Where did that Noro come from?

[bepsf]

I've long held the opinion that folks don't catch Noro from the ship's facilities, but from travel before they arrive at the ship.

Here's a juicy tidbit about Airline travel that I bet you didn't know:

 

"Those blankets have NOT been washed. Also, there's a solid chance your tray table has poo on it.

"I worked for Southwest as a flight attendant. Those blankets and pillows? Yeah, those just get refolded and stuffed back in the bins between flights. Only fresh ones I ever saw were on an originating first flight in the morning in a provisioning city. Also, if you have ever spread your peanuts on your tray and eaten, or really just touched your tray at all, you have more than likely ingested baby poo. I saw more dirty diapers laid out on those trays than food. And those trays, yeah, never saw them cleaned or sanitized once."

 

More here:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/31/airline-secrets_n_5043463.html

[frankc98376]

Also the magazines in the pocket- people stuff used Kleenex and used diapers in there while they changing the little ones. I use wet ones on the arm rests and anything I'm going to touch. If I want the tray table its's wiped down on all sides before I touch it.

Don't forget to use a wipe on the suitcase handle when you take it from the overhead then your hands. Once I'm in the terminal I wash my hands- used to travel a lot for work and caught too many unpleasant bugs.

[swscruiser]

Southwest has not had pillows nor blankets in the last 5 years we have flown them. No Idea about the diaper thing but as close as the seats are together I would find it difficult to change a diaper with the baby on the tray. You can carry the Noro Virus onboard with you by just being around people you do not have to be on a plane to get Noro. FWIW I know I believe everything That posted by the Huffington Post, it is truly one of the Last Bastions of investigative reporting, right up there with The National Inquirer.

 

Keith

[Mytime2014]

I just got to say - one of my favorite yarns is Noro - silk garden specifically. So everytime someone mentions Noro on a ship - I'm thinking cool beans - I'll have someone to knit with.

 

That is all. :D

[Typhoon1]

Airplane lavatories are probably the most disgusting places.

 

I could never figure out why someone would even want to join the mile high club in there.

[Globaliser]

Airplane lavatories are probably the most disgusting places.

 

I could never figure out why someone would even want to join the mile high club in there.

Where would you suggest we do it instead? ;)

 

As for the article itself, "poo" is a good thing to highlight from it.

[luxurysailer]

I've long held the opinion that folks don't catch Noro from the ship's facilities, but from travel before they arrive at the ship.

 

You are correct, but only partially so. Yes, some people do contract noro before boarding ships. And these people may well be the ones who bring the virus aboard and initiate outbreaks. However, when there are large outbreaks on ships the vast majority of persons becoming ill undoubtedly acquire the virus on the ship.

 

It is a well known fact that highly contagious infectious diseases spread more easily when you have a lot of people occupying a small space. Simply put, under those circumstances the odds are greater that you will contact the virus than if you were in a less crowded environment. A good example is that meningitis outbreaks are more likely to occur in military barracks, school dormitories, etc.

 

I've observed atrocious personal hygiene practices on most cruises we've been on: people not washing their hands before leaving restrooms being a rather common occurrence. These people then touch elevator buttons, stair rails, table tops, food trays, etc and those coming along behind them are exposed to whatever was on their hands. These miscreants are very unlikely to change their ways, so it's up to each and every one of us to practice good preventive measures and protect ourselves.

[Cruising-along]

I don't think I remember a flight that didn't have the blankets and pillows sealed in plastic bags, a new one for each passenger. :confused:

 

We do wipe down the tray and arm rests. Never thought about the magazines...:eek:

[innlady1]

I've long held the opinion that folks don't catch Noro from the ship's facilities, but from travel before they arrive at the ship.

Here's a juicy tidbit about Airline travel that I bet you didn't know:

 

"Those blankets have NOT been washed. Also, there's a solid chance your tray table has poo on it.

"I worked for Southwest as a flight attendant. Those blankets and pillows? Yeah, those just get refolded and stuffed back in the bins between flights. Only fresh ones I ever saw were on an originating first flight in the morning in a provisioning city. Also, if you have ever spread your peanuts on your tray and eaten, or really just touched your tray at all, you have more than likely ingested baby poo. I saw more dirty diapers laid out on those trays than food. And those trays, yeah, never saw them cleaned or sanitized once."

