Carnival’s Norwalk deaths?

Here’s a question that is raised far too infrequently: Can the Norwalk virus — an increasingly common shipboard affliction — kill passengers?

That’s what one Tarpon Springs, Fla., family is asking after their father, David Lee Fitzgerald, died on a recent Carnival cruise.

It is also something medical examiners in Broward County are pondering. Fitzgerald, it turns out, isn’t the only passenger who died during the Norwalk virus outbreak that afflicted 679 passengers on the Carnival Liberty. Another man, who was identified only as a non-US citizen, also perished.

We won’t know the answer for a while. Dr. Joshua Perper, Broward County’s chief medical examiner, said it will take several months to complete lab tests and determine an official cause of death. I will be watching, as will be other concerned travel bloggers.

But back to the question at hand. Can Norwalk kill?

Yes, it turns out that it can. And does.

The Centers for Disease Control recently analyzed data from nearly 40 outbreaks over a period of about a decade, and found that 7.5 in every 10,000 cases was fatal. The hospitalization rate was about 33 in 10,000 — meaning that if you’re unlucky enough to be sent to the infirmary for the Norwalk virus, you have a 1 in 4 chance of dying.

I guess there’s something to be said for keeping a clean ship.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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