Zika or Noro Virus on cruise ships

[Big_G]

Its straight fear mongering for those not pregnant.

 

 

Referring to it as fear mongering is probably a little harsh in this case. The authorities and the media have made it pretty clear that the greatest threat is to the unborn children of pregnant women.

[Beardface]

Referring to it as fear mongering is probably a little harsh in this case. The authorities and the media have made it pretty clear that the greatest threat is to the unborn children of pregnant women.

 

If you're not pregnant it is fear mongering. And that's the thing, the media isn't really making that part clear that its really ONLY a concern for women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant due to complications in pregnancy. Otherwise, its a mild flu that your body can easily fight off, develop an immunity to, and you're done with it in about a week's time.

[CheerMom15]

If you're not pregnant it is fear mongering. And that's the thing, the media isn't really making that part clear that its really ONLY a concern for women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant due to complications in pregnancy. Otherwise, its a mild flu that your body can easily fight off, develop an immunity to, and you're done with it in about a week's time.

 

 

That's how I feel about it. It is something very real that pregnant women (and those trying) should be concerned about, but the rest of the population isn't going to be dying from it, aside from a small percentage that would have issues no matter what they contracted.

[Big_G]

Fear mongering is the deliberate use of fear based tactics including exaggeration and continual repetition to alter the perception of the public in order to achieve a desired outcome.

 

Wickipedia

Where's the exaggeration and what's the desired outcome?

[A&L_Ont]

My head is exploding with all these quotation marks.

 

It's really "Exploding"? "Really"?:D

[poncho1973]

it's really "exploding"? "really"?:d

 

boom!

[A&L_Ont]

boom!

 

Makes me think of the Chapelle Show skit with the exploding heads. :D. If you haven't seen it YouTube it. A bit twisted but if you have a sense of humour it is hilarious.

Edited January 29, 2016 by A&L_Ont

[Cruisin'Kim]

No doubt about it spreading, my only problem with them doing all the coverage on it "being in the US" is that they are leaving out that those people didn't contract it in the US. I have a friend that is currently 5 months pregnant and now she is petrified because someone in her state has it. She is in New England and there are no mosquitoes this time of year... That person contracted it outside of the country. But now there are a ton of people freaking out over something that shouldn't be an issue to them as of yet because they haven't been to the infected areas.

 

 

Tell your friend that it isn't transmitted person to person, only if the infected person gets bitten by a mosquito and then the mosquito bites your friend would she contract it. If there are no mosquitos around her this time of year, she shouldn't have any worries.

[mostlylurker]

some perspective; I lived in the caribbean for a few years and am a mosquito magnet; Dengue has been endemic for ages. Chickunguaya and now Z fall into a simliar (broadly speaking) catagory. VERY FEW people get symptomatic disease. Until they sort out the issue of its association with microcephaly, best not to go if pregnant. Having said that, ships rarely get mosquitos so its low risk if you stay on a ship. Off a ship risk goes up. Most mosquitos come out at dusk but the carriers of Z come in the day. Chickunguya is worse for most

 

oh and btw lived in grenada and st. vincents. yes id still go there too.

Edited January 29, 2016 by mostlylurker

[mostlylurker]

If you're not pregnant it is fear mongering. And that's the thing, the media isn't really making that part clear that its really ONLY a concern for women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant due to complications in pregnancy. Otherwise, its a mild flu that your body can easily fight off, develop an immunity to, and you're done with it in about a week's time.

 

actually while many are symptomatic those who do get the classic symptoms often find its not "mild flu (no such thing actually". But the majority of the time not a major issue.

[sg4crzn]

My best suggestion is to never get your medical news from CNN... Nothing but a bunch of alarmists drumming up ratings.

 

 

I believe all media is like that.

[BeachChik]

If you're not pregnant it is fear mongering. And that's the thing, the media isn't really making that part clear that its really ONLY a concern for women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant due to complications in pregnancy. Otherwise, its a mild flu that your body can easily fight off, develop an immunity to, and you're done with it in about a week's time.

 

I think you need to change what news you are watching. Everything I have read and watched is clear that the risk is for those pregnant.

Edited January 31, 2016 by BeachChik

[Goodtime Cruizin]

That's how I feel about it. It is something very real that pregnant women (and those trying) should be concerned about, but the rest of the population isn't going to be dying from it, aside from a small percentage that would have issues no matter what they contracted.

