Equinox: Code Red!

[BrianTom]

For general information, Dukoral is an oral Cholera Vaccine which may have some effect also on Traveller's Diarrhea. It would have no effect on Norovirus.

 

Greeneg, you seem to have knowledge of virus' and such and might be in the heath care profession. Any chance you or anyone know if you can only get Norovirus once? In otherwords, once you are exposed you build up immunity to it and you can be exposed but not get sick?

 

Thanks

[greeneg]

Greeneg, you seem to have knowledge of virus' and such and might be in the heath care profession. Any chance you or anyone know if you can only get Norovirus once? In otherwords, once you are exposed you build up immunity to it and you can be exposed but not get sick?

 

Thanks

 

The problem with Norovirus is that it's a group of viruses which apparently do not concur immunity to any but just the strain that you happened to run into. This is why there is no vaccination available, there just isn't enough commonality among the members of the group. There is more info on the CDC website. I gather that whatever immunity you build is apparently not very long-lived. Fortunately, Noro is unpleasant for most of us but not life threatening for the majority of patients.

 

Do checkout the CDC site, that's probably the most reliable information available.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/norovirus.htm

 

Best Regards,

[J & G]

The problem with Norovirus is that it's a group of viruses which apparently do not concur immunity to any but just the strain that you happened to run into. This is why there is no vaccination available, there just isn't enough commonality among the members of the group. There is more info on the CDC website. I gather that whatever immunity you build is apparently not very long-lived. Fortunately, Noro is unpleasant for most of us but not life threatening for the majority of patients.

 

Do checkout the CDC site, that's probably the most reliable information available.

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/gastro/norovirus.htm

 

Best Regards,

 

You are too modest. You left out the part about being a really kind and caring pediatrician.....are you sure you don't want to move to Texas? It is a BIG state, but I would make the drive to bring my grandchildren to you!

[caladvoc8]

For general information, Dukoral is an oral Cholera Vaccine which may have some effect also on Traveller's Diarrhea.

Doc, you must have run across some new information that caused you to supplement the advice earlier offered on this thread. Any references you can provide that I can relay to our personal physician? I know Dukoral provides immunity to the cholera-causing bacteria, as we've discussed before, but if there is documented evidence that it also protects against the more common bacteria that cause Traveler's Diarrhea I would like to pass it on to our personal physician, if necessary to educate her, before our upcoming cruise to Mexico. (BTW, you could supplement your income if you started charging for your advice on this thread! ;))

 

Many thanks.

_________

Gary

[greeneg]

Gary, essentially what I know is what's on the CDC site. I have personal experience with Dukoral because I took it before going to South America as a volunteer a number of years ago. How much actual protection it affords for other forms of bacterial diarrhea is really kind of moot since you would have to know to what you are likely to be exposed and that can be kind of hard.

 

My advice would be pretty much what you have heard before: 1) watch your water supply, boiled or otherwise treated water only ( includes ice cubes); 2) Vegetables either need to be thoroughly cooked or washed in "safe"water; 3) pay attention to where and what you are eating and if it tastes "funny", don't; 4) don't be afraid to ask questions about where does the water come from and how is it made safe. If you are staying pretty much on the Tourist Trail, in recommended accommodations, I think you are unlikely to have problems in Mexico, particularly if you ask those questions nicely and persistently.

 

In other words, use common sense and you should be fine.

 

Have fun,

 

ED

 

PS: I am a "Free for Service Physician " ( retired).

[ssCRUISERS]

As Blueyes' drinking buddy I want to thank The Equinox Martini Bar's great staff for inoculating us from the Noro. That daily 5:30PM injection was just the trick. Great job Togi, Peter, Putu & Hector !!!! :)

 

Come to think of it maybe that tin roofed bar at the pier in Roatan had something to do with our immunity, or was it the beer at the Naval Base in Panama or maybe that outstanding brew at the Costa Rican rainforest resort or could it be the libations in Grand Cayman at Big Black Dick's ???

 

Now that I really think about it... after handling those dice & chips that everyone else was touching, squeezing & blowing on for all those hours at the crap table just how did I avoid this lousy virus ??

 

Mike (aka Ziggy)

 

 

I second that, what a great staff. You may have found the key of killing the Noro virus, had at least one a night and we stayed healthy. ;)

 

Cheers

 

Scott

[2morecruises]

 

 

I second that, what a great staff. You may have found the key of killing the Noro virus, had at least one a night and we stayed healthy. ;)

 

Cheers

 

Scott

 

 

Scott, It was great meeting you & your significant other especially on the Okeydokey tour. Del Monte's banana plantation packing plant was very interesting to say the least. Hope you can recover the photo's from that part of trip since my DW took a least one shot of you all with your incredible camera.

Remember that $60 a night resort with the great views of the Caribbean Sea ??? We'll always talk about it.

 

Stay warm...

Mike/Nivia

[onacruise57]

That does not sound good. What day into your cruise did this begin. Do the hallway still have that weird smell sometimes as well coming from inside the walls?

 

Best of luck,

 

Mike

 

On another subject, I must say I loved your photos! Thank you for posting. We'll be on the Equinox in June for the 10 day Med. :)

[Off Shore]

We just disembarked the Equinox today. The noro virus did not seem to be widespread. There was constant disinfecting and in the early part of the cruise we were not aware of any cases. However, two days before disembarkation we hard that there were some cases. The staff worked very hard to constantly clean and disinfect the ship. I left the ship with laryngitis but no noro virus. We had a great cruise.

[greeneg]

To tell the truth, I would almost be a little surprised if you took a group of 2800 people from all parts of the Country, if not the World, put them together in relatively close contact for several days, you did not see some cases of Noro or similar illnesses. 280 cases sounds like a lot of illness ( and if you are one of the 280 it most certainly is ), but it's still only 10% which means that 90% of the people in the group are fine. The most that you can do is to use common sense and hope that it works out. Unlike the Casino, these odds are in your favor.

 

Glad you had a nice cruise.

[ellbon]

 

 

I second that, what a great staff. You may have found the key of killing the Noro virus, had at least one a night and we stayed healthy. ;)

 

Cheers

 

Scott

 

vodka at night with a rum drink during the day. also the extra large vodka glasses made my second week very healthy and happpy.

 

now where is peter and hector to make my drink/ at least i have my shopping bag of turn down chocoalte- should last a month or more.

 

scott- you would love theis past week- more sun, new shows ans lots of martini's.

 

tomorrow or wed i will get the pictures made. need to order some from Tien and you too. thanks for fixing my camera- got better pictures.

 

again Togi arrived in St M's so you never saw him.