The Tribune

By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

PASSENGERS and crew aboard the Caribbean Princess were not permitted to disembark at the Nassau Cruise Port after Bahamian health officials confirmed an increase in onboard gastrointestinal illnesses linked to Norovirus infection, according to the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

The ministry said the National Communicable Diseases Surveillance Unit confirmed “an increase in onboard gastrointestinal illness and laboratory results indicating Norovirus infection” aboard the vessel.

Officials described the move as a precautionary measure intended to protect Nassau Cruise Port employees, tourism workers, and the wider Bahamian public while transmission onboard remains under investigation.

The ministry described Norovirus as “highly contagious”, noting that it commonly spreads through contaminated hands, food, water, and surfaces.

“Norovirus is one of the most common viral causes of gastroenteritis worldwide and symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and low-grade fever,” the statement read.

Health officials encouraged members of the public to practice proper hygiene, including washing hands thoroughly with soap and warm water and regularly disinfecting high-touch surfaces using bleach solutions or other approved disinfectants.

The ministry also confirmed that one non-resident passenger was transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital for “an unrelated non-infectious medical condition” under “strict infection prevention and control protocols”.

Officials further stressed that the matter is unrelated to hantavirus and has no connection to the MV Hondius, the cruise ship at the centre of a recent global hantavirus alert.

Last week Friday, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said Bahamian officials were monitoring a World Health Organization alert after an outbreak aboard the MV Hondius reportedly left three passengers dead from suspected hantavirus infections.

At the time, Dr Darville said the vessel was not scheduled to visit The Bahamas or any Caribbean port and noted that no Bahamians were identified among passengers or crew.

Health officials said hantavirus is primarily spread through exposure to particles from rodent droppings and urine and is not easily transmitted from person to person, although international media reported the outbreak involved the Andes strain, which has been associated with human-to-human transmission.