 

Dying? Who the hell as reported a death from it the US? I haven't heard any. This isn't fear mongering. It's informing the traveling public. It's an outbreak of illness that is new to the US population. As with all other warnings that each of us receive, it is to be measured to one's lifestyle accordingly.

 

Who wants to get on a cruise ship, go inland a bit, get a mosquito bite, and get sick for a week of flu like symptoms? Not me. And so while I'm not an alarmist, I'm glad that the Zika virus has been reported. At least I can take precautions and make decisions that are in my best interests.

 

Don't turn a blind eye to the media. I suspect that EVERY media outlet of any type will NOT make money and/or lose money by reporting about the Zika virus. To believe otherwise is pure silliness!

Edited January 31, 2016 by Goodtime Cruizin

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Thinking ahead is good.

 

Precautions are good.

 

Alarmist hysteria is not good.

 

We seem to be seeing/hearing/reading a mix of these variations on this topic.

[alaska_planner]

again - this ONLY applies to those who are pregnant or who are planning to get pregnant

 

this disease is very dangerous to fetuses. (it is not dangerous to anyone else)

 

In the affected areas women are being told to avoid pregnancy until 2018.

That's pretty extreme.

 

so again - anyone going on a cruise to the caribbean/mexico/central and south america and who is pregnant during the time of the cruise should cancel or postpone.

 

everyone else is safe. It's a mild disease. No big deal for everyone else.

but if you are pregnant, then really you must listen to the US center for disease control and not go there.

Edited February 1, 2016 by alaska_planner

[mollyeilis]

Let's get some terminology straight here!

 

Norovirus is going to be "diagnosed" in people who were at a dinner theater. It's unlikely to discover the virus in the environment, but it does survive in the environment and is a continuing hazard in the environment. It does periodically appear on cruise ships (and resort hotels, high end restaurants, dinner theaters, etc.).

 

Zika is a vector borne diseased transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. I have not seen any reports of it being diagnosed in passengers on a cruise ship, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's been diagnosed in someone who's been on a cruise ship. I haven't done an exhaustive search of the medical literature, so I don't know whether its spread person to person by the mosquito, or if there's another animal host; people aren't viremic for very long, which certainly makes them an imperfect host. But for Zika to be "on a cruise ship" and important, you need Zika infected Aedes mosquitoes and a susceptible person. Thankfully, that confluence of events is more complicated than a hand to mouth exposure for Noro.

 

To date, all of the US cases appear to be imported, but we certainly have the vectors here to sustain transmission if we achieve a high enough prevalence.

 

Yes.

 

There are a variety of illnesses have been occurring for a decade. To me, its old news. I'm not sure why this one is making the "sky is falling end of the world" news. Perhaps because of the problems it may be causing with babies.

 

YES. And key phrase..."may be causing". They've never noticed this before. One thing happening and another thing happening...well, in other situations, the medical community ignores it completely and says people are nuts for putting 2 and 2 together. But in this, suddenly they are all over it. Even though it hasn't happened before.

 

 

We are hearing about this now because of the extreme increase in cases. Brazil has recorded over 4000 since October and previously only 150 a year.

 

Things always get diagnosed more when there's attention put on it.

 

My brother was diagnosed with H1N1 during the tail end of the scare because he obviously had the flu AND he was barely getting oxygen.

 

Well....he had the exact same symptoms I had had 1.5 weeks before, but I finished MY breathing treatment at urgent care and chose to take some medications (though they didn't diagnose me with anything), while he did NOT finish it, he hadn't had albuterol before and he freaked out at how it made him feel. When he was dragged back to the hospital he was at 70-something% oxygen saturation, so they knocked him out and threw him on a ventilator while they did all sorts of tests. Quick Test showed positive.

 

They tested no one else; he lived with the rest of the family, and they all had the EXACT same symptoms. The hospital people told them they didn't need to be tested because our dad and his mom were too old, his brother (2 years younger) was too young, as was our teenage sister. Um...flu doesn't actually discriminate between ages. It was laughable. They decided he fell in the bell curve so they tested him.

 

Meanwhile, I was diagnosed with nothing (despite having, again, the EXACT same symptoms and trouble with my symptoms, until I got the treatment and my inhalers).

 

Oh and he's the big smoker and drinker in the family. Think maybe he might get illnesses settling in his lungs more than the rest of us?

