More than 250 passengers on a British cruise ship Balmoral have been hit with the vomiting and diarrhoea bug norovirus, CDC reported.

A total of 252 people out of 919 have been affected on the Balmoral, which left Southampton on 16 April.

 It should be mentioned that the Balmoral is on a 34-day "Old England to New England" cruise and is currently sailing to Saint John, in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, BBC reported.

It is reported that in order to prevent further spread of the infection the necessary measures, including a complete disinfection of the ship had been taken. The CDC employees are on board the vessel and they examine passengers.  All patients are under quarantine.

According to preliminary data, passengers and crew could catch a so-called norovirus. Symptoms of a disease include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Outbreaks of norovirus are more common in enclosed spaces such as hospitals, dormitories, and cruise ships. This infection can spread in just a few hours, including through infected food.