Possible food poisoning on a cruise ship: there is one dead and 1,700 travelers confined in Bordeaux
About fifty people have presented with vomiting and diarrhea, while tests are being carried out to determine the origin of the contagion
BarcelonaSome 1,700 people are confined on board a cruise ship in Bordeaux, France, following the death of a 90-year-old passenger and the appearance of dozens of cases of acute gastroenteritis, according to French health authorities. Pending test results, a possible food poisoning is being investigated.
The cruise ship, named Ambition, arrived in Bordeaux from the Shetland Islands, Scotland, after stopping in Belfast (Ireland), Liverpool (United Kingdom), and Brest (France). Health authorities are currently ruling out that this outbreak is caused by norovirus —quite common behind most viral gastroenteritis— and are completely decoupling these cases from the hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius. "There is no reason to link this outbreak[...] with the hantavirus cases," health authorities have stressed.
At least fifty people have presented with vomiting and diarrhea, while tests are being conducted to determine the source of the contagion. These passengers were immediately attended to by the ship's doctor and isolated in their cabins, while this morning a French medical team boarded to assess the health situation and take samples, which are being analyzed to "precisely identify the responsible pathogen, assess transmission risks, and take appropriate measures".