Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Hantavirus, COVID, norovirus, legionnaires’: why are cruise ships so prone to disease outbreaks?

It has been known at least since the 1970s that cruise ships are prone to infectious/contagious disease outbreaks among passengers almost every year or every few years, often involving gastrointestinal viruses.

An outbreak of a hantavirus seems to be unusual on a cruise ship. It was reported that the zero patient was a retired ornithologist who visited a landfill in Brazil.

However, given how many cruise ship tours and how many passengers on these ships, the risks of becoming ill in this way are rather small, I would guess.

"The ship’s design adds to the problem. People spend time together in dining rooms, bars, lifts, corridors, theatres and spa areas. Crew members also live and work in the same environment, often in shared accommodation, so illness can move through the ship from passenger to passenger or between passengers and crew. ..."

Hantavirus, COVID, norovirus, legionnaires’: why are cruise ships so prone to disease outbreaks?




Here is a table showing outbreaks just in the year 2018




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