The Truth About Norovirus and Cruise Ships

[chrismakris]

Thought I would pass this along as cruise ships always get a bad rap for the Norovirus outbreaks that happen.

 

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/norovirus-think-restaurants-not-cruise-ships-cdc-says-n121401

[scdreamer]

Saw this on the news tonight. Makes me feel that the cruise ships are probably one of the safest places for avoiding noro, as they have an awareness and are taking extreme measure to keep it at bay.

[Kartgv]

There's also an article on norovirus in today's USA Today:

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/03/norovirus-most-common-foodborne-illness/9894565/

Edited June 4, 2014 by Kartgv

[chrismakris]

I always find it comical, the comments I read on CNN when a cruise ship gets hit with Norovirus and how these people will never go on a cruise because of this.

 

How can these people think that the virus started on board?

 

It starts with people getting on board already sick.

 

I was surprised when I took our first Celebrity cruise that we were asked if we had been sick in the past few days during the check in process. Caught me off guard but at least their trying to do something top stop the spread.

 

Of course who is going to admit to it and risk not being let on the ship?

[bltrn]

I am a surgical nurse who has been on 17 cruises and have NOT been sick.. Know why? I wash my hands before and after I eat. I also make use of the many hand sanitizers that are available on the ships. If people would use some common sense and not be pigs, there wouldn't be half of the sickness that are shown on national news!

[johnb0529]

Generally, something is only headline worthy when it impacts a large number of people, while the news ignores the actual higher impact numbers when it impacts people at an individual level (in most cases!)

 

Norovirus - Cruise Ships vs. Restaurants

Transportation - Airplane Crashes vs. Auto Accidents

Shootings - Mass Shootings vs. Individual Handgun Deaths

 

Impact to a large number of people is always more exciting for the news media and politicians! sad but it's what gets everyones attention...

 

Glad to see someone is at least putting a couple stories out that don't focus on the Cruise Industry being the problem!

Edited June 4, 2014 by johnb0529

[boscobeans]

I am a surgical nurse who has been on 17 cruises and have NOT been sick.. Know why? I wash my hands before and after I eat. I also make use of the many hand sanitizers that are available on the ships. If people would use some common sense and not be pigs, there wouldn't be half of the sickness that are shown on national news!

 

GREAT ADVICE..

 

We've been cruising now for about 14 years. A few cruises had serious breakouts on board and on one the books in the library were removed until we were half way through the cruise to avoid spreading the virus.

 

Wash hands and use the sanitizers..

 

Remember to re-sanitize your hands after touching your chair when sitting down to eat or using the salt and pepper shakers...

 

 

bosco

[HokiePoq]

GREAT ADVICE..

 

We've been cruising now for about 14 years. A few cruises had serious breakouts on board and on one the books in the library were removed until we were half way through the cruise to avoid spreading the virus.

 

Wash hands and use the sanitizers..

 

Remember to re-sanitize your hands after touching your chair when sitting down to eat or using the salt and pepper shakers...

 

 

bosco

 

No salt and pepper shakers on the last cruise we went on that had an outbreak! Buffet had the packets and the MDR waiters had to apply it for us. That ship didn't close the library as another did but I noticed the pens you sign with were sterilized after every use.

 

As the poster above said, we have to keep handwashing and sanitizing. What I REALLY hate is seeing people not do that and people putting their hands in the buffet food. We try to be among the first at the buffet when it opens as I kind of lose my appetite after that. At least when they are on precautions, the servers dish out all the food.

And all these things can indeed happen at restaurants anywhere with less precautions being taken than on cruise ships.

[bbeltmom]

My husband still laughs at the look of outright shock on my face when the woman took the cookies off the buffet tray with her bare hands:eek:. I bluurted out "Did you just do that?":confused:. She looked right at us, said "What? It's just cookies." and walked away:eek::eek::eek:.

 

Lost my appetite for the cookies in the buffet. Went to Cafe al Bacio where they are kept in jars and served.

