People walk near the British cruise ship Ambition, where French authorities have ordered 1,700 passengers and crew to remain on board due to an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness, in Bordeaux, France.
French authorities on Wednesday eased restrictions on passengers on board the British cruise ship Ambition after tests confirmed that an enterovirus, likely norovirus and not hantavirus, was behind an outbreak that sickened dozens on the ship.The ship, operated by Ambassador Cruise Line, was earlier placed under temporary closure in the port city of Bordeaux after concerns emerged about a possible link to the deadly Hantavirus outbreak on board the Dutch-flagged MV Hondius.But French authorities said there was “no reason” to link the two incidents.
What happened on the plane?
Authorities said that about 80 people on board the Ambition ship had developed symptoms associated with a severe gastrointestinal infection since Monday.At least 48 passengers and one crew member were still suffering from gastrointestinal symptoms as of Wednesday morning, the Associated Press news agency reported.The ship was carrying 1,233 passengers, most of them from Britain and Ireland, in addition to 514 crew members.French officials said tests confirmed the outbreak was a “gastrointestinal infection of viral origin.” No serious cases were reported, and asymptomatic passengers were allowed to disembark later.Passengers who remained sick were asked to remain isolated in their cabins.The ship sailed from the Shetland Islands on May 6 and stopped in Belfast and Liverpool before arriving in Bordeaux.
The team was scheduled to continue towards Spain before returning to Liverpool on May 22.
A passenger died during the flight
Concern initially increased after the death of a 92-year-old British passenger on board the plane.But health officials later said the man had suffered a heart attack and that his death did not appear to be linked to an outbreak in the gastrointestinal tract.The authorities said, according to Agence France-Presse: “At this stage, no link to the gastroenteritis incident has been proven.”The officials added that the passenger’s body remained on board the ship in line with international maritime conventions.
Passengers describe conditions on board
Authorities said the restrictions were imposed “out of an abundance of caution” amid global concern about a separate Hantavirus outbreak on board the MV Hondius.One passenger, Seuss Giledhi from Belfast, told AFP via Facebook that life on board was continuing relatively normally despite enhanced hygiene measures.“We are on board with additional health guidelines in place,” he said while “playing bingo” on board. “The situation is not as bad as it was during Covid. People are going as usual.”He later added: “We were allowed off the ship, and the restrictions were lifted.”Others described more difficult conditions. One of the infected passengers wrote on Facebook, according to Agence France-Presse: “We are two in one cabin, and the presence of the virus poses a challenge.”
Why were the authorities so careful?
The outbreak has drawn additional scrutiny due to a recent outbreak of Hantavirus on board the MV Hondius, which prompted an international health response.The World Health Organization has confirmed eight laboratory cases of Andean virus infection, the only Hantavirus strain known to spread among humans, on board the ship Hondius. Three passengers associated with this outbreak have died.Health authorities confirmed that there is currently no evidence linking the outbreak of “Ambition” disease to cases of Hantavirus.Cruise ships regularly experience gastrointestinal outbreaks, often associated with norovirus.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 23 outbreaks on cruise ships last year.Gastroenteritis is commonly referred to as stomach flu. Its initial symptoms consist of vomiting and diarrhea. This disease spreads easily but usually does not cause serious consequences, although it can sometimes lead to more serious problems such as dehydration.It is very different from Hantavirus, which has a high mortality rate but is only transmitted in rare cases and requires close contact.