 

 

So they are focusing on this right now, and people get diagnosed more when they are focused on.

 

 

 

And if it IS actually more prevalent, I wonder *what else* has happened in their environment to cause birth defects like this? I know there are swaths of the US where this is a problem; tends to be in agricultural areas, and I don't mean organic farms. Places where they use scary pesticides that make it into groundwater. Things like that. Wonder what's been going on?

 

 

As I understand it, the Zika virus produces flu-like symptoms in most people. It's really only extremely dangerous to pregnant women.

 

But I could get the flu staying home. (Despite getting the flu shot!).

 

It MIGHT be dangerous. They've not noticed this coincidence before. They don't have a clue if it's causing the problems.

 

Flu shot has 16% efficacy rate in the age group they really focus on for it this year per CDC. Good job, pharmaceutical companies. Oh and you know those shots go along with G-B syndrome, just like they are seeing with Zika? When MIL insisted on getting it this year I had to answer questions for her (because she doesn't understand medical-ese and I was trying my best, but "informed consent" it was not, that day, and I was stunned the nurse continued forth even though she could see and hear that my MIL had NO idea what was being read to her about the risks), and G-B was one of the topics covered!

 

Huh. Wonder if they just started trials on a new flu shot down there 9+ months or so ago? Hmm. Yeah yeah, it's the one thing the majority doesn't want to give credence to; y'all haven't actually read the inserts you're supposed to be given at those appointments. :)

 

After all, they still can't work out why the rotavirus vaccines tend to cause intestinal intussusception but it can! (that means that one part of the intestine starts to slide inside another part of the intestine...nice, eh? it's why the product keeps being remade, because it keeps happening) So it's not that far fetched, to think something like this could happen.

 

 

But I still vote for pesticides. (oh wouldn't it be awful if it were mosquito-killing chemicals that caused this?)

 

 

 

this disease is very dangerous to fetuses. (it is not dangerous to anyone else)

 

MIGHT BE. Not *is*. This is something new they are noticing. It's not a definite at all.

Edited February 1, 2016 by mollyeilis

[cruisegal3]

again - this ONLY applies to those who are pregnant or who are planning to get pregnant

 

this disease is very dangerous to fetuses. (it is not dangerous to anyone else)

 

In the affected areas women are being told to avoid pregnancy until 2018.

That's pretty extreme.

 

so again - anyone going on a cruise to the caribbean/mexico/central and south america and who is pregnant during the time of the cruise should cancel or postpone.

 

everyone else is safe. It's a mild disease. No big deal for everyone else.

but if you are pregnant, then really you must listen to the US center for disease control and not go there.

 

 

The Zika virus and Guillain-barre syndrome are linked. The latter causes paralysis, nerve damage, possibly death. Especially dangerous for people over 50. I would suggest googling it and learning that Zika is certainly not dangerous for pregnant women only.

[alaska_planner]

The Zika virus and Guillain-barre syndrome are linked. The latter causes paralysis, nerve damage, possibly death. Especially dangerous for people over 50. I would suggest googling it and learning that Zika is certainly not dangerous for pregnant women only.

 

the flu and the flu vaccine are linked to guillain barre (i had it myself as a result of the 2009 swine flu vaccine...and avoided flu shots for several years until last year when several experts came to the conclusion that i was at greater risk if i got the flu, so i started getting the vaccine again last year....so far, knock on wood, i haven't had a repeat of GBS).

 

i wouldn't cancel a cruise over the possibility of GBS. You can get GBS in the good old US of A from the flu.

 

But i would worry about the very very very severe birth defect that is associated with zika virus and yes i would cancel if i were pregnant or planning on getting pregnant

Edited February 1, 2016 by alaska_planner

[artbcpa]

I was hoping to find a more up-to-date thread on the Zika virus now that the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued several reports. The latest report I have seen (June 16, 2016) confirms the connection between Guillain-Barré syndrome and Zika as well as disproving the original thesis that the virus was only transmitted by mosquitos. http://www.who.int/emergencies/zika-virus/situation-report/16-june-2016/en/.

 

Has anyone seen a more recent cruise critic thread on the Zika virus?

 

Has anyone heard whether RCCL or any other cruise line has redirected any of their itineraries, especially away from the most dangerous spots like Brazil? Several athletes from around the world have already announced they will not be going to the Olympics.