Investigation Update on the Ruby Princess

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Cruise Line: Princess Cruises

Cruise Ship: Ruby Princess

Voyage Dates: February 26–March 5, 2023

Voyage Number: RU305P

Number of passengers who reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of passengers onboard: 284 of 2881 (9.9%)

Number of crew who reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of crew onboard: 34 of 1159 (2.9%)

Predominant symptoms: vomiting and diarrhea

Causative agent: norovirus

Actions: In response to the outbreak, Princess Cruises and the crew aboard the ship reported the following actions:

  • Increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to the ship’s outbreak prevention and response plan.
  • Collected stool specimens from gastrointestinal illness cases to send to the CDC lab for pathogenic identification.
  • Distributed notifications and made ship announcements to embarking guests informing them of increased number of illness cases onboard the previous voyage.

VSP epidemiologists and environmental health officers conducted a field response in Galveston, Texas, on March 5.

Note: The gastrointestinal illness cases reported are totals for the entire voyage and do not represent the number of active (symptomatic) gastrointestinal cases at any given port of call or at disembarkation.

Learn how passengers can protect themselves with these tips for healthy cruising.