What's sneaky, super contagious and bound to cause diarrhea and vomiting? If you answered "norovirus," you'd be correct. But what is it, and why is it so often associated with cruises?

Last year was the cruise industry's worst in more than a decade for outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on ships in the U.S., according to the CDC. December was a particularly bad month.

Last year, there were 16 outbreaks on cruise ships, from norovirus, salmonella, E. coli or other unidentified pathogens that cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting. That's the largest number of cruise ship outbreaks in 12 years.

In 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States reported a significant increase in norovirus infections.

A cruise passenger died following a norovirus outbreak on a US -bound ship that confined dozens of travellers to their cabins. Alan Forster, 77, from Paignton, died from suspected kidney failure last October after falling ill with norovirus during a cruise with his wife.

Norovirus, often coined the “cruise ship virus,” causes more than 90% of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the CDC. Still, norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships account for only a small percentage of all reported norovirus outbreaks.

Alan Forster, a retired teacher from Paignton, England, fell sick with norovirus two weeks into the month-long voyage with his wife, and later died from suspected kidney failure, his family said. The outbreak aboard the Arcadia is part of a larger trend in rising norovirus cases on cruise ships.

Cruise ships dealt with worst year of norovirus cases in over a decade, CDC says. (Scripps News) What to Know About Trudeau’s Resignation 25 actors who are great at playing the worst Biden Signs Social Security Fairness Act: When Do Higher Payments Start?

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