More than 70 sickened with norovirus on Royal Caribbean cruise

More than 70 passengers and crew on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship have fallen ill from a norovirus outbreak as it heads to Miami.

So far, at least 71 passengers and one crew member on the Serenade of the Seas have been confirmed to have gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea and vomiting, on the 13-night cruise, according to a statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The cruise left San Diego on Sept. 19, heading to Miami, where it is scheduled to arrive Thursday.

Norovirus was first reported Sunday, quickly spreading to almost 4% of the 1,874 passengers on board.

All of the infected have been isolated and stool samples collected, according to the CDC.

“Reporting gastrointestinal illness (GI) is important. When passengers and crew tell the medical center onboard about their symptoms, it helps GI illness outbreaks get detected quickly. This allows steps to be taken to limit the spread of illness,” the CDC said.

In the wake of the outbreak, Royal Caribbean has “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures,” the CDC said.

“The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority. To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of health and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public health guidelines,” Royal Caribbean said in a statement to USA Today.

So far this year, there have been 19 gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruises that were reported to the CDC as required, 14 of which were caused by norovirus.

Norovirus symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, muscle ache, headache, abdominal cramp or fever, or three or more loose stools within a 24-hour period, according to the CDC.