Cruise ship outbreaks hit 23 in 2025, norovirus the most common
WCVB • • health
Key Points:
- Cruise ship gastrointestinal (GI) illness outbreaks have been rising, with 23 outbreaks recorded by the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program in 2025 and three outbreaks reported so far in 2026, including E. coli and norovirus cases.
- A cruise ship outbreak is defined as 3% or more of passengers or crew reporting GI illness symptoms during a voyage, highlighting the risk posed by close quarters and semi-enclosed environments on ships.
- Norovirus is the most common viral outbreak on cruise ships, reported 214 times from 2006 to 2026, typically affecting about 7% of passengers and spreading through contaminated food, water, or surfaces.
- A CDC study found that larger ships and longer voyages (over seven days for passengers, over five days for crew) are associated with higher rates of acute gastroenteritis.
- The recent hantavirus outbreak on the British cruise ship MV Hondius, which resulted in three passenger deaths, is excluded from U.S. CDC data as the ship did not call at a U.S. port.
