ms Amsterdam GI outbreak World Cruise 2015

[lizzies_mom]

There were a number of entitled types on our Prinsendam TA several years ago. Beginning on prior Holy Land cruise, some did not report illness so thy wouldn't miss tours. Many ignored the hand sanitizers and the cordoned off areas in the Lido. We had code red for 13 days of a 20 day cruise.

[4friends]

CruiserBruce, We've been lucky in that we have never been on a ship that had Norovirus. We've primarily cruised Oceania and Regent and they never let you touch any serving utensils and they are always wiping down the rails etc. Other lines don't seem to have the same rules but we've been very lucky.

 

Being as you are in emergency services, is there any particular medication we should have in our kit for a "just in case" outbreak on any of the ships we travel on? We always have Cipro with us and on a land program once, there were a number of people that seemed to catch a 24 hour bug that left them weak but after talking on the phone with our travel doctor, he put us on a preventative course of cipro. If you know of anything more suitable for Norovirus or any other GI virus, we would appreciate knowing if there is anything that protects us?

Thanks for any answer you can provide.

 

Karen

 

I will put my 2 cents in. I am a nurse and work at a seniors facility. We recently had a noro outbreak, cleared for a week, then had a few more become ill. We can only confirm what is causing the illness by sending samples to our provincial lab. If it is noro virus, it does not respond to antibiotics, it is best left to run it's course. People also need to remain in quarantine for 48 hours after symptoms have stopped.

[Juanita462]

I can sure relate to this situation - but in my case, on a grand cruise and doing a bus tour when a woman a couple of seats behind us coughed constantly into the air without bothering to cover her mouth. I came down with the virus and lost a month of our cruise and also had to pay $150 in doctor and medicine bills. Now I never forget to pack my medical masks and take them with me on cruises and tours and don't hesitate to wear them if some clueless person is not considerate of other passengers.

 

For the noro outbreaks I take plastic or rubber gloves and wear them rather than handle the railings with my bare hands. we have cruised over 500 days and on many ships with noro but never had it - thank goodness!

[LunaTan]

We disembarked the Volendam on the 16th March after 14 days HK to Singapore. The cruise was in code red from the 3rd to 14th day. I was surprised that for the first 48hrs we were able to serve ourselves and there were no restrictions, just a letter in the cabin warning of the risk of GI outbreaks. In January we were on the Oosterdam in the South Pacific and the captain was on the pa a few times a day telling everyone to wash their hands, to the point of annoyance, however it seemed to work, there were no outbreaks, we also had restrictions for the first three days because there had been outbreaks on other ships in the region.

 

I was not that surprised about the code red on the Volendam due to the lack of precautions. Not sure why there is not a standard procedure across the fleet.

 

My cruise experience was not diminished as we both stayed healthy, however we could not use the hot tubs in the relaxation room or in the lido.

 

When the ship docked, the cabin steward advised that the whole ship was to be sanitised, including removing all minibar items from cabins.

[Sir PMP]

There seems to be an ongoing problem with GI cases on the Amsterdam.

The ship has been in code red for 2 weeks now, the laundry rooms are closed, so is the gym and the library..

[Vict0riann]

There were a number of entitled types on our Prinsendam TA several years ago. Beginning on prior Holy Land cruise, some did not report illness so thy wouldn't miss tours. Many ignored the hand sanitizers and the cordoned off areas in the Lido. We had code red for 13 days of a 20 day cruise.

 

I think we were on that previous cruise! So many sick people (including my family), and the captain was continually ranting about misbehavers! I was in the Lido restaurant a few days after recovering, and overheard a man telling people at another table - "Oh, I was really sick yesterday, but I'm fine today...." I was so mad I reported him. People were throwing up on bus tours, it spread like wildfire.

 

I always take Gravol and Imodium on a cruise - we certainly report if we're not well, but at least don't have to buy the medicines from the ship. My daughter was so ill the nurses gave her injections of an anti-nausea drug, but DH and I had pretty light cases. I think over the years you do build up a little immunity and perhaps get a lighter case. I also take Cipro with us, but I think that would only be effective against a bacterial infection. Actually, if you really don't know what you have, just that you are really sick, I imagine you might take anything!

