Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) opened lower on Wednesday following confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) of another norovirus outbreak, this time aboard the Serenade of the Seas cruise ship.
Shares are down ~3% to a 6-week low.
Of the 1,874 passengers aboard the ship, 5% reported feeling ill during the cruise, while 0.5% of the crew contracted the virus.
The cruise operator reported the outbreak to the Vessel Sanitation Program of the CDC on September 28. The ship left San Diego on September 19 and is expected to arrive in Miami on October 2.
The latest outbreak about the Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) ship is the 19th norovirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship this year and the second for Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) in less than three months. The last outbreak was reported in July aboard Royal Caribbean’s (RCL) Navigator of the Seas with 3.4% of its passengers falling ill.
According to the CDC, norovirus is a highly contagious virus that is spread through either direct contact, ingesting contaminated food and beverages, or touching contaminated objects or surfaces. Symptoms appear 12 to 48 hours after exposure and include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain, along with less common symptoms of fever, headache, and body aches.
Although often confused with the flu, norovirus causes gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach or intestines.
Related tickers: Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), Carnival Corporation (CCL), Viking Holdings (VIK).