Bordeaux cruise ship confinement lifted as norovirus outbreak confirmed
No link found between death of British passenger, 92, and virus
The outbreak of illness on the Ambition is not related to hantavirus and not connected to the death of a 92-year-old British man who passed away on board
Peter Titmuss/Shutterstock
Norovirus has been established as the cause of illness that left passengers and crew temporarily stranded on a cruise ship in Bordeaux.
Healthy passengers and crew without symptoms can now disembark, the Gironde prefecture announced last night (May 13).
It said the outbreak is not related to hantavirus and that there was no link with the death of a 92-year-old British man who passed away two days before.
The prefecture said the passenger had suffered a cardiac arrest during the crossing between Brest and Bordeaux.
More than 1,700 people were confined aboard the Ambition after around 50 passengers and crew developed vomiting and diarrhoea during the voyage.
The Ambition, operated by Ambassador Cruise Line, arrived in Bordeaux on May 12 after stops in Belfast, Liverpool, Brest and the Shetland Isles.
Health authorities said test results from Bordeaux University Hospital confirmed a norovirus infection among cases of gastroenteritis on board.
No link to hantavirus
The confinement of the ship came amid wider concern following a separate hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius, where passengers were infected after travelling in South America.
However, medical teams from Bordeaux University Hospital who sampled the symptomatic passengers say there is no link.
“There is no reason to establish a link between this outbreak aboard a cruise ship from Belfast and Liverpool and the hantavirus cases detected aboard the MV Hondius”, they said in a statement.
Healthy passengers allowed to disembark
Healthy passengers and crew without symptoms have been allowed to disembark following the completion of initial health procedures.
The ship had been scheduled to continue its route towards Spain.
Norovirus is a common cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks on cruise ships because it spreads easily in enclosed environments through contact with contaminated surfaces, food and water. Symptoms typically last one to three days.
