Cruise Ship Crew Hit by Flu

Rate This

A large flu outbreak has hit crew members on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that docked at a French port Friday, and cruise line officials are disputing the French over what kind of flu it is.

French officials said that 60 crew members have been diagnosed with swine flu and another 70 are showing symptoms, USA Today reported. However, cruise line officials said HINI swine flu hasn't been confirmed as the cause of the illnesses.

The ship, which carries 3,634 passengers and is one of the largest in the world, arrived in Villefranche-sur-mer early Friday morning. It left Barcelona, Spain earlier this week for a cruise around the Mediterranean.

Despite the widespread illness among the crew, levels of service for passengers haven't been affected and the ship is operating as normal, Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez told USA Today.