FILE - This Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 file photo shows the cruise ship Celebrity Mercury docked at the South Carolina State Ports Authority passenger terminal in downtown Charleston S.C., after passengers became sick with a stomach bug. According to figures released on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cruise ship passengers are getting sick with a stomach bug less often. Since 1990, the illness rate has fallen from about 29 to 22 per 100,000 passengers. (AP Photo/Mic Smith, File)
Republished January 15, 2016 - 5:48 PM
Original Publication Date January 14, 2016 - 11:55 AM
NEW YORK, N.Y. - In a story Jan. 15 about illnesses on cruise ships, The Associated Press erroneously described the drop in illnesses caused by stomach bugs. Since 1990, the illness rate has fallen from about 29 to 22 per 100,000 travel days, not per 100,000 passengers.
A corrected version of the story is below:
Report: Cruise ship stomach sickness becoming less common
Health officials say cruise ship passengers are getting sick with a stomach bug less often
By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer
Health officials say cruise ship passengers are getting sick with a stomach bug less often.
About 20 outbreaks are reported each year on ships that dock at U.S. ports, on average. Many draw media coverage.
But it's becoming less common for passengers to get sick, according to figures released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since 1990, the illness rate has fallen from about 29 to 22 per 100,000 travel days. Officials say cruise ship companies are doing more to disinfect ships and prevent outbreaks.
It wasn't a steady decline. Cases spiked in 2012 when a new strain of norovirus emerged. Norovirus causes most stomach illnesses on cruise ships.
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Online:
CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr
News from © The Associated Press, 2016