Cruise Ship Passengers Get Sick with Flu

County public health officials were called out to the cruise ship docked off Santa Barbara Harbor last weekend to check on its health protocols after a number of passengers were reported sick from what appears to be norovirus. Better known as the stomach flu, norovirus causes gastrointestinal issues and often wreaks havoc on cruise-ship passengers because of close living quarters. Public health officials consulted with the onboard physician to make sure there was a “healthy environment” and “good protocol,” said a public health spokesperson.