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Almost 70 people on a cruise ship have now fallen ill to a suspected outbreak of a winter vomiting bug. One man on the boat has also been reported dead.

The Marco Polo cruise ship, which is touring the British Isles with 769 passengers, has been hit by an outbreak of norovirus. However, tests are still being carried out to make sure and confirm the nature of the illness. One of the 70 people that caught the bug, a 74-year-old man, died the other day on the vessel after suffering a fatal heart attack.

A spokeswomen for Maco Polo said that the man had a chronic heat and breathing problem. However, she went on to say that his death was not related to the outbreak on the ship. Right now the ship is docked in Invergordon, Easter Ross, and tests are underway.

Dr Ken Oates from NHS Highland said that they are working with local GP’s in Invergordon, as a number of the people who are on the cruise ship are suffering from vomiting. He went on to say that the outbreak is suspected to be norovirus, but they have to carry out further tests before they can be sure.

Although most people can recover from the virus with ease, the illness can be very dangerous to elderly people and young children. This goes double for anyone that has underlying health problems, as it just proves to be too much for the body to handle. Most people should make a full recovery in just a few days.

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