Hydrogen Peroxide for norovirus?

[RickSue]

Hi - Leaving on the Carribean Princess next week and have been researching ways to kill norovirus. Seems like simple handwashing and bleach aren't really terribly effective. I've been reading about a 50/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide in a squirt bottle and also Clorox has come out with a new line of HP wipes (pretty pricey though). I'm thinking of doing my room with peroxide when we board. Any thoughts?

[JF - retired RRT]

Might work

http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/disinfection_sterilization/7_0formaldehyde.html

I would trust the CDC over internet rumors.;)

[dasi11]

they clean the room twice a day... you might need to wipe down again after each cleaning. Don't know if they use fresh after each room but I sure hope so.

I usually keep wipes and do door knobs and TV remote, etc.

[Colo Cruiser]

Might have to wipe down the entire ship.

It can be everywhere.

Just take normal precautions.

[Loonbeam]

The simplest solution is this. Wash your hands and rinse well when you enter the cabin, leave the cabin, before eating or drinking anything and after swimming. Wipe down the door handles, faucets and you will be fine most of the time.

 

There are only two ways for noro to get in your cabin, staff and you. If you already have it, cleaning the cabin isn't going to help much and the staff should wear gloves.

 

The problem with Noro is that it is VERY hard to kill. Most of the wipes actually work more by physically removing the virus particles versus killing them quickly (that's one of the reason gel sanitizers are not very useful and may even be a negative, they just spread it around your hand if not strong enough). The trick is to keep it from getting inside your mouth, etc. It will not infect you from skin contact.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Hand washing is always a good idea. I'm sure I'm going to jinx myself but I have been on over 30 cruises at this point and have only been sick once (on the Serenade of the Seas, Jan. 2013) and suspect I had noro. That's a pretty good track record. No one wants to get sick on a cruise but the best offense is a good defense. Take your vitamins, drink plenty of water, get adequate sleep and of course wash your hands frequently.

 

I think you are more apt to get sick if your defenses are down and I was suffering from jetlag when I got ill (who knows it could have come from the plane ride in the first place).

 

I wouldn't obsess over this illness- it lasts a day or two tops.

Edited January 20, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[Hlitner]

The OP sounds a bit obsessive to me. Sure, perhaps you can work hard and disinfect your cabin...which is meaningless the first time a steward comes into clean or turn-down your bed...so you would need to do that at least twice a day. And then you would need to wear surgical gloves whenever you leave your cabin (and dispose of them right before you come back into your cabin) and make absolutely certain not to touch any part of your body with those gloves. And when you go to eat that is going to be a huge problem but I suppose you could bring your own disposable plastic wear...but not sure what you do about the plates, food, touching the chair, etc.

 

Folks hear about Noro all too often but there is another side to the story. DW and I have been cruising a long time (my first cruise was in the early 70s) and have spent far more then 3 1/2 years on cruise ships (as passengers). We do not take any special anti-noro precautions other then the usual frequent hand washing. After all that time on ships neither of us has ever had Noro (we have had plenty of sore throats and colds) and we have never lost one minute of sleep worrying about what "might" happen. We also have quite a few friends that cruise (a lot) and not one of them has ever had Noro on a ship. So I guess if one wants to rely on anecdotal stuff (many do that on this site) we can say that Noro does not even exist :)

 

Hank

Edited January 20, 2014 by Hlitner

[satxdiver]

I have sailed on several ships with Noro outbreaks. Washing your hands correctly (!) and often is the best defense. The soap loosens the virus and the rinse after washes it down the drain. Noro is hearty up to 160F which is a bit hotter than I want to put on my hands. Sing the birthday song (to yourself please) while lathering your hands and then thoroughly rinse them under a lot of running water.

 

Keep your hands out of your mouth and don't touch anything you are going to put in your mouth. Use the silverware and don't touch anything but the handle. Don't be touching railings, elevator buttons, etc. without washing your hands again. Use only your cabin bathroom and not the common ones.

 

Relax and enjoy your cruise. Remember if 60 or 80 or 90 pax get Noro out of 3200 aboard the ship, your chances of getting it is very small IF you follow the above simple rules. All they cost is attention to details and a little more time in the bathroom.

[Times Prince]

Another agreement with washing hands thoroughly per the Ship's doctor's instructions (you will get a letter in your cabin). It works.

