110 people fall ill during Mexico cruise

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- A 10-day trip to Mexico ended with a Holland America cruise ship returning to San Diego with 110 sick people aboard.

At least 104 passengers and six crewmembers on the Ryndam suffered from the gastrointestinal Norwalk-like virus, or NLV, which can produce vomiting and diarrhea and lasts about 24 to 48 hours, said Holland America Line spokesman Erik Elvejord.

The ship carried 1,226 passengers and 556 crewmembers to several ports in Mexico's Sea of Cortez.

The ship operated under "code red" conditions, under which the ship's crew alerted passengers not to touch common areas because the illness is spread through contact, Elvejord said.

The crew also washes down anything that passengers touch under the protocol.

The ship was scheduled for sanitization Monday.