"Don't Call It 'The Cruise Ship Disease' "

[Kartgv]

And it's about time......finally, an article that states what many of us have been saying for years: Norovirus doesn't only happen on cruise ships. Here's the link to the article that appears on todays Yahoo Home Page:

 

https://www.yahoo.com/travel/norovirus-dont-call-it-the-cruise-ship-116403827877.html

[gooch47]

I wrote a letter to the editor of the Columbus Dispatch today saying I'm tired of the media only reporting cruise ship outbreaks and trying to imply it was the cruise ships' fault.

[GUT2407]

Noro happens anywhere just it is more noticeable on a ship because you are on their for a while, and it incubates whereas on land if you pick it up it doesn't show till you have left where you contracted it and may be the only person at your area with it, the 100 other people have each also gone their separate ways. On board all 100 of you are still on the ship so it becomes noticeable.

[cb at sea]

Ships HAVE to report it....schools don't...and schools are rampant with it! Where do you think the passengers get it, to bring it aboard? In Wash. DC, a couple of years ago, they had to shut a hotel down, and quarantine those who were there, as a HUGE number of visitors got noro....nursing homes routinely get it....anywhere there are lots of folks in close contact is a great breeding spot!

Edited April 15, 2015 by cb at sea

[navybankerteacher]

It will continue to be called the "cruise ship disease" because talkers (I cannot call them "journalists" because they just want to entertain rather than inform - and with as little effort as possible) simply keep grabbing easy, formula, stories.

[whogo]

"The Cruise Ship Disease" has a certain ring about it that norovirus lacks. I like the phrase, although I can't say I have seen it or used it.

[Illyria]

The only time I ever got Noro was on a trip to Austin, TX, a couple of years ago. Haven't seen too many cruise ships around those parts ;)

 

It was December, and our relatives told me later that the bug was going around pretty bad that winter.

[DirtyDawg]

I hope they continue to call it "The Cruise Ship Disease".

 

It's Economics 101, if "The Cruise Ship Disease" causes demand to decline because people irrationally associate Noro with "The Cruise Ship Disease" the price of my next cruise will decline.:D:D

 

I'd only be bothered with "The Cruise Ship Disease" if I were a cruise line shareholder. But I'm not.:p

 

So please, please, you media hacks, keep on using "The Cruise Ship Disease" all you want!!

[ger_77]

It irritates me when people ask if we had gotten sick on our last cruise because "everybody gets sick on cruise ships." Uh no, they don't, and we didn't.

 

Last year in our city, we had to close down a wing of the university teaching hospital for 3 weeks due to noro-virus. Did that attract national attention, even though hundreds of people were involved? No, but one cruise ship (who as a previous poster indicated, has to report the virus) has a few people who contract it, and it's all over the networks.

 

We wash our hands and take precautions as best we can, and then hope for the best. You can't live in a bubble.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[kelkel2]

It's really simple. Wash your hands. If you can't wash your hands use hand sanitizer. It's that easy.

Noro breaks out because of poor hand hygiene and it can break out anywhere. Not just on cruise ships. Protect yourselves the best way you can. Just wash your hands!!!

[sail7seas]

It's really simple. Wash your hands. If you can't wash your hands use hand sanitizer. It's that easy.

Noro breaks out because of poor hand hygiene and it can break out anywhere. Not just on cruise ships. Protect yourselves the best way you can. Just wash your hands!!!

 

It seems like it should be just that easy but it is not.

The washing your hands part is that simple but too many people wrongly believe the hand sanitizers will clean one's hand of noro virus. It will not. It has been written so many times by so many experts but it just doesn't seem to 'register'. I actually think that aside from the fact the hand sanitizers may help stop the spread of bacteria, cruise lines feed the incorrect notion hands will be 'safe' after using the sanitizer. I don't think all those sanitizer dispensers around the ships are the best idea. Put hand washing stations all over the ship.

 

Wash your hands often vigorously with hot water and soap and KEEP your hands away from your face.

Don't put hands into mouth, nose, ears or eyes. You hands can be filthy with noro virus but if you do not put the dirty hands to a 'portal to your body' you will not be ill.

 

Edited April 15, 2015 by sail7seas

[headhunterke]

Guess what, my dad just got sick from the norovirus. And the poor man hasn't ever set foot on a cruise ship. Ever.

It's the same thing with the airline industry. Every little incident is now a major news coverage...

[FawnRiver]

Norovirus is the second most populous virus on the planet. Good luck avoiding it without taking common sense steps to protect yourself.

 

Media these days turns every molehill into a mountain, sensationalism rules and truth is largely dead.

 

One of the reasons why I love cruising, no news outside the daily list of what's going on onboard the ship :)

[mpace58]

I've never heard the term "Cruise Ship Disease" before. And you can see from my signature, I've been on a few cruises. We have been on a couple of ships that have had an outbreak, but have never caught it ourselves.

 

Last cruise my DW wife caught something on the ship, the Flu! The Dr's office was full of people with it. :(