A Perth grandmother has been struck down by a number of illnesses after she was infected with Salmonella while a passenger on an Australian cruise ship.

Sally Faulkin, 90, has spent one month in hospital after she, along with 12 others, came down with Salmonella poisoning on a Cruise and Maritime Voyages ship last month.

Ms Faulkin became so sick she could no longer walk, and her family called a priest, fearing she would need to have her last rites read.

Ms Faulkin’s family said they had made five phone calls and sent nine emails to the cruise company in an attempt to get answers, but haven’t received a response.

Michael Gannon, a spokesman for the Australian Medical Association WA, said cruise ships are a breeding ground for bacteria.

“It’s a completely closed environment where infectious agents can spread very quickly,” he said.

The Australian Medical Association WA is making calls for a quarantine and inspection service to check ships coming in and out of the state, which would bring them in line with NSW.