A total of 70 passengers and crew members on a Princess Cruises ship have reported illness due to a norovirus outbreak.

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 55 of the 1,822 passengers on board the Coral Princess, along with 15 crew members, have manifested signs of sickness during their ongoing voyage. The predominant symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea.

This voyage is part of a month-long journey that started from Singapore and is scheduled to reach Los Angeles, California, according to CruiseMapper, with the trip commencing on October 17.

Princess Cruises has activated enhanced “cleaning and disinfection protocols as part of their outbreak response strategy,” the health agency indicated. The CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program is keeping an eye on the situation remotely.

No immediate comment has come from the cruise line regarding this matter to YSL News.

According to the CDC, there have been 11 cases of gastrointestinal illnesses on cruise ships this year that warranted public alerts, with norovirus identified as the cause in all but three cases.

Though cruises are often linked to these outbreaks, they represent only about 1% of all reported incidents.

Dr. Sarah E. Hochman, a hospital epidemiologist and section chief of infectious diseases at NYU Langone Health’s Tisch Hospital, explained to YSL News in April, “Cruise ships aren’t special or different. Such outbreaks can happen in any crowded setting and even in smaller groups like families. However, they don’t catch as much attention from public health authorities compared to larger groups.”