At a glance
Learn about the gastrointestinal illness outbreak on the Royal Caribbean International ship Radiance of the Seas, including outbreak details and actions taken in response.
Outbreak details
Cruise line: Royal Caribbean International
Cruise ship: Radiance of the Seas
Voyage dates: September 20–September 27, 2024
Voyage Number: 20118
Final case counts:
- Number of passengers who reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of passengers onboard: 180 of 2,172 (8.29%)
- Number of crew who reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of crew onboard: 3 of 894 (0.34%)
Predominant symptoms: diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache, muscle aches
Causative agent: Salmonella
Actions in response to the outbreak
In response to the outbreak, Royal Caribbean International and the crew aboard the ship reported the following actions:
- Made announcements to notify onboard passengers and crew of the outbreak, encourage case reporting, and encourage good hand hygiene.
- Collected stool specimens from gastrointestinal illness cases for testing.
- Increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to their outbreak prevention and response plan.
VSP remotely monitored the situation, including review of the ship’s outbreak response and sanitation procedures. Additionally, VSP worked with state and local health departments and others to further investigate.
More information
Cases
Gastrointestinal illness is a commonly used term for acute gastroenteritis (AGE). Cruise ships report cases that meet our case definition for AGE. We define a reportable case of AGE as:
- Three or more loose stools within a 24-hour period or what is more than normal for that person OR
- Vomiting along with one of the following symptoms: diarrhea, muscle ache, headache, abdominal cramp, or fever
Case totals
Cases reported are totals for the entire voyage. It does not mean all people are sick at the same time, such as when they arrive or leave a port or ship.