 

I know that the tongs and serving utensils used can be contaminated. You may contaminate your hands but not the food, that's what hand sanitizer is for. :rolleyes:

[cruise47]

According to Dr. Oz more germ are found on rest rooms door knobs.

[coldweathergirl]

According to Dr. Oz more germ are found on rest rooms door knobs.

 

That's why people should be turning taps off and opening doors with paper towels.

[jgreenwo17]

I am a surgical nurse who has been on 17 cruises and have NOT been sick.. Know why? I wash my hands before and after I eat. I also make use of the many hand sanitizers that are available on the ships. If people would use some common sense and not be pigs, there wouldn't be half of the sickness that are shown on national news!

 

My DW is also an RN and is constantly washing and sanitizing her hands as well. (7 cruises and not sick). On our recent 10 night cruise aboard the Solstice, my wife noticed on THREE different occasions, women, (You know who you are), not bothering to wash their hands after using the restroom. I asked her if there was ever a washroom attendant on duty and she said no.

 

The gents restrooms often have attendants on duty that steer you towards the sinks to wash your hands. This should happen with the gals facilities too! (IMHO).

 

People can be lazy, dirty, pigs!

[olemissreb]

I know I can be "bad" in washrooms and not wash after using them, but that is only when there are no hand towels to dry my hands (haven't been on a cruise yet that didn't have hand towels). I know it's not as eco-friendly, but my hands actually chap with those hand blowers. I do however put sanitizer on my hands the minute I walk out of a restroom. Yep - I keep a small bottle in my purse at all times.

 

I, too, find it funny that people will say they will never cruise because they don't want to get noro. Yet, they may be one of the statistics that got it at their local restaurant, but suffered through it thinking it was food poisoning and didn't get diagnosed as noro.

 

Nice to see NBC and USA Today actually putting out pieces that show that noro can be caught anywhere. (Although that might be incentive for those "I'll never cruise" people to book a cruise now. Hope they don't book on Celebrity and further slow down the website! :) )

Edited June 4, 2014 by olemissreb

[daisymay1960]

I am a surgical nurse who has been on 17 cruises and have NOT been sick.. Know why? I wash my hands before and after I eat. I also make use of the many hand sanitizers that are available on the ships. If people would use some common sense and not be pigs, there wouldn't be half of the sickness that are shown on national news!

 

Surely that only protects other people from your 'germs '? It will not protect you from what is spread from those who don't follow basic hygiene rules.... it only takes one person to infect many

[ludomonster]

Surely that only protects other people from your 'germs '? It will not protect you from what is spread from those who don't follow basic hygiene rules.... it only takes one person to infect many

 

It also protects you from any germs you may have gotten on your hands as long as you haven't already picked your nose.

[daisymay1960]

I know I can be "bad" in washrooms and not wash after using them, but that is only when there are no hand towels to dry my hands (haven't been on a cruise yet that didn't have hand towels). I know it's not as eco-friendly, but my hands actually chap with those hand blowers. I do however put sanitizer on my hands the minute I walk out of a restroom. Yep - I keep a small bottle in my purse at all times.

 

I, too, find it funny that people will say they will never cruise because they don't want to get noro. Yet, they may be one of the statistics that got it at their local restaurant, but suffered through it thinking it was food poisoning and didn't get diagnosed as noro.

 

Nice to see NBC and USA Today actually putting out pieces that show that noro can be caught anywhere. (Although that might be incentive for those "I'll never cruise" people to book a cruise now. Hope they don't book on Celebrity and further slow down the website! :) )

 

Hand sanitiser is NOT a replacement for soap and water , you are putting other people at risk by assuming this .In fact many hospitals are now thinking that by supplying sanitizer they are increasing the risk of people thinking washing hands with soap and water isn't necessary

[boogs]

I know I can be "bad" in washrooms and not wash after using them, but that is only when there are no hand towels to dry my hands (haven't been on a cruise yet that didn't have hand towels). I know it's not as eco-friendly, but my hands actually chap with those hand blowers.

