Cruise ship, carrying many Brits, stranded in France after stomach flu outbreak

By Lewis Macdonald and Stephane Mahe

PARIS, May 13 (Reuters) – A cruise ship, carrying more than 1,000 passengers many of whom are British, remained stranded in Bordeaux on Wednesday after an outbreak of stomach flu during its voyage.

One of the ship’s passengers, a 92-year old Briton,  had passed away on board due to a cardiac arrest during a stop in Brest, Brittany, on May 11. That death did not appear to be associated with the gastrointestinal outbreak, said the local French authority responsible for the Bordeaux region.

There is no reason to link the stomach flu outbreak on the vessel, that came from Belfast and Liverpool, with the hantavirus cluster on the luxury MV Hondius ship that travelled between Argentina and the Canary Islands, added the regional health authority in a statement.

French authorities allowed some passengers to leave the ‘Ambition’ ship, which is run by Ambassador Cruise Line, on Wednesday evening, adding that those people would have to take the necessary, precautionary health measures, such as regularly washing their hands.

The vessel was carrying 1,233 passengers, most of them British or Irish nationals and 514 crew members. One passenger was a French national.

Those who are feeling unwell are being treated on board the ship by the vessel’s medical team, and are being told to self-isolate, added the local French authority.

Gastrointestinal illnesses can be common on cruise ships. The U.S. ​Centers for ‌Disease Control ​and ​Prevention (CDC) has reported two outbreaks of E. coli and two outbreaks of norovirus this year already on cruise ships.

Gastroenteritis is a stomach flu. The main symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea. It is very contagious but usually does not have major consequences, though it can sometimes lead to more severe symptoms including dehydration.

It is very different from the hantavirus, which has a high lethality rate but transmits from person to person only in rare cases and requires close contact.

(Additional reporting by Makini Brice, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Dominique Vidalon, Michaela Cabrera, Jennifer Rigby; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Toby Chopra and Philippa Fletcher)