Cruise ship hit with third stomach illness outbreak in two months, review underway

Health officials have reported a gastrointestinal illness outbreak aboard an Alaska cruise ship, marking the vessel's third stomach bug outbreak in about two months.

The National Geographic Sea Bird, operated by Lindblad Expeditions, was the subject of a July 15 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP). 

The CDC said the outbreak aboard the trip was reported July 12 - halfway through its July 10 to July 15 voyage from Sitka to Juneau, Alaska.

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The latest incident marks the third gastrointestinal illness outbreak reported aboard the ship since late May, according to the VSP.

In the most recent outbreak, 18 of the ship's 62 passengers - or nearly a third of those aboard - reported being ill.

The predominant symptoms were "vomiting [and] abdominal cramps," the report said. As of Monday, the source of the outbreak is unknown. 

Officials reported that the ship's crew isolated the ill passengers and crew. Officials also increased "cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response plan."

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"VSP is remotely monitoring the situation, including review of the ship's outbreak response and sanitation procedures," the statement added.

The CDC said the cause of the outbreak remains unknown, though norovirus is a common cause of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships.

"Finding the agent that caused an outbreak [meaning the causative agent] can take time," said the VSP. "When an outbreak occurs, people whose symptoms [meet] the case definition are asked to provide stool or vomitus samples."

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"In this outbreak, samples are pending confirmatory testing," the report also noted.

Fox News Digital reached out to Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Expeditions, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to the CDC.

Users on an online forum expressed disgust over the latest outbreak.

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"They need to use bleach to sanitize every inch of that ship," one commenter said.

"Gross," another person said.

After a previous outbreak on the National Geographic Sea Bird two months ago, a Reddit user wrote, "It happens every year and all the time."

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Another wrote at the time, "My sister and I were on the Sea Bird, on the cruise [that] left Sitka on May 31st. Lindblad told us they were doing extra sanitizing of the ship."

The incident follows a string of cruise-related health incidents that have made headlines in recent months.

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In April, a hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius drew international attention after it was linked to three passenger deaths.

Also in the spring, more than 100 people fell ill during a norovirus outbreak aboard the Caribbean Princess, according to the CDC.

The National Geographic Sea Bird is a 152-foot expedition vessel carrying up to 62 guests. 

Its shallow draft allows access to narrow inlets and wildlife-rich fjords beyond the reach of larger ships.