MV Viking Sun

An illness outbreak occurred on the Viking Sun cruise from January 25, 2019, from Buenos Aires to Santiago. Many passengers experienced symptoms including extreme weakness, headache, body aches, nausea, disorientation, dizziness, and a dry cough. Reports of the illness were widespread among passengers, and some tried to seek medical attention but faced long waits due to high demand. The ship's doctor was reportedly overworked during this outbreak.

Recovery was slow for some passengers, with lingering cough and dizziness. Attempts to get information from Viking about the virus were met with limited cooperation, as they only report outbreaks publicly if more than 2% of passengers are affected. This discrepancy between reported cases and actual experiences led to frustration among affected passengers.

The outbreak seemed to be underreported due to various factors, including the requirement to see the ship's doctor for cases to be officially counted and potential reluctance to be quarantined when feeling better. Additionally, it was suggested that illness reporting is only mandatory for US cruise ports. Some passengers expressed disappointment with Viking's customer service and the impact on their vacation experience.[6]

On February 10, 2019, a 66-year-old female passenger, Sheila Eaton, a US citizen, suffered a head injury and deep cut on a cruise ship during its World Cruise 2019 voyage from Miami to Tilbury-London. The incident took place near Santa Maria Island, Chile, while the ship was en-route from Puerto Montt to Valparaiso (Santiago). The Chilean Navy conducted a medevac operation despite challenging high winds, involving 11 sailors. The rescue operation lasted approximately 1.5 hours, including several attempts, before successfully transferring Sheila Eaton, her husband, and a crew nurse to a hospital in Coronel, Chile, for medical treatment.[7]

During the Viking Ocean Cruises 127-day "World Cruise 2019" on Viking Sun, which took place from January 3 to May 10, various passengers experienced illness symptoms. One passenger, Gwenyth Todd, reported feeling increasingly unwell and suffering from significant abdominal pain and cramping during her voyage. She noted concerns about lax hand-washing practices at the ship's cafe, which raised concerns about the potential spread of illness on board.

Gwenyth Todd sought medical attention from the ship's doctor, who diagnosed a possible small bowel obstruction but did not conduct specific tests or collect samples for further evaluation. Subsequently, Gwenyth Todd was medically instructed to disembark in Wellington, New Zealand, on March 10, 2019, and seek medical assistance ashore. However, she encountered delays and had to announce her concerns about potentially infecting other passengers with a gastric virus before being allowed to disembark.

Upon receiving medical attention at the Wellington Urgent Care Clinic, Gwenyth Todd was diagnosed with viral gastroenteritis and deemed "Fit to Fly" after two days of recovery. She arranged and paid for her own return to Australia. Viking Cruise Line did not follow up on her case, leading her to suspect a potential underreporting or lack of investigation into the illness outbreaks on board.

It is important to note that this account does not provide information about other passengers who may have fallen ill during the same cruise.[8]

On January 1, 2020, a 68-year-old female passenger on a South America cruise experienced stroke symptoms while en-route from Mexico to California, approximately 360 km (225 mi) south of Port San Diego. The ship contacted the USCG Air Station San Diego around 8:20 am, requesting a medical evacuation.

The USCG responded by dispatching an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from San Diego and an Alenia C-27J Spartan military transport aircraft from Sacramento. A pararescueman from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department was lowered onto the ship to assess the patient and facilitate her transfer into a rescue basket. The elderly woman was then hoisted onto the helicopter and airlifted to San Diego's Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.

This incident occurred at the end of a 26-day South America cruise, which included ports of call in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, and California. The cruise ran from December 9 to January 3, 2020.

Media related to IMO 9725433 at Wikimedia Commons

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