More than two dozen passengers and multiple crew members on a Viking cruise ship have fallen ill during its two-week voyage, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The CDC noted that the outbreak occurred on the Viking Polaris cruise ship, which departed on Friday, April 11, and is scheduled to end on Wednesday, April 23. The causative agent of the outbreak, which was first reported on Friday, April 18, is currently described as “unknown,” per the agency.
So far, 28 of 355 passengers and four out of 260 crew members reported feeling ill onboard, the CDC said. The sick passengers reported symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.
In response to the outbreak, Viking Polaris crew members implemented their prevention and response plan which included “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures,” “isolating passengers and crew,” consulting with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program about “sanitation cleaning procedures” and reporting ill cases.
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A photo of the Viking Polaris, luxurious expedition ship, operated by Viking Cruises.
Related: 241 People Sickened in Norovirus Outbreak Linked to North Carolina Sushi Restaurant
The crew also collected “stool specimens from gastrointestinal illness cases for testing” — which will help the CDC determine what caused the illness, it says.
Viking Expedition Operations, which runs the cruise, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
According to Cruise Mapper, the Viking Polaris ship made port in New York City on Wednesday, April 23, and the ship is currently still there after sailing to several different cities in Canada, including Toronto and Quebec City.
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The CDC said that the “norovirus,” which is a “very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea,” is often “a cause of gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on cruise ships.”
The norovirus symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain, which can develop 12 to 48 hours after being exposed, according to the CDC. Most people with the illness get better within 1-3 days but can still be infectious, per the agency.
The CDC is currently testing whether norovirus is the cause of this outbreak.
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A photo of a woman experiencing sickness via Getty.
Related: Dozens of Hikers Fall Ill with Norovirus, Force Temporary Closure of Popular Hawaii Hiking Trail
Earlier this month, over 200 passengers and 17 crew aboard a Cunard Line ship reported being ill following a norovirus outbreak. A Cunard Line ship spokesperson told USA TODAY in a statement that it was closely monitoring guests and “completed a comprehensive deep clean of the ship and immediately activated our enhanced health and safety protocols.”
Last month, nearly 70 passengers and 13 crew also reported being sick aboard a Princess Cruises ship, which planned to stop in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Aruba. A spokesperson for the Cruise Line told PEOPLE that the crew “promptly enacted enhanced sanitization protocols” at the first signs of illness.
According to the CDC, there have been over 2,400 norovirus outbreaks reported from August 2024 through April 9, 2025.
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