Nearly 80 people got sick in a norovirus outbreak on an Oceania Cruises ship.

Among the 637 guests aboard its Oceania Insignia ship, 74 reported being ill, along with one crew member, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Their main symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.

The ship departed from Montreal on Oct. 16 for a cruise with stops in Canada and Maine, according to CruiseMapper. The voyage is scheduled to end in Boston on Oct. 27.

The cruise line implemented heightened cleaning and disinfection onboard and isolated sick passengers and crew, according to the CDC.

"At Oceania Cruises, the health and safety of our guests is the number one priority," the cruise line told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. "A number of guests on the current voyage of the Oceania Insignia have reported symptoms of acute gastroenteritis. The ship’s Sanitation Officer has activated the CDC approved protocol and all guests experiencing symptoms are being treated."

The health agency has logged 20 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships that met its threshold for public notification this year, 15 of which were caused by norovirus. The illness caused 15 of 18 total outbreaks in 2024, and 13 out of 14 the prior year.

"While the number of recent cruise ship outbreaks has been higher than in years prior to the pandemic, we do not yet know if this represents a new trend," the CDC told USA TODAY in late April. "However, CDC data show a newly dominant strain is currently associated with reported norovirus outbreaks on land. Ships typically follow the pattern of land-based outbreaks, which are higher this norovirus season."

While the illness is frequently associated with cruises, those make up just 1% of reported outbreaks.

"(Outbreaks are) often taking place within the community, and oftentimes we don't know that they're happening," Sarah R. Michaels, an assistant professor at Tulane University’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, previously told USA TODAY. "Really, when we have these areas where people … are in really close contact, things like day care facilities, nursing homes and cruise ships, it’s more likely (to be) diagnosed, reported and brought to our attention."

This story was updated to add new information.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 75 cruise guests, crew sick in Canada-US sailing in norovirus outbreak

Reporting by Nathan Diller, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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