Virus Outbreak Hit 700 Passengers Aboard Carnival Liberty

Investigators from the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) joined last week the last leg of a Carnival Liberty cruise in St. Maarten following a gastrointestinal outbreak that has affected over 700 passengers and crew.

The outbreak struck people aboard the 110.000-ton Carnival Liberty, one of the world’s largest cruise ships, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the Miami-based company.

The ship had left Rome on November 3 with about 2.800 paying passengers and was due to arrive Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.

Some 506 passengers and 137 crew members had come down with the ailment by Wednesday, by CDC count. That amounts to 18 percent of the passengers and nearly 12 percent of the crew.

Gastrointestinal bugs are common both on land and at sea. Earlier this month, a Royal Caribbean Cruises ship, the Adventure of the Seas, reported some 130 passengers and crew were sick with gastrointestinal symptoms on a cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Cruise lines argue they often get disproportionately tarred because they monitor and report illness outbreaks, while other public spots like hotels don’t.