Carnival Cruise Lines has reported that more than 700 passengers and crew members aboard a trans-Atlantic voyage on the Liberty have fallen ill with flu-like symptoms, various media outlets are reporting. According to a statement issued Wednesday by Miami-based Carnival, the outbreak is believed to be norovirus, which affects about 23 million Americans annually. Liberty, one of the world's largest cruise ships, left Rome November 3 with about 2,800 passengers more than 1,150 crew members, and was due to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, Nov. 19. "Within 24 hours of sailing, they had a lot of people sick. It has tapered off considerably over the past couple days," said David Forney, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Environmental health specialists boarded the ship Thursday to oversee cleaning and to determine the cause of the outbreak.
