The CDC is investigating a third gastrointestinal illness outbreak aboard a National Geographic cruise ship.
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Nearly 20 people got sick with gastrointestinal illness on a National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions ship, marking the vessel’s third outbreak in less than two months.
Among the 62 guests onboard, 18 reported being ill during the National Geographic Sea Bird’s July 10 voyage, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their main symptoms were abdominal cramps and vomiting.
The cause is unknown. The ship is currently operating in Alaska, according to CruiseMapper.
The cruise company implemented heightened cleaning and disinfection measures and isolated sick passengers, among other steps, the health agency said on its website. National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions and the CDC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The news comes after two other outbreaks on the same ship during cruises in June and May. Both were caused by norovirus.
The CDC has logged a total of eight outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruises that met its threshold for public notification so far this year. Two were caused by E. coli, while norovirus was listed as the cause of five.
There were 23 outbreaks that met that threshold in 2025, 18 of which were caused by norovirus, and it was behind 15 out of 18 outbreaks the year before. The illness is often associated with cruise ships, but those instances account for only 1% of all reported outbreaks.
“(Outbreaks are) often taking place within the community, and oftentimes we don’t know that they’re happening,” Sarah R. Michaels, an assistant professor at Tulane University’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, previously told USA TODAY. “Really, when we have these areas where people … are in really close contact, things like day care facilities, nursing homes and cruise ships, it’s more likely (to be) diagnosed, reported and brought to our attention.”
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
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