Shrimp blamed for making 200 ill on Disney cruise

Those who ate it suffered from vomiting and diarrhea during the cruise earlier this month.

By WES ALLISON

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 23, 2000

The steamed shrimp on the buffet looked good.

But it was to blame for sickening more than 200 people aboard the Disney Magic cruise ship earlier this month, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to examine the shrimp as well, but tests of ill passengers showed bacterial pathogens that could be traced back to the shrimp.

Passengers also filled out surveys that included questions about what they had eaten.

Disney Cruise Lines, meanwhile, has stopped buying shrimp from the packer that supplied it that day, communications director Jane Adams said Thursday.

The steamed shrimp was served during the lunch buffet on June 2, the day the ship left Port Canaveral for a four-day trip to Nassau, Bahamas. At least 200 of the 1,800 passengers and 38 crew members reported vomiting and diarrhea over the weekend.

Disney reported the outbreak to the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program, which inspects all cruise ships that visit U.S. ports, while the Magic was still at sea. Investigators for the CDC and Disney boarded the ship as soon as it made port on June 5 but found no problems with the galley, the water supply or anything else.

The ship embarked on another four-day cruise that afternoon.

Two passengers told the Times they had suspected the plump pink shrimp was bad. One passenger, Barbara Martin of Spring Hill, said she ate the shrimp and got sick, while other passengers who didn't try the shrimp stayed healthy.

About 100 passengers were treated in the ship's hospital. Seven passengers, including Martin, were treated for dehydration.

No serious illnesses were reported, but the CDC advises any passengers who still are sick to tell their doctors that they may have been exposed to an enteric pathogen while aboard the Magic. And doctors treating them should request bacterial cultures and an analysis for eggs and parasites.

Disney has been handling complaints and requests for refunds on a case-by-case basis.

The ship has made several cruises since with no ill effects and has consistently had excellent sanitation reports, CDC records show.

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