Can you get Legionnaires disease on a cruise ship?

These organisms live within aerosolized water, and the infection spreads through inhaling or aspirating the contaminated water. In a cruise ship setting, this is particularly dangerous as they rely on potable water and boast multiple spa areas with hot tubs that create breeding grounds for Legionella.



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2023 American Splendor Legionnaires' Disease Hotel General Manager Jay Hasan notified American Splendor passengers of water test results that were positive for Legionella on September 18, 2023, the second-to-last day of a week-long cruise, according to the USA Today report.

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Infectious Disease Outbreaks The most frequently reported cruise ship outbreaks involve GI infections (e.g., norovirus), respiratory infections (e.g., coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19], influenza), and other vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), such as varicella.

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Cruises are exciting! Seasickness though is not. If you get motion sick while in a car or plane, odds are you're likely to get sick on a cruise ship as well. However, that doesn't mean you have to stay home.

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Cruise ships in particular have many of the conditions that make people susceptible to norovirus—close quarters, enclosed spaces, communal dining, and high turnover of passengers. “The virus is often associated with cruise travel simply because health officials are required to track illnesses on ships,” Shah said.

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Or maybe it's norovirus, a contagious virus that often keeps you at the toilet for several days. Some people know it as the “cruise ship virus” because it's often the cause of over 90% of diarrhea outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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You can get norovirus from an infected person, from contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed (acute gastroenteritis). This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up.

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If you get diarrhea, drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated. In serious cases of travelers' diarrhea, oral rehydration solution—available online or in pharmacies in developing countries—can be used for fluid replacements.

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While the virus has garnered the nickname “cruise ship virus,” in reality, norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships account for only 1% of all reported norovirus outbreaks, the CDC says. In fact, acute gastrointestinal illness is fairly uncommon on cruise ships, the agency says.

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If you're worried about seasickness, pick a cabin that's as close to the water level as possible and in the center of the ship. You'll be at the ship's fulcrum point, which means you'll feel less movement than people on higher decks with cabins far forward or all the way at the back.

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The short answer: Drink water and go see a doctor. If you experience symptoms of a UTI at sea, respond first by drinking plenty of water. Increasing your urinary flow can slow the progression of a UTI, which is especially important if you do not have immediate access to professional medical care.

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A sore throat, runny nose and cough that develop gradually are symptoms of a viral upper respiratory illness, as is a low-grade fever that resolves in a day or two. The cough, which can — and often does — last for weeks, is the most troublesome of the symptoms for most patients.

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One of the biggest misconceptions about cruise ships is that they're germ incubators—that you can't escape. But the likelihood of catching a stomach bug on a seven-day voyage is less than 1 percent—which is about a third the risk of getting infected in your day-to-day life back home, says Dr.

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