 

More here:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/31/airline-secrets_n_5043463.html

 

Thanks for posting this, Brian. That is sooooooooooo gross. :p I bring wipes with me and wipe the tray thoroughly...also the seat belt fasteners, arm rests, anything I have to touch, etc. So far...so good.

Edited April 1, 2014 by innlady1

[Robin7]

I've long held the opinion that folks don't catch Noro from the ship's facilities, but from travel before they arrive at the ship.

Here's a juicy tidbit about Airline travel that I bet you didn't know:

 

"Those blankets have NOT been washed. Also, there's a solid chance your tray table has poo on it.

"I worked for Southwest as a flight attendant. Those blankets and pillows? Yeah, those just get refolded and stuffed back in the bins between flights. Only fresh ones I ever saw were on an originating first flight in the morning in a provisioning city. Also, if you have ever spread your peanuts on your tray and eaten, or really just touched your tray at all, you have more than likely ingested baby poo. I saw more dirty diapers laid out on those trays than food. And those trays, yeah, never saw them cleaned or sanitized once."

 

More here:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/31/airline-secrets_n_5043463.html

 

Hi, Brian! ::waving:: I haven't been here much for a long time. It's nice to 'see' a familiar face.

 

Our last HAL cruise was in 2008 on the Volendam from New Zealand to Australia. We were in Code Red for 12 of the 14-night cruise. Captain Bos actually announced that the virus had come on board with four passengers on a flight in to Auckland. (I used to remember which airline, but I don't any longer. But he even said which flight number it was.) Airplanes are filthy things. We try to be very careful when we fly without being paranoid.

 

That said, my husband flew for 3.5 years for his job. Six or more flights a week. He has an iron constitution and never, ever got sick during that whole time! Me? I seem to catch something every time we fly, but it's usually an upper respiratory thing.

 

On that same HAL cruise, there was also a respiratory virus going around. A woman who was hacking up her lungs behind us on an excursion said it had started while the ship was in the South Pacific. My poor elderly mother-in-law had it three days later! I am convinced she got it from that woman.

 

Shrug. We are travelers, not tourists. We take the good with the bad.

 

Happy sailing!

 

Robin

[mafig]

Only time I ever got Noro was on a cruise where I did not fly. DH also got it once, on a different cruise and we did not fly. Not HAL, btw.

 

We've flown a lot ... We also go to casinos a lot. All those slot machine buttons, same situation as the ships with buffets. No Noro.

[Tampa Girl]

What happened to the theory that over-sanitizing is not good for your immune system? That having been said, I will bring wipes with me on my next plane trip.

[sail7seas]

I am of the school that does not think we need to use anti-bacterial soap everytime we wash our hands in our day to day lives. I think our immune systems operate better when they are challenged slightly to moderately rather than zero exposure to germs. Everytime we return home, we immediately wash our hands upon coming into the house but plain soap works just fine for us.

 

However, when traveling, we become far more cautious. I wipe the seat arms, seat belt buckles, tray tables etc on airplanes and remote control, door handles, light switches, toilet flush handle/button, drawer pulls etc when we enter a hotel room or ship's cabin.

 

I fully agree airplanes and airports are among the highest sources of Noro like virus spread. Airplanes are filthy and the bathrooms are disgraceful. Why do we put up with it? Why do we permit airlines to not scrub the floor/bathroom on these flights? We meekly complain among ourselves but who tries hard to get them to clean up that disgusting filth?

 

[bepsf]

I fully agree airplanes and airports are among the highest sources of Noro like virus spread. Airplanes are filthy and the bathrooms are disgraceful. Why do we put up with it? Why do we permit airlines to not scrub the floor/bathroom on these flights? We meekly complain among ourselves but who tries hard to get them to clean up that disgusting filth?

 

Agreed - That's why i brought it up.

It's up to us to demand these things be dealt with - and not complain when ticket prices go up a little bit due to it, otherwise it won't happen.

Hi, Brian! ::waving:: I haven't been here much for a long time. It's nice to 'see' a familiar face.

Hi Back! Same here!

Edited April 4, 2014 by bepsf

[iHeartGlaciers]

What happened to the theory that over-sanitizing is not good for your immune system? That having been said, I will bring wipes with me on my next plane trip.

