Norovirus hits Ventura cruise liner

**alphakitty** · 06-06-2008, 09:22 AM

By Laura Clout
Last Updated: 10:40AM BST 06/06/2008
Passengers on the £300million cruise ship Ventura have been struck down by an outbreak of the potentially lethal norovirus.

P&O Cruises, which operates the superliner, said around 20 people had fallen ill with the bug, also known as the winter vomiting virus.

Passengers on board the ship ,which was officially named in April by the actress Dame Helen Mirren, have been warned not to use public lavatories on board and to take extra precautions with cleanliness.

The infection can spread quickly, particularly in confined environments, and is transmitted by contaminated food or water and by contact with sufferers.

One passenger on the 3,600-berth vessel, the biggest cruise ship ever built for the British market, said the ship’s captain made an announcement in Barcelona yesterday to ask for passengers to be extra-vigilant and to wash their hands before entering catering facilities.

The man said he and his wife, along with a number of other passengers, had decided not to eat in any of the liner’s 11 restaurants.

A spokeswoman for P&O said: "There are about 20 people poorly but it is under control and is being dealt with."

Passengers have been advised only to use their own lavatories in their cabins.

The latest cruise left Southampton last Friday and is due to call next at Cannes in France and then Rome.

The Ventura, which the newest addition to P&O’s fleet, is due back in Britain June 13 after further visits to Corsica and Gibraltar.

Facilities include a circus school, Scalextric tracks and a Latin American showlounge.

Norovirus hits Ventura cruise liner - Telegraph