Vomiting virus hits cruise ship

The Oceana is on a 17-night Mediterranean cruise

A highly contagious virus has struck down about 200 passengers on a luxury cruise liner, P&O Cruises has said.

Passengers on board the Oceana for a 17-day Mediterranean cruise have contracted the norovirus which causes nausea and vomiting for about 24 hours.

A P&O spokeswoman said about 80 of the ship's 2,015 passengers were still unwell. About 10% had been affected.

Hundreds of passengers and crew were hit by the same virus on another P&O liner, the Aurora, in 2003.

The spokeswoman said: "Passengers who are unwell are being asked to isolate themselves in their cabins for as long as necessary."

Sanitisation

She added that the 77,000 ton ship was undergoing an "extensive programme" of sanitation and disinfection to try to prevent the spread of the virus.

The company has said passengers who had been forced to isolate themselves would receive compensation.

The cruise ship left Southampton on 19 May and is due back in port on 5 June. It is currently in Naples in Italy and is due to travel to the Croatian port of Dubrovnik later on Friday.

The spokeswoman said the virus had probably been brought on board by a passenger.