 

 

Just a heads up that not all sanitizing wipes kill the norovirus. For instance regular Clorox wipes do not, but Clorox germicidal wipes (which can be bought at office supply stores, like Staples) do. So make sure the ones you buy will do the trick!

 

 

July 2012 ~ Celebrity Infinity ~ Alaska

[POA1]

Just a heads up that not all sanitizing wipes kill the norovirus. For instance regular Clorox wipes do not, but Clorox germicidal wipes (which can be bought at office supply stores, like Staples) do. So make sure the ones you buy will do the trick!

 

 

July 2012 ~ Celebrity Infinity ~ Alaska

 

Bleach wipes and hydrogen peroxide wipes both control norovirus. Antibacterial wipes don't unless they contain bleach or peroxide. Just remember that you're dealing with bleach and not Purel. :eek:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Bleach wipes and hydrogen peroxide wipes both control norovirus. Antibacterial wipes don't unless they contain bleach or peroxide. Just remember that you're dealing with bleach and not Purel. :eek:

 

I agree with you.

[cbr663]

Just a heads up that not all sanitizing wipes kill the norovirus. For instance regular Clorox wipes do not, but Clorox germicidal wipes (which can be bought at office supply stores, like Staples) do. So make sure the ones you buy will do the trick!

 

 

 

 

Bleach wipes and hydrogen peroxide wipes both control norovirus. Antibacterial wipes don't unless they contain bleach or peroxide. Just remember that you're dealing with bleach and not Purel. :eek:

 

It's important to note that even though Clorox is a brand of bleach, the Clorox wipes that you buy off the shelf do not contain any bleach. As stated above, only the Clorox brand germicidal wipes are effective against noro virus.

 

It is also important to note that many products that are effective against noro virus have time limit requirements in order to kill the noro virus. Always read the directions on the product to ensure that you are using it properly. The Clorox Hydrogen Peroxide Wipes, for instance, need 3 minutes to kill the noro virus. (https://www.cloroxprofessional.com/assets/pdf/norovirus.pdf‎)

Edited April 9, 2014 by cbr663

[iHeartGlaciers]

Bleach wipes and hydrogen peroxide wipes both control norovirus. Antibacterial wipes don't unless they contain bleach or peroxide. Just remember that you're dealing with bleach and not Purel. :eek:

 

 

I agree it's a choice whether to use wipes or not, but I hate to think some people may think they're using wipes against noro when the particular brand they're using doesn't work against it.

 

 

July 2012 ~ Celebrity Infinity ~ Alaska

[iHeartGlaciers]

If anyone's looking for a bleach free wipe effective against noro, Kmart has one:

 

http://m.kmart.com/index-g.html#/productdetails/029W003097430000P?partnumber=029W003097430000P

 

 

 

July 2012 ~ Celebrity Infinity ~ Alaska

[cruisemom42]

What happened to the theory that over-sanitizing is not good for your immune system?

 

It's not that oversanitizing, per se, is bad. It's that some exposure is good. It helps keep your immune system functioning effectively when it is able to meet and overcome small challenges on a regular basis. If it doesn't have an opportunity to do this, the immune network can be overwhelmed when it meets with a bigger (or sometimes even a small) challenge. See below...

 

That said, my husband flew for 3.5 years for his job. Six or more flights a week. He has an iron constitution and never, ever got sick during that whole time! Me? I seem to catch something every time we fly, but it's usually an upper respiratory thing.

 

 

Robin

 

Your husband probably got frequently exposed to various things while he was traveling so often. If you didn't travel as much, you would be more likely to get sick when exposed.

 

Quite honestly, I think one reason I don't get sick very often is that I am exposed to a lot of "stuff" either at work in a large office or traveling. I suspect a lot of folks who have retired don't face the same exposures, coupled with the fact that the immune system is thought to function less well as one ages. (Although even that is being challenged....)

 

I guess that's a long way of saying that I don't wipe down anything in a plane or on a ship or anywhere else outside the normal cleaning I do in my own house. I don't use antibacterial products and use hand sanitizer only in very rare cases. I have never gotten noro and rarely, if ever, get sick when traveling anymore.

[frankc98376]

I saw a Doctor on TV that said it's really simple- use wipes on stuff; use soap and water on yourself. Soap and water doesn't kill virus, it flushes the virus down the drain.