A Pre Polio Vaccine Boomer's Views On Noro and Other Illnesses

[ChevyCruiser]

As a pre polio vaccine baby boomer educated in the occupational health and medical fields, I have gained some insights into disease and sickness prevention.

 

First of all, in the pre-vaccine days of polio, I was taught to always wash my hands after using the restroom, before touching any food, after touching any public surface, etc. The concern was cross-contamination between those who may be "unclean" and me.

 

Concern about cross-contamination was and still is the key. Think of any public surface or any surface touched by another person as "unclean". Therefore, if that surface is unclean and you've touched it with your hand, your hand is now unclean and thus anything your hand touches is now unclean - such as your eating utensils, your food, etc. You need to break that chain of cross-contamination bewteen the unclean public surface and your mouth.

 

Common "unclean" surfaces on the ship are:

 

Restroom doors,

Elevator buttons,

Door knobs and handles,

TV remotes,

Telephones,

Handrails,

dining room menus,

salt and pepper shakers,

Tongs and serving spoons in the buffet line,

Tabletops,

Drinking vessels placed upside down on the tabletop,

Knives, forks, and spoons placed on the tabletop,

 

Other things to keep in mind are:

 

Servers wear gloves for their protection, not yours UNLESS they change the gloves between toucing unclean and clean surfaces.:(

 

Food service staff are supposed to wash their hands between handling soiled eating utensils and then handling clean utensils - how often do you observe thatby the attendants in the Horizon Court?:(

 

That person you see leave the toilet stall and head on out the door without any handwashing is out there touching everything on the ship just before you do!:eek:

 

YOU are your own best advocate and protection. Take a few simple steps to break the chain of cross-contamination between everyone else on the ship and your hands/mouth and you'll increase your odds of staying healthy and disease free.

[tennisobo]

OP, you make several good points.

 

My question is this:

What is the best response when you observe behavior that risks infecting other passengers, i.e. not using sanitizer before entering the buffet or leaving the bathroom without washing hands?

 

I personally noticed several people on our cruise in January violate these common-sense rules. I didn't say anything to them because I didn't want to risk possible rude responses. I felt I was wimping-out by not calling them on their improper behavior. I think back to those who have posted that the hand sanitizer won't stop the noro (or any other) virus and so don't think it is necessary to use the sanitizer.

[Pam in CA]

Tennisobo, you shouldn't confront someone as you have no idea whether it could escalate. There's little you can do with that person but I would alert the Maitre d' on duty in the buffet that you'd observed people going directly from the bathroom without washing to the buffet without using hand sanitizer. It's his responsibility to have someone making sure passengers use the sanitizer. Other than that, protect yourself. You are your own best advocate.

[granlea]

The sanitizers outside the horizon court and the dining room are alcohol based, which does not kill noro virus. Washing your hands well in hot water will wash the virus down the sink. If you want to kill noro, use chlorine. They have chlorine based wipes, and they work. Four of us shared an inside cabin last spring, and only my son had noro (lost 7% of his body weight in the process). I had lysol wipes with me and we used them on everything in the cabin! I board the Crown in just over two weeks and will be bringing an extra container with me!

 

I am also considering buying myself some gloves. Cloth ones. Maybe with a leopard print on them...:rolleyes: I would think wearing gloves will also reduce the risk of contamination.

[HaliMakai]

I also thought about bringing disposable gloves, they are really cheap, we get big packs for the RV since someone has to let the poo out;). I was thinking could wear them while serving my self in the buffet line then dispose when I was eating.

[AttilaTheFun]

Tennisobo, you shouldn't confront someone as you have no idea whether it could escalate. There's little you can do with that person but I would alert the Maitre d' on duty in the buffet that you'd observed people going directly from the bathroom without washing to the buffet without using hand sanitizer. It's his responsibility to have someone making sure passengers use the sanitizer. Other than that, protect yourself. You are your own best advocate.

