A cruise ship has been hit by its third norovirus outbreak since May, raising fresh concerns about the spread of the highly contagious stomach virus onboard.
The latest outbreak occurred aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird during a voyage that began in Sitka on July 10. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), the outbreak was reported on July 12, three days before the ship was scheduled to arrive in Juneau on July 15.
The CDC said 18 of the vessel’s 62 passengers developed symptoms including vomiting and abdominal cramps.
To contain the outbreak, crew members isolated affected passengers and intensified cleaning and disinfection measures in line with the ship’s outbreak prevention and response plan.
Health officials said the source of the outbreak has not yet been identified.
“VSP is remotely monitoring the situation, including review of the ship’s outbreak response and sanitation procedures,” the CDC said in a statement.
Passengers who became ill have been asked to provide stool or vomit samples for laboratory analysis, with officials noting that confirmatory testing is still pending.
The latest incident marks the third gastrointestinal illness outbreak aboard the 152-foot vessel, operated by Lindblad Expeditions, since late May.
According to the CDC, the National Geographic Sea Bird is the only cruise ship among the eight gastrointestinal outbreaks reported at US ports in 2026 to have experienced multiple outbreaks.
During a voyage between May 26 and May 31, nine passengers and three crew members fell ill. A second outbreak occurred on a June 25–30 trip between Juneau and Ketchikan, when 20 of the 95 people onboard developed symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.
