Mauritius allows Norwegian Dawn cruise ship to dock after cholera scare

At least 15 people on the Norwegian Dawn have been held in isolation with a stomach illness authorities suspected to have been cholera.

The ship did not stop in Réunion island, instead it arrived a day early in Mauritius. Upon arrival, Mauritian authorities initially blocked the Norwegian Dawn from entering its port to “avoid any health risks”.

According to a Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings representative, the ship’s passengers developed mild symptoms of stomach illness while on a trip to South Africa.

Mauritius’s Ministry of Health Director confirmed that the passengers had gastroenteritis, not cholera, having now made a full recovery.

Subsequently, all passengers will be subject to screening by health authorities upon disembarking from the liner. The Ministry of Health will provide medical assistance.

Mauritius Ports Authority stated: “The health and safety of passengers as well as that of the country as a whole are of the utmost importance to the authorities.”

The ship holds 2,184 passengers and 1,026 crew members. Around 2,000 had planned to disembark in Port Louis, while more than 2,000 were expected to board. The cruise line has confirmed that passengers expecting to disembark or join the cruise at Port Louis will now do so on 27 February.

Since January 2023, the UN reported that there have been 188,000 recorded cholera infections across seven countries in southern Africa. At least 3,000 people in total have died.

Two laboratories in Britain and South Africa recently teamed up to use genomic surveillance to monitor many widespread infectious diseases, including cholera.