 

I agree - it's not your place to correct people's behavior. On a Celebrity ship, my father had used the wheelchair stall, which has its own sink and soap dispenser, to wash his hands and a fellow passenger who didn't know this yelled at him because he thought my father hadn't washed his hands. Sometimes people need to mind their own business. I'm not condoning anyone's behavior of not following proper hygiene, but you're not keeper and they probably wouldn't listen to you anyway!

[cantwaitfornextcruise]

My approach is usually to say with a smile "excuse me I think you’ve missed the cleaney thingy, please go before me I don’t want to jump the line" it's never failed yet, think it’s the cleaney thingy bit that confuses them

[snowskier]

One time I stepped in the rest room, quickly adjusted my bra strap and walked out -- I certainly didn't appreciate the person that took it upon them self to follow me out and let me now (in front of others in the public area) that I hadn't washed my hands.

 

They were a bit embarrassed by my response which was just as loud and inappropriate as their actions. Sometimes it is best to take care of yourself and not judge others so quickly.

[GrandmaHofmann]

I agree. You are not your brother's keeper.

[sail7seas]

Just having the dirty hands does NOT cause you to become infected.

 

You become infected if you have the dirty hands and then permit a way for the virus to enter your body. When your dirty hands touch your eyes, nose or mouth, you have then provided the entry source for you to become infected.

 

[kitty9]

I posted this on another thread, but I'll post it here also.

 

I just saw a doctor from the CDC give a speech about the Norovirus. He said that hand sanitizers did absolutely nothing to stop Noro because that virus has a protective shield around it that sloughs off the sanitizer. The only good preventative measure is soap and hot water. Sanitizers and anti bacterial wipes are good for other things, like the cold virus, but not for Noro.

 

I'm a polio survivor, and know a bit about it all. Polio was a virus found in fecal matter and thrived in water, hence the closing of public pools and beaches. When they used live virus in a vaccine, parents who had infants were exposed to the virus and some became infected. Hence, the development of the vaccine using dead virus. It was a horrible disease that's been controlled, except for certain countries where the disease has returned. And if you travel to an endemic area, a booster polio shot is highly recommended.

[ChevyCruiser]

For those who are interested in protecting themselves and keeping an eye out for substandard food service pratices while onboard, here's a treatise that is chock full of good information and I urge you to read it. You'll see why I'm no fan of plastic gloves for food operations:

 

 

http://www.sproutnet.com/Reports/safe_hands.htm

 

Remember to take precautions to protect yourself, treat any surface as contaminated and you'll be better off than the rest of the herd. Anytime you touch a contaminated surface, DO NOT touch anything that will be going in your mouth. Also, be very suspicious of any food worker wearing the MAGIC GLOVES.

 

A clean plastic/rubber glove is only clean until the wearer touches something contaminated. Just like a freshly washed hand is only clean until you touch something contaminated

[Swells1]

I wouldn't announce it to the world, but I have no issues at all telling someone in my party to avoid touching something because I know that the last person didn't wash her hands in the bathroom. I wouldn't feel guilty if the offending person heard it, either. :eek:

As far as ducking into a restroom to adjust a bra strap or reapply lipstick, remember that you are touching the same doors and surfaces that everyone else is touching. It wouldn't hurt to wash up anyway!

[sail7seas]

I wouldn't announce it to the world, but I have no issues at all telling someone in my party to avoid touching something because I know that the last person didn't wash her hands in the bathroom. I wouldn't feel guilty if the offending person heard it, either. :eek:

As far as ducking into a restroom to adjust a bra strap or reapply lipstick, remember that you are touching the same doors and surfaces that everyone else is touching. It wouldn't hurt to wash up anyway!

 

 

Every restroom has boxes of tissues. Remove two or three tissues and use them to open the door when you leave.

 

 

But I agree...... never pass up the opportunity to wash your hands for whatever reason you find yourself in a restroom. :)