Cruise ship norovirus outbreaks are currently at their highest level in over 10 years. With 13 outbreaks since the beginning of 2023, it surpasses the number of outbreaks in the entire year of 2022.
The most recent incident involved 110 Viking Cruises passengers and eight crew members falling ill on a New York cruise.
Norovirus is indeed highly contagious, and it can be contracted through the air or from contaminated surfaces. Outbreaks can occur in various settings such as hotels, large buffet restaurants, and other public facilities.
Prior to the pandemic, the number of norovirus cases on cruise ships had been in decline since 2006.
Separately, Irish health service workers have been informally asked to be ready for a rapid rise in norovirus cases in the run up to Christmas 2023.
