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More than 80 people on board Holland America cruise that left Florida have norovirus: CDC

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Published  February 27, 2025 4:40pm EST
Florida
FOX 13 News

The Brief

    • The CDC says more than 80 people on a Holland America cruise ship that left Florida's Port Everglades have norovirus.
    • They say 88 passengers and crew aboard the Eurodam ship reported being sick; 79 passengers along with nine crew members.
    • Holland America says they are aware of the outbreak, the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) is monitoring it to ensure they follow all illness response guidelines.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - More than 80 people on board a Holland America cruise ship that left Florida are sick, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(09/03/08 Boston, MA )The Heral takes a tour aboard Holland America's cruise ship "Eurodam" currently at The Black Falcon Cruise Terminal. Overall of the ship's Lido Midship Pool on the 9th. deck. Staff Photo by Patrick Whittemore. Saved in Thursday

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The CDC reports that 88 passengers and crew on the Eurodam ship have gotten the norovirus, a gastrointestinal disease commonly found on cruise ships.

READ: Nearly 100 on board Royal Caribbean cruise that left Tampa sick with gastrointestinal illness: CDC 

According to the agency, this is the eighth outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on a cruise ship in 2025 and the second Holland America ship to report an outbreak of the norovirus this month.

Dig deeper:

The agency says that 79 of those sick are passengers, while nine are crew onboard the ship.

The ship left Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades on February 19. It was set to cruise the Caribbean before returning to Florida on March 1, according to CruiseMapper.

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The CDC says it only took four days for the outbreak to be reported to the agency's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), which included diarrhea and vomiting.

PORTLAND, ME - SEPTEMBER 30: Passengers aboard the cruise ship Eurodam of Holland America cruise lines stand on their balcony and look at the Portland cityscape as a crew member at the top cleans as it prepares to depart port Tuesday, September 30, 2

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That’s when the CDC says Holland America Line isolated sick passengers and crew, collected stool samples for testing, increased cleaning and disinfection procedures, and consulted with VSP about sanitation cleaning procedures and reporting ill cases.

What they're saying:

The CDC says it is 'remotely monitoring' the outbreak and reviewing the ship's outbreak response and sanitation procedures.

READ: 90th annual Florida Strawberry Festival kicks off in Plant City on Thursday

They have also reissued guidelines for ‘Healthy Cruising’ recommendations to passengers, which include regular handwashing, drinking enough water, and getting enough rest. 

Holland America issued this statement to FOX 13: 

"During its current voyage, a number of guests onboard Eurodam reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. The cases were mostly mild and quickly resolved. We initiated enhanced sanitation protocols in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to minimize further transmission, including continuous disinfection of the ship," a company spokesperson said.

The Source: This story was written with information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Holland America.

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