Cunard Confirms Onboard Illnesses on Queen Victoria

Cunard Line confirmed there has been “a small number of reported cases of viral gastroenteritis” among the guests and crew onboard Queen Victoria during its current trans-Atlantic crossing to New York.

The clinical symptoms are consistent with Norovirus, a mild but common and highly contagious gastrointestinal virus, which is easily passed from person to person and this has been confirmed by sample analysis.

The London Daily Mail reported on Jan. 9 that 30 passengers were confined to cabins. As soon as the first cases were reported, Cunard said the ship instigated the company’s established comprehensive sanitation protocols, developed in conjunction with international public health authorities.

Cunard said that Norovirus is endemic throughout the U.K., Europe and North America and is so prevalent worldwide that only the common cold is reported more frequently. Symptoms of Norovirus include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea; some people may also experience headache, mild fever and abdominal cramps.

Symptoms usually last between one and three days and generally resolve without treatment or long-term consequences. The incubation period of the virus averages about 24 hours.