YOU are more likely to catch the norovirus on shore than on a cruise ship, according to William Gibbons, director of the Passenger Shipping Association, whose 27 cruise line members include Fred Olsen.

“It is endemic in the UK population and we calculate that about 1 in 30 Britons gets it every year,” he said. “By comparison, 1 in 200 British cruise passengers gets it. It’s prevalent in schools, hospitals and old people’s homes, but if a hospital ward shuts it makes the local paper, whereas an outbreak on a cruise ship is headline news.”

Recent years have seen a consistent rise in passenger numbers, reaching 1,070,000 in 2005. This year the number of Britons expected to take a cruise is set to reach 1,250,000. Tony Peisley, an industry analyst, said: “There’s no evidence that the norovirus is affecting bookings. I would be surprised if it was — (Britons) are sanguine about these things.”

Over the past few months, after norovirus outbreaks on cruise lines including Fred Olsen and Princess Cruises, PSA members have introduced more stringent measures to protect passengers.

These include writing to them before boarding to inquire about existing health problems, insisting that ill passengers are confined to their cabin for 24 to 48 hours and introducing handsanitisers, which dispense an anti-bacterial liquid, on the way into restaurants.

It is impossible to pinpoint the source of the norovirus. It is not inherent to a ship, but is brought on board by a crew member or passenger. Strict personal hygiene is the way to avoid it.

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