More than 1,700 passengers are being held aboard a cruise ship after a suspected norovirus outbreak. French authorities on Wednesday ordered passengers and crew to remain onboard the Ambassador Cruise Line ship after it docked in Bordeaux. Health officials said around 50 people have reported symptoms consistent with the highly contagious stomach bug, while a 90-year-old British passenger has died. The ship had departed the Shetland Islands on May 6 and made stops in Belfast, Liverpool, and Brest before arriving in Bordeaux, where it was scheduled to continue on to Spain. Authorities have directed all passengers and crew to remain on the vessel while laboratory tests are conducted at a hospital to determine the cause of the illness. Norovirus is a highly infectious form of gastroenteritis that triggers vomiting and diarrhea and can spread rapidly in close-contact environments such as cruise ships. It comes amid heightened concern over recent infectious disease incidents at sea after the hantavirus outbreak on board a Dutch-flagged vessel last month. The virus killed three passengers, while dozens more were evacuated after showing symptoms.
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