 

You will sometimes hear that a ship boards late because of a previous Noro outbreak (an outbreak has been declared with as few as 13 cases out of 3000 passengers). The crew takes some aggressive cleaning measures, including walls (inside the cabin and outside), hand rails, and all surfaces people may contact. This is especially done for cabins where people have been sick - I've seen crew in hazmat coveralls working on those.

 

The way we can help is first by washing our own hands, secondly by not rubbing our eyes and keeping fingers away from our mouth, and thirdly if you see any questionable use of serving utensils in the buffet: report that the utensil needs replacing (the crew will handle this immediately).

 

Most, if not all Norovirus is brought back onboard a clean ship by new passengers, who catch the virus in airports, hotels, or cabs. Those locations don't normally see the impact because of a two day incubation period, so their cleaning regimen is not as exhaustive.

 

The moral of the story is that careful cleanliness measures start at home and continue all the vacation. That's the best prevention.

[BruceMuzz]

There are several very effective - and very expensive - chemicals used by the cruise lines to combat the entire family of norwalk-like viruses.

The best and most popular are made in Canada; Virox and Virkon.

Both contain different versions of activated hydrogen peroxide.

They both have the same toxic effects on viruses as chlorine bleach - but without most of the damage to surfaces and soft goods that comes with using chlorine bleach.

 

On the down side, both chemicals need to stay on surfaces for extended periods in order to kill viruses.

When Virox dries on a surface, it smells like urine.

When Virkon dries on a surface, it smells like vomit.

[BridgeMates]

The OP sounds a bit obsessive to me. Sure, perhaps you can work hard and disinfect your cabin...which is meaningless the first time a steward comes into clean or turn-down your bed...so you would need to do that at least twice a day. And then you would need to wear surgical gloves whenever you leave your cabin (and dispose of them right before you come back into your cabin) and make absolutely certain not to touch any part of your body with those gloves. And when you go to eat that is going to be a huge problem but I suppose you could bring your own disposable plastic wear...but not sure what you do about the plates, food, touching the chair, etc.

 

Folks hear about Noro all too often but there is another side to the story. DW and I have been cruising a long time (my first cruise was in the early 70s) and have spent far more then 3 1/2 years on cruise ships (as passengers). We do not take any special anti-noro precautions other then the usual frequent hand washing. After all that time on ships neither of us has ever had Noro (we have had plenty of sore throats and colds) and we have never lost one minute of sleep worrying about what "might" happen. We also have quite a few friends that cruise (a lot) and not one of them has ever had Noro on a ship. So I guess if one wants to rely on anecdotal stuff (many do that on this site) we can say that Noro does not even exist :)

 

Hank

 

We've had the same experience over the past 20 years as you Hank. Noro on board often, but we try to be careful and we've been lucky so far. Colds and coughs seem to spread very quickly and we've had our share of those, especially on the longer cruises.

We leave Saturday on the CB and I will continue to wash my hands as often as possible and hope for the best but not going to fixate on it.

Sometimes I do worry I'll catch it on the last day and wonder how we would get off the ship when you can't get away from the bathroom!:eek:

[chsalas]

We were just on , prior to our joining the ship, we bought Clorox wipes and wiped every surface, light switch, handle and object in our room down once we were aboard. There is a similar product called Dispatch you can get from a medical supply store that will do the same and will kill Noro. I wold highly suggest using this precaution and washing hands prior to eating, and avoid public restrooms. Also, side note, the band the Dreamboats were amazing.

[Antonintassie]

be aware if you are flying to your cruise the hydrogen peroxide in undiluted form will alert most airport explosives scanners and you may have some explaining to do if its in air luggage

[afd524]

The police/fire dept that I work for has to undergo yearly training when it comes to prevention of infectious diseases. Handwashing as the science shows is the best way for prevention. The problem is too many people do not properly wash their hands, or they over use hand sanitizers. Hand sanitizers should not replace hand washing. From the CDC "Furthermore, soap and water are more effective than hand sanitizers at removing or inactivating certain kinds of germs, like Cryptosporidium, norovirus, and Clostridium difficile [1] When I wash my hands I like to use an antimicrobial soap because its more effective at getting rid of the bad stuff. [2]When it comes to chemicals we use a product called cavicide1 for decon. It kills everything. We use it to clean up after every kind of bodily fluids. It seems to work very well.

 

 

[1] http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html

 

[2] http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/infectioncontrol/faq/hand.htm#a3