P&O Aurora - Hepatitis-E infection, 7 passengers on world cruise affected

**Ally** · 04-09-2008, 09:51 AM

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The Centre for Health Protection is following up on a British report concerning four cases of hepatitis-E infection involving four men on a world cruise.

According to the UK Health Protection Agency the cruise took place January 7 to March 28. The passenger capacity of the cruise ship was 1,800. Passengers were mainly British but also included Americans, Australians, South Africans, Danish and Irish.

The cruise stopped in Hong Kong February 26 and 27. During its stay 250 passengers disembarked while 180, including two Hong Kong people, embarked.

The UK Health Protection Agency has been working with the cruise operator and port health authority to distribute health advice to all passengers. People who have been aboard the vessel should seek medical advice if they come down with hepatitis symptoms.

Hepatitis-E is a viral infection highly endemic in Central and Southeast Asia, and North and West Africa, as well as Mexico. It is acquired by ingestion of contaminated food or water. Its incubation period ranges two weeks to two months. Symptoms include fever, malaise, anorexia, nausea, abdominal pain, dark urine and jaundice.

The centre has received 25 hepatitis-E infection reports so far this year. There were 33, 34 and 64 reports in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

To prevent infection practise good personal and food hygiene and ensure seafood, especially shellfish, is cooked thoroughly before consumption.

Hepatitis-E cruise outbreak probed

**Ally** · 04-30-2008, 12:13 PM

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SEVEN passengers have now been confirmed as contracting potentially deadly strain of hepatitis while on board a Southampton-based cruise ship.

A health probe is now underway after passengers who had been aboard the Aurora were struck down with the illness.

Hundreds of the 1,800 holidaymakers who took part in a world cruise are to undergo tests to see if they also contracted the illness on board the P&O vessel.
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The victims, men and women in their 50s and 60s turned yellow and suffered sickness and diarrhoea. They all tested positive for Hepatitis E.

Another woman aged 75 collapsed onboard and had to be referred to a hospital in New Zealand before returning to the ship. P&O said test results for her symptoms were inconclusive.

Other passengers were only made aware of the outbreak when they returned home and received letters from the Health Protection Agency which investigating the cause.

It sent out 1,100 letters inviting them to undergo blood tests and fill in a 10-page questionnaire. A sample of 600 have been selected for tests.

Hepatitis E is a form of severe liver inflammation. It is rife in developing countries and usually passed on through contaminated food or water supplies. Signs can take up to 60 days to appear. It is fatal in two per cent of cases.

The Aurora returned to Southampton on March 28 after a 12-week world cruise. It visited Madeira, Barbados, Venezuela, Bonaire, the Panama Canal and Acapulco before the first passenger fell in February.

The Aurora has been hit by a series of jinxes since it was launched by Princess Anne in 2000.

The traditional bottle of champagne failed to smash, which is considered by some a bad omen.

In 2003 about 600 passengers and crew caught the Norovirus. Then two years later the ship spent 11 days circling the Isle of Wight while an engine problem was reported and a world cruise was abandoned.

In a joint statement the HPA and P&O confirmed six cases of Hepatitis E amongst passengers.

"The illness was most likely contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food or water during the cruise," it said.

"Person to person transmission is very uncommon and unlikely.

"The HPA has been working closely with the Port Health Authority and P&O Cruises, to ensure all passengers receive appropriate information."

It added: "The ship has rigorous public health procedures and underwent a formal public health inspection recently in which it scored very highly."

The HPA urged passengers to seek medical advice if they were worried.

More Cases Of Cruise Killer Bug Confirmed (from This is Hampshire)

**middy** · 04-30-2008, 12:24 PM

Hepatitis E first time i've seen this reported on a ship.

**Ally** · 04-30-2008, 12:27 PM

When it was first reported, the ship wasn't named so I posted in in health/safety area initially. It was only on the 27th April that the name of the ship was released.

**Ally** · 05-01-2008, 03:47 AM

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A DORSET woman is at the centre of a health investigation after seven passengers on a "jinxed" cruise ship were struck by a potentially deadly strain of hepatitis.

More than 1,800 holidaymakers are undergoing tests to see if they have contracted hepatitis E following the outbreak on board P&O's Aurora liner.

Seven victims - men and women aged in their 50s and 60s - turned yellow and suffered sickness and diarrhoea after testing positive for the virus during the world cruise.

A eighth suspected case is Rosalind Boughton, 75, from Wimborne, who went yellow from "head to toe" and collapsed on the ship, is awaiting test results.

She underwent treatment on the Aurora costing £3,000 and was quarantined in her cabin before being airlifted to New Zealand where she was admitted to hospital.

Hepatitis E is a form of severe liver inflammation and is rife in developing countries. It is usually passed through contaminated food or water and is fatal in two per cent of cases.
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The remaining passengers were unaware of the outbreak until after they returned home and received letters from the Health Protection Agency (HPA). They were advised to undergo blood tests and given a 10-page questionnaire asking them to detail what they ate and drank on board the ship in a bid to establish the cause.

The £200 million, 76,000-tonne Aurora was in the headlines in 2003 when 600 passengers and crew caught the Norovirus.

In 2005, the ship spent 11 days circling the Isle of Wight while an engine problem was repaired before a round the world cruise was abandoned.

The latest health crisis occurred after the passengers boarded the Aurora World Cruise 2008 in Southampton on January 7. The luxury vessel visited Madeira, Barbados, Venezuela, Bonaire, the Panama Canal and Acapulco before the first passenger fell ill in February.

Mrs Boughton was said to feel sick and tired before noticing her legs swell up. Over the next few days she suffered from diarrhoea before suddenly turning yellow and collapsing while the ship was sailing in the Pacific.

Husband John, 72, said: "We were in the middle of nowhere between Honolulu and Samoa - it was very frightening as she was so ill.

"Her meals were brought in on plastic plates and the cleaners wore full masks when they came in.

"She was in isolation for nine days and then a South Pacific air ambulance picked us up when we reached Auckland."

He added: "We received a letter from P&O when we got home saying there was an outbreak of hepatitis E on board.

"She has had blood tests and X-rays and we are awaiting the results."

A spokeswoman for the HPA said the other cases were confirmed a few weeks after the first case while the Aurora was returning from Australia to Britain, docking at Southampton on March 28.

She said: "The cruise has visited many locations including countries in which hepatitis E is endemic.

"The illness was most likely contracted by eating or drinking contaminated food or water during the cruise."

A spokesman for P&O said: "The HPA are dealing with this and we have no further comment to make."

Woman 75 In Hepatitis Scare Aboard Solentbased Cruise Liner (from Bournemouth Echo)