French health officials have placed over 1,700 cruise passengers under confinement aboard a cruise ship, Ambition, docked off the coast of Bordeaux following a suspected norovirus outbreak. The ship operatedby UK-based Ambassador Cruise Line, was on a 14-night tour of Western France and Northern Spain when it arrived at the French port.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Regional Health Agency of Nouvelle-Aquitaine said the decision to temporarily prevent passengers from disembarking was taken under standard health management protocols.
Health authorities reported that up to 50 passengers were showing symptoms consistent with an acute gastrointestinal infection, based on information provided by the ship’s captain on Tuesday.
“According to information transmitted yesterday evening by the captain of the ship, up to fifty passengers were affected by symptoms compatible with an acute digestive infection. These passengers were immediately treated by the onboard doctor and isolated in their cabins”, the agency said.
A team of medical experts from Bordeaux University Hospital has been deployed to the ship to assess the situation and collect samples to identify the pathogen, evaluate transmission risks, and recommend appropriate measures.
The outbreak comes just two weeks after cases of hantavirus were reported on the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius, where two people died. The World Health Organization later confirmed 11 cases, including deaths linked to the virus. However, the Regional Health Agency of Nouvelle-Aquitaine emphasized that there is no connection between the two incidents.
