Hepatitis E breaks out on cruise ship

LONDON, May 1 (UPI) -- Seven British people on the P&O cruise ship Aurora caught the hepatitis E virus while on a 12-week international cruise, officials said.

The vacationers, aged roughly between 50 and 80, are suspected of contracting hepatitis while the ship was stopped in a tropical region, the Daily Telegraph reported Thursday.

The cruise toured locations such as Madeira, Barbados, Venezuela, Bonaire in the Dutch Antilles, the Panama Canal and Acapulco in Mexico.

Infected travelers reportedly exhibited symptoms including jaundice, discomfort and diarrhea.

The virus, typically transmitted through water or food, can result in swelling of the liver. Symptoms may not appear for weeks after infection occurs.

The Health Protection Agency has begun an investigation into what started the outbreak, the report said.

It is reported that at least 1,100 people have been advised to have their blood tested for the illness.

Some have speculated the Aurora is cursed, partly because 600 people aboard it fell ill with the Norovirus in 2003, the report said.