control's website states. "You can get norovirus from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed (acute gastroenteritis). This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up."
Another departure was scheduled for the ship for later on Friday. In wake of the events, Royal Caribbean International sent an email to those who had purchased tickets.
"We will conduct enhanced sanitizing onboard the ship and within the terminal to help prevent any illness from affecting your cruise," the company stated.
