More than a dozen people have fallen ill with gastrointestinal symptoms aboard National Geographic Sea Bird, marking the Lindblad Expeditions vessel’s fourth outbreak in less than two months, as reported by USA TODAY.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, eight of 57 guests and five crew members reported illness during the ship’s July 15 voyage. Reported symptoms included abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea.
The cause of the latest outbreak has not been identified. The vessel was operating in Alaska, according to CruiseMapper, as reported by USA TODAY.
The CDC said the cruise operator introduced heightened cleaning and disinfection procedures and isolated sick passengers and crew.
Lindblad Expeditions told USA TODAY it had cancelled three voyages scheduled to depart on July 20, July 25 and July 30 “to conduct enhanced sanitation protocols aligned with the highest industry standards and provide additional time to help prevent the risk of further cases.”
“We are working directly with affected guests to provide refunds, support and alternative travel arrangements,” the company said.
The latest cases follow three earlier outbreaks aboard National Geographic Sea Bird since late May. The CDC said the first two were caused by norovirus, while the cause of the third remains unknown.
The CDC has recorded nine cruise ship gastrointestinal illness outbreaks meeting its public notification threshold so far in 2026. Five were attributed to norovirus and two to E. coli, as reported by USA TODAY.
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