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S.C.-based cruise ship appears free of virus

A South Carolina-based cruise ship is at sea again, apparently free from a virus after extra cleaning.
/ Source: The Associated Press

A South Carolina-based cruise ship is at sea again, apparently free from a virus after extra cleaning.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reported Wednesday the Celebrity Mercury seems free of a stomach bug that afflicted nearly 1,000 passengers on its previous three voyages from Charleston.

The ship left for the Caribbean on Sunday after three days of cleaning. The cruise line says nearly 1,100 passengers were on board. It can carry nearly 1,900 passengers.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Ricardo Beato says agency investigators inspected the ship Sunday.

The agency is awaiting test results of samples it sent to a lab to identify the illness conclusively as norovirus. Norovirus symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps, sometimes accompanied by a low-grade fever.