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Estonian cruise liner takes steps to fight stomach virus detected on board

Xinhua, June 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

A stomach bug contamination continued to bother passengers on the Estonian cruise ship Silja Symphony despite a major cleaning operation, local media reported Tuesday.

Marika Nojd, media director of the shipowner Tallink-Silja, told local media on Tuesday that noro viruses had been located now at least in one toilet.

Paper towels were introduced to prevent further spread, and hot air flow hand dryers were taken off service, added Nojd.

On Sunday, 400 cleaners scanned the huge ship during its Helsinki daytime layover and the ship left the port three hours later. However, new cases of severe stomach symptoms surfaced on Monday among passengers and crew.

Out of the 20,000 people that traveled on the ship during the week, 200 cases of illness were reported.

Nojd told news service Uusi Suomi that the ship, which travels between Helsinki and Stockholm, would be taken off service only if health authorities demanded it.

The gastroenteritis epidemic first started to spread across the vessel at the end of May. Last Thursday, the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare confirmed that the virus causing the epidemic was norovirus. Endit