Local authorities in southwest France stopped passengers and crew from leaving a cruise ship in Bordeaux on Wednesday, as a precautionary measure after dozens of cases of possible gastroenteritis on board.
There is no reason to link what appears to be a stomach flu outbreak aboard a ship that departed Belfast and Liverpool to the hantavirus cluster aboard the luxury Hondius ship, which traveled between Argentina and the Canary Islands, the regional health authority said in a statement.
One 92-year-old British passenger had passed away on board due to cardiac arrest during a stop in Brest, Brittany, on May 11. That death did not appear to be associated with the gastrointestinal outbreak at this stage, the Gironde Prefecture said.
The vessel was carrying 1,233 passengers, most of them British or Irish nationals, and 514 crew members. One passenger was a French national.
The ban on disembarking passengers is temporary and pending the outcome of medical tests, officials said.
The ship’s operator, Ambassador Cruise Line, said in a Facebook post that enhanced sanitation and prevention protocols had been implemented immediately on the vessel, named Ambition. “Once clearance is granted, guests will be permitted to disembark,” it said.
Gastrointestinal illnesses can be common on cruise ships. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported two outbreaks of E. coli and two outbreaks of norovirus this year already on cruise ships.
Gastroenteritis is a stomach flu. The main symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea. It is very contagious but usually does not have major consequences, though it can sometimes lead to more severe symptoms, including dehydration.
It is very different from the hantavirus, which has a high lethality rate but transmits from person to person only in rare cases and requires close contact.
Contributing: Dominique Vidalon, Michaela Cabrera, Jennifer Rigby, Ingrid Melander; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cruise passengers blocked from leaving ship over likely stomach flu