SAN PEDRO, Calif., Nov. 17 (UPI) -- More than 170 people aboard Princess Cruises' Crown Princess ship came down with norovirus during a month-long cruise from Hawaii and Tahiti to Los Angeles, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday.
The Crown Princess docked Sunday in San Pedro, Calif., where it will undergo disinfection.
The CDC noted that 158 passengers and 14 crew members contracted the illness, exhibiting symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea and nausea.
"Over the last few days, the ship began seeing an increased number of gastrointestinal illnesses, caused by norovirus (commonly referred to as the stomach flu)," a spokesperson for the cruise line said in a statement. "In response, we have enacted our stringent disinfecting protocols developed in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which includes an extensive deep cleaning of the ship and the terminal in Los Angeles on Sunday before the ship embarks on its next voyage."
This is the second time in 2014 that the norovirus has struck the Crown Princess. Last April, the popular cruise ship docked in San Diego Bay after 94 passengers and 23 crew members fell ill.
The CDC said in a report last June that 20 million people in the United States contract norovirus each year -- often from eating in public restaurants or banquet halls.
Nearly 700 people contracted the illness on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship last January.
