There has been an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease on the Carnival Horizon, which left one guest dead and many others ill.
A few days after our cruise on the Carnival Horizon, we received a letter from the Cruise Line, informing us that we had been contaminated with Legionella bacteria and contained a small amount of this bacteria in our water system and in our room. We were told that we must boil our water for at least three minutes before drinking it and that we must flush our toilets for 30 seconds before we use them.
After the recent Legionnaires’ disease outbreak on the Carnival Horizon, the health department is reminding guests about their responsibility to remain informed about their health and how to keep it healthy. The health department recommends that guests contact their doctors if they experience any of the following symptoms: fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, diarrhea, or muscle aches. This can help to determine if they are suffering from the disease.
Carnival Cruise Line is collaborating with the Centers for Illness Control and Prevention (CDC) after learning of two guests who got Legionnaires’ disease while aboard the ship. Before the following trip, the ship in issue, Carnival Horizon, underwent rigorous testing.
Areas containing aerosolized water, such as jacuzzies and fountains, are often linked with the illness. Still, it occurs at home when water stays stagnant for an extended period of time, such as when a cabin is uninhabited for an extended period of time and the water in the tap remains stagnant. The cruise company did not say if the illnesses started aboard or not.
In July and August, there were a number of cases.
Two guests who traveled aboard Carnival Horizon in July and August of this year have been diagnosed with legionnaires disease. The illness is transmitted via small droplets of water that contain the sickness, which presents as a severe form of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacterium. The Legionnaires’ illness cannot be transmitted from person to person.
The Carnival Horizon is now being investigated by the CDC to determine whether the cases are linked to the Carnival Horizon.
Cruise Hive’s photo is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Meanwhile, the cruise company has begun more thorough Legionella testing and mitigation procedures, which will be finished before the next ship leaves. All equipment and fixtures that utilize water are tested, including aboard whirlpools, spas, showers, and faucets.
The cruise company emphasizes in a letter addressed to passengers who were on board at the start of sailing for Carnival Horizon that it is unknown if the illnesses originated aboard, but it is investigating.
Legionella flourishes in warm water or water that has been stagnant for an extended period of time. The Carnival Horizon has been out of operation for quite some time.
The cruise ship’s activities were suspended in March of last year and resumed in July of this year. On its website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states:
“Stagnant water in ship water systems may raise the risk of Legionella development and transmission when operations restart after a lengthy no-sail period or decreased operation of cruise ships. By lowering water temperatures to the Legionella growth range, promoting biofilm development in stagnant regions, and lowering disinfectant levels, stagnant water may provide ideal circumstances for Legionella growth.”
The CDC’s website
Is Legionnaires’ Disease a Frequent Ailment on Cruise Ships?
Healthy individuals who are exposed to Legionella seldom get ill or are impacted by the illness. People in higher-risk groups, such as former smokers, those with severe lung illnesses, and those with a compromised immune system, are more likely to get sick.
The illness is seldom fatal, and most patients recover with the help of antibiotics administered in hospitals.
Aboard cruise ships, the illness is very uncommon, owing to the large number of turnarounds the ships go through, as well as the high amounts of disinfection employed onboard. Only eight ship-related occurrences of Legionnaires’ disease were reported to the CDC between 1977 and 2012. There are 83 instances in all, with an average of four cases each outbreak.
In the United States, however, health authorities recorded almost 10,000 cases of Legionnaires’ illness in 2018. According to the CDC, the figure is likely considerably higher since Legionnaires’ illness is largely underdiagnosed. The safety of cruise ships is once again shown in comparison to land-based businesses.
In the meanwhile, Carnival Cruise Line has put Carnival Horizon through rigorous testing and disinfection of the ship’s water systems as it continues its Caribbean and Bahamas tour.
The vessel began operations in early July, making it the first vessel to depart from Miami. The 3,960-guest cruise ship, which has a gross tonnage of 133,500, is presently docked at Carnival’s own island of Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.
A few weeks ago I was on the Carnival Horizon, sailing out of Galveston, Texas. Now that I am back home, I am just feeling general depression over the whole experience. I had to go on the cruise because the cruise line was looking for “retailers” to host an exclusive shopping event at the ship. They were looking for people to attend the event and spread the word about their upcoming cruise.. Read more about 2021 cruise ship covid outbreak and let us know what you think.
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