Dozens Sickened On Norwegian Cruise Lines Ship Joy In LA

SAN PEDRO, CA — The Norwegian Cruise Lines ship Joy sailed back into the Port of Los Angeles with dozens of people suffering from flu-like symptoms Sunday. It’s the second time in a week that the ship has sailed to the port so passengers could be treated by paramedics.

About 25 people suffered from flu-like illness in the past week. Such outbreaks are common on places such as cruise ships where food is served, according to federal health officials. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics on Sunday evaluated 19 people, all of whom declined transport to a hospital, said fire department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart.

There were signs of an outbreak as early as Nov. 24, when paramedics were sent at 9:17 a.m. to Berth 91 at the Port of Los Angeles to evaluate six passengers. Four of the passengers required hospital treatment, said Brian Humphrey of the LAFD.

The cruise line issued a statement about the incident: “The safety, security and well-being of our guests and crew is our No. 1 priority. As such, we operate at the very highest public health standards. During Norwegian Joy’s Panama Canal sailing, a few guests on board experienced a stomach-related illness. To mitigate any impact of this rare occurrence, we implemented stringent sanitation procedures. As always, we will continue to monitor this situation.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted on its website that norovirus is the leading cause of flu-like disease outbreaks from contaminated food in the U.S..

“Infected food workers cause about 70 percent of reported norovirus outbreaks from contaminated food,” according to the CDC. About 20 million people get sick from norovirus each year, the CDC said, and most is from close contact with infected people or eating contaminated food.

“Norovirus often gets attention for outbreaks on cruise ships, but those account for only about 1 percent of all reported norovirus outbreaks,” the CDC said. “Norovirus is very contagious, and outbreaks can occur anywhere people gather or food is served.”

In a statement, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn called on the CDC to work closely with county health officials to ensure that passengers aboard the Norwegian Joy do not become part of an infectious disease outbreak in the harbor area.

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