[SilvertoGold]

VictOriann

 

I feel that taking antibiotics is not always the default thing to do.

 

Cipro is an antibiotic and works against bacteria.

Not sure how you would be able to tell if you had a bacterial infection and if this particular antibiotic would be effective against it. I guess that's what the medical center is for. But it is not the greatest idea to take antibiotics casually.

 

I'm interested in the Imodium: I always take a package of it , but have never had the need to use it (thankfully!). Did you try it on this cruise you described?

Edited March 22, 2015 by SilvertoGold

[arzz]

About 30 years ago there was a huge salmonella epidemic in our area from contaminated milk from a widely distributed dairy. Lots of toddler's in my son's age group got ill (fortunately we bought a different brand of milk!) and as I recall those who had been taking antibiotics got MUCH sicker than those who weren't. I remember news stories warning folks not to just give the kids an antibiotic. Some kids had been taking them for other reasons when they consumed the milk, others may have been given one by a misguided parent.

 

I would be very cautious about when to use antibiotics with GI illnesses. Our gut is full of friendly bacteria that help out under certain circumstances. I would check with a doctor first.

 

On our last trip to Asia our travel med prescribed some Cipro to take with us but warned us not to use it unless we had diarhhea that was persistent for more than two days.

Edited March 22, 2015 by arzz

[Lady Chew]

There were a number of entitled types on our Prinsendam TA several years ago. Beginning on prior Holy Land cruise, some did not report illness so thy wouldn't miss tours. Many ignored the hand sanitizers and the cordoned off areas in the Lido. We had code red for 13 days of a 20 day cruise.

 

Was this the Holy Land Explorer out of Rome in October 2011? We were on that cruise, called it The Plague Cruise. I recall the Hotel Director was very frustrated; among other things, people were going into the public restrooms to be sick so their rooms wouldn't show anything!

 

Mr Chew came down with the NV near the end of the first two weeks, and he immediately self-quarantined and we reported in. I was surprised to not be officially quarantined along with him, but I self-quarantined for the first 24 hrs or so. We think he caught it in the casino. Although they were constantly wiping the slots & chairs, and even cleaning the playing chips (!) there were still people in there who were sick ... and we also had one sick woman on an excursion in Israel, and the next day several others who were on with us came down with it.

 

After the first two weeks, when we put back into Civitavecchia (this was a collectors cruise) they kicked everyone off the ship for turn-around day so that they could do a deep cleaning.

[Vict0riann]

Ha ha! We called it the Poisondam!

[Vict0riann]

VictOriann

 

I feel that taking antibiotics is not always the default thing to do.

 

Cipro is an antibiotic and works against bacteria.

Not sure how you would be able to tell if you had a bacterial infection and if this particular antibiotic would be effective against it. I guess that's what the medical center is for. But it is not the greatest idea to take antibiotics casually.

 

I'm interested in the Imodium: I always take a package of it , but have never had the need to use it (thankfully!). Did you try it on this cruise you described?

 

As far as the Imodium goes, I use it a lot. I have regular bouts of colitis. But on the cruise we were talking about, on the Prinsendam, yes, the nurse suggested we use it, and it was fine for DH and me, but didn't help DD, she needed shots of another drug, I forget the name of it.

 

The Cipro I always carry was recommended for our trip to Argentina, as the water can be risky. Now I just carry it for emergency bacterial infections. I wouldn't use it unless I was sure it was needed. It's kind of an insurance policy!

[perditax]

I'm going to sneak this post into this thread so no one accuses me of intentionally poking a hornet's nest. (I'm new to cruising and CC, and I can imagine this is a hot button topic but I haven't seen it come up yet much, till this thread.)

