A cholera concern prevented 3,200 guests and crew members aboard the Norwegian Dawn cruise liner, as well as British vacationers, from docking in Mauritius.
The ship was first forbidden from entering Mauritius to avoid health risks after fifteen passengers started feeling ill at sea. While visiting South Africa, the passengers experienced moderate symptoms of a stomach ailment, according to a Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings spokeswoman. It has since been established that they had gastroenteritis and that cholera was not present.
Health experts tested the ship’s water and discovered no evidence of cholera, so the Mauritius government let the Norwegian Dawn land in the harbor in the country’s capital, Port Louis. Since January 2023, there have been around 188,000 cases of cholera and 3,000 deaths in eight countries in southern Africa, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Food or water tainted with the cholera-causing bacterium is the primary means of transmission. Additionally, food on board the Norwegian Dawn was being tested for cholera by health experts. Authorities were confident that there was no cholera threat following the negative results of the water tests.
When the Norwegian Dawn landed in Mauritius, it carried 1,026 crew members and 2,184 passengers. Approximately 2,000 travelers were scheduled to exit and conclude their trip in Mauritius, and 2,279 additional passengers were expected to board. Health officials would still screen everyone getting off the ship.
The 14 decks of the 294-meter (964-foot) Norwegian Dawn include a video game arcade, a theater, and a casino. For a 12-day cruise, a standard stateroom starts at about $2,000 per person, while a 3-bedroom Garden Villa costs $47,000.
At the time of writing, cholera is spreading throughout Zambia and South Africa, but it seems like people on board the ship are handling the situation well. If treatment is not received, cholera, an acute diarrheal illness, can kill a patient in a matter of hours.