 

Those hand dryers have been proven to be not as effective as paper towels. The reason establishments use them is for cost cutting measures, not for your eco-friendly or health concerns. Towels are much more effective.

 

http://www.mythbusters.com/common-myths-about-germs----busted-1.html

 

http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/08/15/hand-dryers-or-paper-towel-that-is-the-question/

Edited June 4, 2014 by boogs

[dkjretired]

Surely that only protects other people from your 'germs '? It will not protect you from what is spread from those who don't follow basic hygiene rules.... it only takes one person to infect many

 

And they do not protect you from norovirus,they are no better than washing your hands and some people including myself break out from using them.

[cle-guy]

That's why people should be turning taps off and opening doors with paper towels.

 

Not sure of ALL celebrity ships do, but I noticed on Summit, they actually put a paper towel dispenser by the door with a sign to use one to open the door, and a trash can right there to dispose of it.

 

I know the safety video on all ships recommends this practice, but don't recall seeing the dispenser right by the door before.

[cle-guy]

I do however put sanitizer on my hands the minute I walk out of a restroom. Yep - I keep a small bottle in my purse at all times.

 

According to the safety video shown on the ships in the staterooms, normal hand sanitizers do not kill Noro and the versions used on the cruise ship dispensers is a special formulation with ingredients made to specifically counter Noro. The video requests guests not use their own and instead use that provided by the ship for this purpose.

[NeptuneBeach]

The CDC recommends the use of hand sanitizers on cruise ships. Every cruise ship I've been on [>25] has supplied only alcohol based sanitizers, which do not kill viruses. I bring my own virus killer hand wipes : Wet Ones, or any wipe that contains benzethonium chloride 0.3%.

[olemissreb]

Those hand dryers have been proven to be not as effective as paper towels. The reason establishments use them is for cost cutting measures, not for your eco-friendly or health concerns. Towels are much more effective.

 

http://www.mythbusters.com/common-myths-about-germs----busted-1.html

 

http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2013/08/15/hand-dryers-or-paper-towel-that-is-the-question/

 

See I knew I didn't like those hand dryers that I see just about everywhere when I travel. It's become very rare to see paper towels in rest stops or even gas stations. Sure glad I keep the sanitizer with me in my purse and the car.

[olemissreb]

Hand sanitiser is NOT a replacement for soap and water , you are putting other people at risk by assuming this .In fact many hospitals are now thinking that by supplying sanitizer they are increasing the risk of people thinking washing hands with soap and water isn't necessary

 

As I said, the only time I will resort to the hand sanitizer is when there are no hand towels in the restroom. Typically I find this is rest areas or gas station bathrooms when I'm traveling. I haven't found this to be the case on a cruise- there are always hand towels to dry my hands.

[olemissreb]

According to the safety video shown on the ships in the staterooms, normal hand sanitizers do not kill Noro and the versions used on the cruise ship dispensers is a special formulation with ingredients made to specifically counter Noro. The video requests guests not use their own and instead use that provided by the ship for this purpose.

 

I've never needed to use my own on the ship - no need to carry my purse around. I do use it when on excursions or when traveling in my car. Guess I should have made myself a little clearer in my response.

[Baatman]

I always find it comical, the comments I read on CNN when a cruise ship gets hit with Norovirus and how these people will never go on a cruise because of this.

 

How can these people think that the virus started on board?

 

It starts with people getting on board already sick.

 

I was surprised when I took our first Celebrity cruise that we were asked if we had been sick in the past few days during the check in process. Caught me off guard but at least their trying to do something top stop the spread.

 

Of course who is going to admit to it and risk not being let on the ship?

 

I have always wondered how reliable are the responses. If someone had laid out a couple of thousand dollars for a cruise, airfare, kennel, etc. are they really going to admit that they have been ill and risk the chance of being denied boarding?

Edited June 7, 2014 by Baatman