A gastrointestinal outbreak has swept through an Alaska expedition cruise ship, sickening nearly one-third of the passengers and raising fresh concern after health officials said it is the vessel’s third reported illness outbreak since late May.
The latest incident was reported on July 12 aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program. The ship had left Sitka two days earlier and was due to reach Juneau on July 15.
CDC officials said 18 of the 62 passengers on board became ill with symptoms linked to a stomach virus, including vomiting and abdominal cramps.
To slow the spread of the illness, crew members separated the affected passengers from others and increased cleaning and disinfection measures under the ship’s outbreak prevention and response plan, officials said.
The cause of the gastrointestinal outbreak has not yet been determined, according to the CDC.
“VSP is remotely monitoring the situation, including review of the ship’s outbreak response and sanitation procedures,” health officials said in a statement.
Passengers who became sick have also been asked to submit stool or vomit samples so investigators can work to identify what triggered the outbreak.
“Samples are pending confirmatory testing,” VSP said.
The latest outbreak marks the third time the 152-foot-long ship, operated by Lindblad Expeditions, has been hit with a gastrointestinal illness outbreak since late May, according to the VSP.
Of the eight cruise ship outbreaks reported at US ports in 2026, the Sea Bird is the only vessel to have been hit more than once, VSP added.
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The ship previously reported an outbreak during a May 26-31 voyage, when nine passengers and three crew members fell ill, the CDC reported.
Weeks later, 20 of 95 people aboard fell ill during a June 25-30 trip between Juneau and Ketchikan.
In both prior outbreaks, health officials cited norovirus as the cause.
Norovirus is a highly contagious stomach bug that strikes fast and hard — triggering sudden, severe vomiting and watery diarrhea. Despite being commonly referred to as the “stomach flu,” it is unrelated to the influenza virus, the CDC said.
The Post has reached out to Lindblad Expeditions for comment.
The Sea Bird’s repeated outbreaks are far from the only cruise-related health scare to make headlines this year.
In April, a hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius attracted international attention after being linked to three passenger deaths.
In May, the Caribbean Princess was hit with a norovirus outbreak that sickened more than 100 people, according to the CDC.
The Sea Bird’s latest norovirus troubles come on the heels of another alarming US outbreak that put a fast-food diner in the emergency room with explosive diarrhea after ordering a new menu item at Taco Bell.
Doctors later diagnosed the customer with cyclosporiasis, a fast-spreading intestinal illness that’s been linked to tainted iceberg lettuce.
Since then, nearly 7,000 people across 34 states have been sickened by the outbreak, which health officials have largely linked to contaminated lettuce produced by Taylor Farms and served at Taco Bell.
The epidemic has led to 94 hospitalizations but no deaths, the CDC said.
