A “suspected norovirus outbreak” has seen nearly 80 cruise ship passengers taken ill. The incident happened on a Holland America Line cruise in Hong Kong. A local news release says the Centre for Health Protection boarded the cruise line’s Westerdam ship to investigate on March 1.
There are around 2,800 passengers on board, with 65 guests and 11 crew members becoming unwell. The people developed symptoms of acute gastroenteritis, including diarrhoea, vomiting and fever. The ship departed from Yokohama, Japan, near Tokyo, on February 15.
Samples have been taken from patients, with tests ongoing by the CHP’s Public Health Laboratory Services Branch. Stool samples taken from seven people tested positive for norovirus, reports USA TODAY.
Holland America told USA TODAY that “a number of guests reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness” during the vessel’s previous voyage.
“The cases were mostly mild and quickly resolving,” the cruise line said in an emailed statement.
“As a precaution and consistent with our standard protocols, we implemented enhanced sanitation procedures and conducted additional deep cleaning when the ship completed its sailing in Hong Kong,” it said.
Outbreaks are very common on cruise ships and other crowded settings, including schools, hotels, and care facilities.
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The cases fell outside the jurisdiction of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program, which handles international voyages that stop at a U.S. port.
CHP Controller Dr. Edwin Tsui said: “Given the current high activity levels of norovirus in some tourist destinations, particularly in neighbouring regions like Japan and Korea where activity has been rising since late last year, I urge cross-border cruise passengers and operators to pay special attention to personal, food and environmental hygiene to safeguard individual health and public health.”
This is not the only recent outbreak; other ships have experienced similar situations at the start of 2026. There were also outbreaks on the Seven Seas Mariner in January 2026, as well as on the Rotterdam, also in January.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand sanitiser is not effective against norovirus and thorough handwashing is best.
Infected individuals can also continue to spread norovirus for up to two weeks after they feel better, making it difficult to control outbreaks.
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