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Norovirus: Symptoms and prevention of ‘stomach flu’<\/p>\n
When norovirus cases spike, these are symptoms you should watch out for and measures you can take for prevention.<\/p>\n
More than 70 people got sick in a norovirus outbreak on a Royal Caribbean International<\/a> ship this month. The cases mark the 19th outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on cruises that met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s threshold for public notification in 2025, surpassing 2024\u2019s total.<\/p>\n Among the 1,874 passengers aboard the line’s Serenade of the Seas ship, 71 reported being ill during a voyage that began on Sept. 19, along with one crew member, the CDC said<\/a>. Their main symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.<\/p>\n The ship left from San Diego for a cruise to Mexico, Costa Rica, the Panama Canal and Colombia, according to CruiseMapper<\/a>. The cruise line increased cleaning and sanitation measures onboard and isolated sick guests and employees, among other steps, according to the CDC.<\/p>\n “The\u00a0health\u00a0and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority,” Royal Caribbean Group, the cruise line’s parent company, told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. “To maintain an environment that supports the highest levels of\u00a0health\u00a0and safety onboard our ships, we implement rigorous cleaning procedures, many of which far exceed public\u00a0health\u00a0guidelines.”<\/p>\n Are outbreaks up on cruise ships?<\/p>\n The CDC has logged 19 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness<\/a> on cruises so far this year, 14 of which were caused by norovirus. The illness caused 15 of 18 total outbreaks<\/a> in 2024, and 13 out of 14 the year before.<\/p>\n “While the number of recent cruise ship outbreaks has been higher than in years prior to the pandemic, we do not yet know if this represents a new trend,” the health agency told USA TODAY<\/a> in late April. “However, CDC data show a newly dominant strain is currently associated with reported norovirus outbreaks on land. Ships typically follow the pattern of land-based outbreaks, which are higher this norovirus season.”<\/p>\n A preliminary review also found a “possible overreliance on hand sanitizer on ships,” which is not as effective against the virus as soap and water, the agency said.<\/p>\n There were 2,675 norovirus outbreaks reported by the 14 states that participate in the NoroSTAT network between Aug. 1, 2024, and July 31, 2025, according to the CDC\u2019s website<\/a>. Those are up from 1,478 during the same period in the prior seasonal year.<\/p>\n “The total number of outbreaks reported during the 2024\u20132025 seasonal year is above the range reported during the same period during the 2012\u20132020 and 2021-2024 seasonal years,” the website reads.<\/p>\n