Passengers Fall Sick as Illness Spreads Onboard RC Cruise

Onboard the Radiance of the Seas, 89 passengers and 2 crew members have been reported ill with gastrointestinal-related symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting. The voyage, which left on February 1st, is reported to have 2,164 passengers aboard and 910 crew. With 89 passengers sick, it represents 4.1% of the total passenger population dealing with this rising outbreak.

What We Know So Far About the Outbreak

The cruise ship, the Radiance of the Seas, left Tampa, FL on February 1st and was scheduled to return on February 8. The official report comes from the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP). This program was implemented in the 1970s in response to a growing concern about gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships. The program was created to help prevent and control the spread of diseases on passenger vessels that visit U.S. ports.

The itinerary for this specific cruise was scheduled to sail the Gulf of Mexico down to Central America to visit Cozumel, Honduras, Belize, and Costa Maya, according to CruiseMapper. 

After almost 100 passengers onboard the Radiance of the Seas were affected by this illness, they were required to report the outbreak to the CDC before being welcomed back to the U.S. port, following the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program. The ship is required to report the illnesses, investigate the cause, respond with recommendations by the CDC, and monitor any associated trends.