 

How common is the "Noro" stuff people talk about? I listen to the cruise radio podcast and they indicated the media blows it way out of proportion. But in this thread people are tossing around "code red" like it's fairly commonplace. Also, how debilitating is it? It sounds like people are out and about while sick, so I guess not that debilitating? (I'm pretty much a wimp with GI stuff, so I'd be self-quarantined about ten minutes later and not even remotely pondering excursions, or being upright.)

Edited March 22, 2015 by perditax

[chengkp75]

I'm going to sneak this post into this thread so no one accuses me of intentionally poking a hornet's nest. (I'm new to cruising and CC, and I can imagine this is a hot button topic but I haven't seen it come up yet much, till this thread.)

 

How common is the "Noro" stuff people talk about? I listen to the cruise radio podcast and they indicated the media blows it way out of proportion. But in this thread people are tossing around "code red" like it's fairly commonplace. Also, how debilitating is it? It sounds like people are out and about while sick, so I guess not that debilitating? (I'm pretty much a wimp with GI stuff, so I'd be self-quarantined about ten minutes later and not even remotely pondering excursions, or being upright.)

 

Noro virus is everywhere, just waiting for a chance to spread. It is common to have outbreaks at schools, nursing homes, conventions, and vacation sites including cruise ships. While cruises and vacation sites only account for about 10% of reported cases in the US, they are publicized because of the requirement of the USPH for every foreign flag cruise ship to make a report on GI illness every cruise when entering US waters, even if there were zero cases of GI illness. Further reports must be made when the number of reported cases reaches 2% of passengers and crew, and again when it reaches 3%.

 

Most of what is called the "stomach bug" in the US is noro or noro-like viral infections. I cannot recall a single cruise in my 4 years working there, that didn't have at least one case of GI illness reported, just like any group of 2000 people will have someone sick at any time.

 

Approximately 20-30% of those infected with noro are asymptomatic, and you can be contagious days before you start to show symptoms. The primary mode of transmission onboard cruise ships is by fecal to oral cross-contamination. This means that someone who is infected does not wash their hands after using the restroom, and then touches surfaces that others touch, who then touch food that they eat, and hence introduce the virus into themselves. Therefore, the serving utensils in the buffet line are a prime source of contamination, and when cases start to be reported to medical, the lines will introduce what some call "code yellow" where self-service in the buffet is stopped, and things like salt/pepper packets are used instead of shakers.

 

Code red is when cases are at or near the 2% reportable level, and there will be further restrictions on service, and the crew will start sanitizing all public spaces every night.

[take us away]

For those who are concerned about the NV on cruise ships, you can check the CDC.gov website which tabulates the reports from any ship that docks into a US port. Remember that there are hundreds of ships and many, many thousand passengers on the seas at any given week. Also, here is a reference to an overview article that somewhat puts this into a bit of perspective:

http://seniorhealth.about.com/cs/travel/a/cruisesafe_3.htm

[perditax]

Sorry, I should have clarified that I understand the specifics of the disease and that the media blows it out of proportion (well, I did clarify that part). I was just looking for anecdotal input, not stats.

[bcnvcanada]

Great this proves, that is now just the under 30's who feel

"entititled". It is so sad when people think that they now

more the medical personal, and the captain. With all the

cases I am wondering if Dubai will let them dock.

The last time we fly there, they check everyones

temp.

[SilvertoGold]

As far as the Imodium goes, I use it a lot. I have regular bouts of colitis. But on the cruise we were talking about, on the Prinsendam, yes, the nurse suggested we use it, and it was fine for DH and me, but didn't help DD, she needed shots of another drug, I forget the name of it.

 

The Cipro I always carry was recommended for our trip to Argentina, as the water can be risky. Now I just carry it for emergency bacterial infections. I wouldn't use it unless I was sure it was needed. It's kind of an insurance policy!

 

Ann

 

Thanks a lot for responding with your experiences.

 

I often wonder if Imodium is worth the bother to buy and lug along on cruises. It is good to know it helped you!

[jbhcw]

Ann

 

Thanks a lot for responding with your experiences.

 

I often wonder if Imodium is worth the bother to buy and lug along on cruises. It is good to know it helped you!

