Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Widespread illness strikes again on the open seas as more than 300 people on board the Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas became sick with vomiting and diarrhea, the Centers for Disease Control said.
A report from the CDC said 281 of 3,050 passengers and 22 of 1,165 crew members came down with the unknown ailment after the cruise disembarked Tuesday from Cape Liberty, N.J. Those numbers account for 9.21 percent and 1.15 percent of the passengers and crews on board the ship, respectively.
In response to the outbreak, the cruise line increased cleaning and disinfecting procedures, notified passengers, collected stool samples from ill passengers to provide to the CDC lab, prepared to add more crew members mid-voyage to assist with increased procedures and consulted with the CDC.
The Explorer of the Seas skipped its planned stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and a CDC health officer planned to board the ship in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Sunday to conduct an investigation.
The cruise is scheduled to conclude Friday.
[CDC] [CNN]
