Mon Jan 27, 2014 6:21pm EST
<span id="articleText"> <span id="midArticle_0"/>Jan 27 (Reuters) - The number of passengers and crew who fell ill aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship climbed to more than 600 on Monday, many vomiting and using biohazard bags for anything they touch.
<span class="articleLocatio/spann"/>The updated sick count aboard the Explorer of the Seas, which cut short its Caribbean cruise and was expected to dock in New Jersey on Wednesday, is more than double the 300 originally thought to have been felled by gastrointestinal illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
<span id="midArticle_2"/>Among those sick with vomiting and diarrhea were some of the onboard entertainers, which caused shows to be canceled, passengers said.
<span id="midArticle_3"/>"I started with upset stomach and vomiting, and that lasted all night and into the morning," passenger Joseph Angelillo told CNN in a telephone interview.
<span id="midArticle_4"/>Another ill passenger, Arnee Dodd of Connecticut, wrote on Twitter: "I've been sick and quarantined... Everything I touch goes in a biohazard bag."
<span id="midArticle_5"/>Altogether, 595 passengers and 50 crew members fell ill aboard the ship, said CDC spokeswoman Bernadette Burden. The ship was carrying 3,050 passengers and a crew of 1,165.
<span id="midArticle_6"/>The ship departed Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey, on Jan. 21 and will cut its planned 10-day cruise short by two days, returning to its home port on Wednesday, the cruise company said.
<span id="midArticle_7"/>"Disruptions caused by the early wave of illness means that we were unable to deliver the vacation our guests were expecting," Royal Caribbean said in a statement issued on Sunday.
<span id="midArticle_8"/>The CDC said Monday the cause of the sickness was unknown but that an environmental safety officer and an epidemiologist boarded the ship on Sunday in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to determine the cause of the outbreak and the proper response.
<span id="midArticle_9"/>Stool samples were gathered and sent to a CDC lab to determine what type of pathogen is to blame, Burden said.
<span id="midArticle_10"/>"We likely will have a determination or identification of the pathogen later this week," she said. "Our team will be remaining on board the duration of the voyage."
<span id="midArticle_11"/>The ship's crew increased cleaning and disinfection procedures and collected specimens from those who reported feeling ill following the outbreak, the CDC said.
<span id="midArticle_12"/>"After consultation between our medical team and representatives of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we think the right thing to do is to bring our guests home early, and use the extra time to sanitize the ship even more thoroughly," Royal Caribbean said in the statement.
<span id="midArticle_13"/>The cruise line said it believes the illnesses are consistent with norovirus, a highly contagious virus spread from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces, according to the CDC.
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<span id="articleText"> <span id="midArticle_0"/>Jan 27 (Reuters) - The number of passengers and crew who fell ill aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship climbed to more than 600 on Monday, many vomiting and using biohazard bags for anything they touch.
<span class="articleLocatio/spann"/>The updated sick count aboard the Explorer of the Seas, which cut short its Caribbean cruise and was expected to dock in New Jersey on Wednesday, is more than double the 300 originally thought to have been felled by gastrointestinal illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
<span id="midArticle_2"/>Among those sick with vomiting and diarrhea were some of the onboard entertainers, which caused shows to be canceled, passengers said.
<span id="midArticle_3"/>"I started with upset stomach and vomiting, and that lasted all night and into the morning," passenger Joseph Angelillo told CNN in a telephone interview.
<span id="midArticle_4"/>Another ill passenger, Arnee Dodd of Connecticut, wrote on Twitter: "I've been sick and quarantined... Everything I touch goes in a biohazard bag."
<span id="midArticle_5"/>Altogether, 595 passengers and 50 crew members fell ill aboard the ship, said CDC spokeswoman Bernadette Burden. The ship was carrying 3,050 passengers and a crew of 1,165.
<span id="midArticle_6"/>The ship departed Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey, on Jan. 21 and will cut its planned 10-day cruise short by two days, returning to its home port on Wednesday, the cruise company said.
<span id="midArticle_7"/>"Disruptions caused by the early wave of illness means that we were unable to deliver the vacation our guests were expecting," Royal Caribbean said in a statement issued on Sunday.
<span id="midArticle_8"/>The CDC said Monday the cause of the sickness was unknown but that an environmental safety officer and an epidemiologist boarded the ship on Sunday in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to determine the cause of the outbreak and the proper response.
<span id="midArticle_9"/>Stool samples were gathered and sent to a CDC lab to determine what type of pathogen is to blame, Burden said.
<span id="midArticle_10"/>"We likely will have a determination or identification of the pathogen later this week," she said. "Our team will be remaining on board the duration of the voyage."
<span id="midArticle_11"/>The ship's crew increased cleaning and disinfection procedures and collected specimens from those who reported feeling ill following the outbreak, the CDC said.
<span id="midArticle_12"/>"After consultation between our medical team and representatives of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we think the right thing to do is to bring our guests home early, and use the extra time to sanitize the ship even more thoroughly," Royal Caribbean said in the statement.
<span id="midArticle_13"/>The cruise line said it believes the illnesses are consistent with norovirus, a highly contagious virus spread from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces, according to the CDC.
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