A Holland American cruise ship halted at San Diego to drop off scores of sick passengers. After this, authorities took the measures needed to disinfect the ship. More than 1,800 guests were on board the Oosterdam for a seven day cruise to Mexico.

“Guests who demonstrated symptoms were asked to remain in their cabins until symptoms disappeared,” Holland American Spokesperson Erik Elvejord was quoted as saying.  Noroviruses cause the stomach flu, also known as gastroenteritis. Norovirus outbreaks are often linked to ill handlers and contaminated food or water. However, experiments have proved that most of the sanitizers and cleaners are ineffective against norovirus.

People infected with the gastrointestinal virus usually experience diarrhea and/or vomiting mostly. In many cases, a person infected by the norovirus can experience weakness, muscle aches and even headache.

“Viruses like this can live for a period of time on surfaces that are commonly touched -- door knobs, prep surfaces and other places that are commonly touched. That's why it's important to do a very effective environmental clean-up,” health experts say.
Although the illness usually lasts 1 to 2 days and is not considered serious for the general population, young children, the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, may develop more severe complications and should ask for a healthcare provider’s help.

According to statistical reports of the Centers for Disease Control, 23 million people, or 8-percent, of the country’s population get symptoms of the norovirus. CDC are informed for the cases and are registered if more than 2 percent of people get sick, but in this case more that 5 percent of the passengers were infected.