CDC Reports Outbreak Of Implementation Disease On Cruise Ship

Cruise ship Radiance of The Seas. (Wikimedia Commons/Bahnfrend)

JAKARTA - A gastrointestinal disease has spread this week on the Radiance of the Seas cruise ship, according to the United States Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).

About 89 of the 2,164 passengers on board have been affected by the outbreak on the ship, the CDC said. That means about 4.1 percent of passengers. Only two of the 910 crew members reported symptoms.

The CDC did not mention this type of gastrointestinal disease. The main symptoms reported are diarrhea and vomiting, the health agency said, as reported by CNN on February 10.

The Radiance of the Seas special voyage began on February 1 and is scheduled to end on Saturday.

The outbreak was reported to the CDC's Ship Sanitation Program on Tuesday 4 February. According to CruiseMapper's website, the Radiance of the Seas departed from Tampa, Florida, United States with several stops in the western Caribbean.

The CDC says sick passengers and crew have been isolated from other people on board. The ship has also "enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures" and "collected specimens of feces for testing."

In an emailed response to CNN Travel, a Royal Caribbean Group spokesman said, "improved measures have been implemented aboard the ship with great care to protect the health and comfort of all of our guests and crew."

The Ship Sanitation Program said in its report, "Noroviruses are often the cause of gastrointestinal disease outbreaks on cruise ships, but we don't always know the cause of the outbreak when we start an investigation. Finding the cause of the outbreak can take time."

Norovirus cases began to soar in early 2025, and 2024 was the worst year in more than a decade for stomach disease on cruise ships.

To help avoid disease spread, the CDC recommends washing hands frequently and resting a lot and drinking water.