British travelers aboard a cruise ship are under mandatory quarantine following the passing of an elderly passenger in the midst of a suspected norovirus outbreak. Over 50 individuals have exhibited symptoms of the highly contagious virus while the vessel remains stationed in Bordeaux.
Health authorities have disclosed that more than 1,700 passengers and crew members on the ship have been restricted after the 90-year-old passenger’s demise. Initial signs of sickness were detected among passengers on the Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition ship on May 11, as reported by Bordeaux officials.
Approximately 50 people have displayed symptoms of the potent norovirus, causing symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, according to health officials. The Gironde prefecture stated that around fifty passengers had shown signs consistent with an acute gastrointestinal infection and were promptly isolated in their cabins by the ship’s medical team.
A medical team, overseen by the maritime medical coordination service and authorized by the maritime prefect, has been dispatched to evaluate the situation onboard. Samples are currently being collected by the infectious diseases department at Bordeaux University Hospital.
Authorities have confirmed the activation of health protocols and clarified that this virus is distinct from the hantavirus outbreak that resulted in fatalities on another cruise ship. The vessel had departed from the Shetland Islands on May 6, making stops in Belfast, Liverpool, and Brest before reaching Bordeaux, where its departure for Spain was planned for today.
The duration of the stranded passengers, predominantly British and Irish, in France remains uncertain.