Measles Outbreak on Costa Pacifica Hits Ship's Crew Members

Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp., confirmed that there has been a suspected measles outbreak among its crew on the Costa Pacifica, and press reports state that "dozens" of crew members have debarked the ship, and several have been hospitalized in the port of Civitavecchia, about 50 miles northwest of Rome.

Costa states that there are no "suspected cases of passengers" coming down with measles, and none have debarked the ship or been hospitalized.

"All passengers have been adequately informed of the situation by the captain of the ship," Costa states. "The cruise is continuing on a regular basis according to the planned schedule.

The Costa Pacific has 1,504 cabins, and is on a seven-night itinerary covering Italy, France, Spain and the Balearic Islands.

Costa Cruises is one of Carnival Corp.'s largest brands, and the Costa's reputation plunged and demand for its sailings was severely impacted by the January 13, 2012, crash of the Costa Concordia, which killed 32 people.

Carnival Corp. stated in its 10-K that Costa returned to profitability in 2013 if you exclude impairment charges related to two of its smaller ships.