 

We have been on many cruises...dh has never gotten sick..I have once but still not sure if it was noro...or a bad lobster....I never travel anywhere without Imodium... and Benadryl ...and dh always takes Cipro as he is prone to urinary problems...and he can get sick very quickly with that..

 

I have had Noro once at home...think we picked it up at a restaurant at the beach and it went thru four of us in a weeks time...wicked stuff...not something you want to have while traveling!

[4friends]

Ann

 

Thanks a lot for responding with your experiences.

 

I often wonder if Imodium is worth the bother to buy and lug along on cruises. It is good to know it helped you!

 

Imodium certainly helps, but it is usually better to let nature take its course to shed the virus from your system.

[SilvertoGold]

Imodium certainly helps, but it is usually better to let nature take its course to shed the virus from your system.

 

That is exactly what I have been thinking, but it would be good to have Imodium to help out if you were on a shorex and suddenly........yikes!!

 

That is what I would use it for, myself.

[Vict0riann]

That is exactly what I have been thinking, but it would be good to have Imodium to help out if you were on a shorex and suddenly........yikes!!

 

That is what I would use it for, myself.

 

That, and it can be extremely debilitating if it goes on for multiple days! The best thing, is, of course, the 2/3-day clear liquid diet to give the gut a rest, but it's not easy to do on a ship, would be funny to go to the Pinnacle for dinner and order beef broth and jello!

 

Sorry, my mind is elsewhere - watching a sail away! I certainly didn't mean, go to the Pinnacle with a noro-type illness. I was thinking of my own complaints!

Edited March 22, 2015 by Vict0riann

[SilvertoGold]

That, and it can be extremely debilitating if it goes on for multiple days! The best thing, is, of course, the 2/3-day clear liquid diet to give the gut a rest, but it's not easy to do on a ship, would be funny to go to the Pinnacle for dinner and order beef broth and jello!

 

Sorry, my mind is elsewhere - watching a sail away! I certainly didn't mean, go to the Pinnacle with a noro-type illness. I was thinking of my own complaints!

 

 

Agree!

 

AndI am switching back and forth to the N. Amsterdam sailaway! Beautiful ship!

[dpeeps87]

Great this proves, that is now just the under 30's who feel

"entititled". It is so sad when people think that they now

more the medical personal, and the captain. With all the

cases I am wondering if Dubai will let them dock.

The last time we fly there, they check everyones

temp.

I'm under 30! Way to generalize there! Sometimes most people are so set on not letting anything ruin their cruise they make stupid and selfish mistakes. Doesn't really matter what age or religion they are as some have previously posted.

[chengkp75]

For those who are concerned about the NV on cruise ships, you can check the CDC.gov website which tabulates the reports from any ship that docks into a US port. Remember that there are hundreds of ships and many, many thousand passengers on the seas at any given week. Also, here is a reference to an overview article that somewhat puts this into a bit of perspective:

http://seniorhealth.about.com/cs/travel/a/cruisesafe_3.htm

 

Well, this is not quite correct. Every ship has to report to CDC everycruise, even if there are zero cases of GI illness. The only reports on the CDC website are those where the reportable cases exceeds 3% of passengers and crew. Cruises where the reportable cases exceed 2% generally are at some form of code yellow or red, and are reported to CDC, but there is no "update" report, which is what is posted on the website. So, there are more cases of GI illness than are represented by the reports on the CDC website.

[take us away]

Just heard from friends on the WC and thought I would pass on the info. They docked into Dubai without any hassles. Everyone does have to get off the ship as the crew is doing some 'deep cleaning', i.e. steam cleaning public areas and washing cabin walls, etc. [Had this happen to us once and we had to be off the ship between 9 and 2 so HAL arranged a city tour and a buffet lunch for everyone]. They had dinner with the captain last night and asked him specifically about possibly cancelling the rest of the cruise and just sailing back to the US. He laughed and made a comment about 'someone's speculations that have now turned into huge rumors'.