70+ individuals aboard P&O Cruises' ship Arcadia experienced a gastrointestinal illness outbreak during a recent voyage.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 65 passengers and 10 crew members reported symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. Among the 1,959 passengers onboard, the cause of the outbreak remains undetermined.
The Arcadia, currently on a month-long cruise from Southampton UK to the U.S. and Canada, departed on September 3rd.
In a statement, P&O Cruises noted that all guests were provided with health advisory notices upon embarkation, outlining precautionary measures for both onboard and onshore activities. Upon receiving reports of illness, the line swiftly activated enhanced sanitization protocols to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all guests and crew.
The CDC confirmed that the cruise line issued announcements to inform passengers and crew about the outbreak, urging case reporting and promoting hand hygiene. So far in 2024, the CDC has documented nine gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships that met its reporting threshold, with norovirus identified as the causative agent in most cases.
For more P&O Arcadia incidents and accidents see the ship's CruiseMinus page.