Gastro outbreak leaves 200 sick on popular cruise ship
Approximately 200 cruise passengers have been struck down with gastro on a popular cruise ship that is set to dock in Brisbane on Thursday.
The Sea Princess, belonging to the Princess Cruises fleet, is at the end of a two-week round trip between Brisbane and New Zealand.
Queensland Health confirmed on-board testing found norovirus to be the cause of the gastro outbreak.
"Around 200 people were believed to have been infected with the virus," a spokesperson said.
"Appropriate sanitation procedures and outbreak control measures have been implemented and the vessel is expected to undergo further comprehensive cleaning while in Brisbane."
Princess Cruises sent an email to passengers ensuring they are "carrying out a comprehensive sanitation program in coordination with several international public health authorities".
"We have also arranged for the ship to undergo an additional disinfection in Brisbane," the company said.
The Sea Princess can hold up to 910 crew and 2,000 guests who pay from $2,000 to $6,000 per person.
Last month, 220 passengers on board a Royal Caribbean cruise suffered from a gastro outbreak.
Reportedly, disembarking passengers said the number of cases overwhelmed the ship’s medical staff.