What Cruise Ship Did Everyone Get Sick On?

By Alice Nichols

The MS Zaandam, a Holland America Line cruise ship, became the focus of international attention when people aboard the vessel began contracting a mysterious illness. Reports began to circulate in early March 2020 that passengers had fallen ill, and that the ship was barred from entering several ports of call in an effort to contain the spread of infection.

The Zaandam left Buenos Aires on March 7th and had been at sea for two weeks before passengers began to report illnesses. The first case was identified on March 18th, after which a total of four people fell ill, including three crew members and one passenger. Symptoms included coughing, fever and difficulty breathing, which led ship officials to believe it was a respiratory infection.

In an effort to contain the outbreak, the Zaandam was denied entry into several ports and countries due to fear of spreading the illness further. This left the ship with limited supplies and no place to go. After several days at sea, the Zaandam finally arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on April 2nd.

It was soon revealed that more than 200 people aboard the Zaandam had contracted what appeared to be Influenza A or a similar virus. In response, Holland America Line took extensive measures to protect passengers and crew from further infections including isolating those who were already sick and providing medical assistance as needed.

The incident has served as a warning for cruise lines around the world about how quickly an outbreak can spread among passengers in close quarters. It also highlighted just how important it is for ships traveling between ports to take precautionary measures in order to protect passengers from potential illnesses.

Conclusion:

The MS Zaandam was the cruise ship on which everyone got sick. It served as a lesson for other cruise lines about how quickly an outbreak can occur if precautionary measures are not taken when sailing between ports.