Norovirus-stricken ocean liner back at sea

SAN PEDRO, Calif. -- A cruise ship docked in California on Sunday after 172 people on board fell ill with the highly contagious norovirus during a nearly month-long trip, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Some of the more than 4,100 people aboard Princess Cruises' Crown Princess began to show signs of the gastrointestinal sickness a few days into the voyage from Los Angeles to Hawaii to Tahiti.

The ill passengers and crew members were treated on the ship.

A CDC official was expected to go on board to investigate the outbreak and the cruise line's response.

The ship was to have a deep cleaning at a terminal in San Pedro before embarking on its next voyage, to the Mexican Riviera, company spokeswoman Susan Lomax said.

CBS Los Angeles reports the Crown Princess left Sunday night.

Over the last few days, crew members said an increased number of gastrointestinal illnesses caused by Norovirus were reported, according to the station.

Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, fever and body aches. According to the CDC, most people recover within three days.

Passenger Laura Tagliere told CBS Los Angeles, " "We used our elbows to push the buttons in the elevator, and took the stairs more often, tried to avoid touching handrails, and those kinds of things."

She said all 172 people weren't sick at the same time.

"The captain came on board each day to let us know how many people were ill, how many people were confined to their staterooms, and it seemed to us the number went down every day," Tagliere said.

"It had gone from 90 to 40 in like two days," said passenger Sharon Bardill. "They kept them confined to the cabin and use room service each day, and they sterilized the rooms they were in."

She and Tagliere credited the captain for keeping everyone calm and the crew for keeping them healthy.

"The buffet, they had it kind of Saran Wrapped off, and they had extra staff in charge of serving us instead of allowing us to serve ourselves," said Tagliere. "There were so many people walking around with little buckets of sanitizer."

CBS Los Angeles says the ship returned to San Pedro a day later than originally planned after a crew member had to be taken to a nearby island for a medical emergency.

The cruise company credited passengers for the day lost.

Crews cleaned the ship Sunday and by 9 p.m., it had departed for a trip to Mexico, says KCBS.

In April, 129 people on the same ship contracted norovirus during a seven-day cruise off the California coast. Lomax said that the ship went through the same stringent disinfecting process after it docked.

"As it is the cold and flu season, when the stomach flu circulates on land, we encourage all of our guests to be diligent in following the widely accepted practices of frequent hand washing with soap and water and the use of hand sanitizers," Lomax said.