Cruise lines report fewer flu incidents
Something you can worry less about: catching a stomach bug on your next cruise.
The number of outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships sailing from US ports has been dropping sharply in recent years and is at its lowest level in nearly a decade.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded just 13 outbreaks of illnesses such as norovirus on cruise ships operating out of US ports in 2009, down from 15 in 2008, 21 in 2007 and 34 in 2006.
The decline, moreover, came even as the number of people cruising continued to rise.
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) says the industry carried 13.2 million passengers in 2008, the last year for which data is available, up from 12.6 million in 2007 and 12.0 million in 2006.
Holland America has led the industry in gastrointestinal illness outbreaks reported to the CDC for four years.
There were a number of major lines in 2009 — including Royal Caribbean, Disney and Cunard — that did not report a single outbreak to the CDC.
By David Wilkening
David
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