Noro Virus

[Elaine5715]

 I read Disney vacation boards and people (right now) are asking for advice regarding "stomach flu" that last 24 hours.   They are unconcerned about the fact they are contagious and are hellbent on getting back out "because they are on vacation" .  These people are crossing paths with cruisers in airports but Disney isn't obligated to report Norovirus.  As a matter of fact, many Disney vacationers want to blame food poisoning instead of Noro in hopes of getting some freebies from Disney.  

Edited January 20, 2019 by Elaine5715

[GUT2407]

1 hour ago, Elaine5715 said:

 I read Disney vacation boards and people (right now) are asking for advice regarding "stomach flu" that last 24 hours.   They are unconcerned about the fact they are contagious and are hellbent on getting back out "because they are on vacation" .  These people are crossing paths with cruisers in airports but Disney isn't obligated to report Norovirus.  As a matter of fact, many Disney vacationers want to blame food poisoning instead of Noro in hopes of getting some freebies from Disney.  

Not limited to Disney though by any stretch.

[Elaine5715]

1 minute ago, GUT2407 said:

Not limited to Disney though by any stretch.

Nope but since Disney visitors are sharing airports and their Norovirus with cruisers heading to Florida ports and none of them are quarantining themselves.  

[brillohead]

12 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

The thing is, even if you catch noro, if your hand hygiene is good, you won't spread it.  So, no, the crew is not immune, nor are they "unable" to catch it from shore.  But their inculcation into the required hand hygiene required by USPH standards means that they are far less likely to spread the disease than the general public (passengers).
.....
Crew do not get sick days, with one exception.  If any crew member, regardless of department, even engineering, shows symptoms of GI illness, they are required to report to medical, and will be removed from duty.  This is on pain of termination for failure to report the illness.

Bless you, a bazillion times over, @chengkp75, for TRYING to explain this to people who simply refuse to accept the truth.  

[brillohead]

16 hours ago, sfaaa said:

It's hard not to touch your face  when it gets itchy or feels disturbed. It's a natural reaction and something you don't think about until after it is done.

This is where good habits come into play, and the necessity of teaching those same habits to children at a young age.

When I get an itch on my face or have to wipe something from my eye, if I'm unable to clean my hands first, I use the INSIDE of my shirt to do the wiping/itching.  My finger on the outside of my shirt, lift up the neckline and use the inner material of my shirt to wipe my eye.  Most itches on my face can be rubbed with my shirt/shoulder/arm without using hands at all.  

Teach good habits and reinforce good habits.  Knock wood, I haven't gotten anything noro-like in over a decade, and that's even with me taking care of hospitalized patients with puke and poop shooting out of them, including the way-worse-than-noro C.-diff infection.  

Wash your hands, people... just do it.

[Luckiestmanonearth]

Noro virus isn’t new.  I got it on a Princess ship in the 90’s and pretty much holed me up for 5 or the 7 days.

 

At that time though, I didn’t know what I had so I simply stayed in my room and suffered through it thinking it was a temporary set back.

 

Funny part of what happened was that we were seated at dinner with some very annoying travel agents that got a free cruise and complained about everything so my illness wasn’t all bad as it got me out of going to dinner

[brillohead]

16 hours ago, txflood33 said:

The hand sanitizer they push on everyone is worthless..at least for noro. 

This isn't technically true.  

Handwashing is the PREFERRED method of hand-hygiene and hand sanitizer is not as effective at removing/killing norovirus, however that is NOT the same as saying that using hand sanitizer is "worthless" against norovirus.

Quote from the CDC page on preventing norovirus:  
You can use alcohol-based hand sanitizers in addition to hand washing. But, you should not use hand sanitizer as a substitute for washing your hands with soap and water. Hand sanitizers aren’t as effective as washing hands with soap and water at removing norovirus particles.

[brillohead]

Evidently, the entire state of Michigan is now a cruise ship, too.....  (need a sarcasm font!!!!) 

https://www.mlive.com/news/2019/01/michiagn-officials-warn-residents-about-symptoms-of-norovirus.html

 

Michigan officials warn residents about symptoms of norovirus

Updated Jan 7; Posted Jan 7

The CDC offers this primer so people can understand how norovirus is spread. (Image courtesy of the CDC)

 

LANSING, MICH. -- State health officials are asking residents to be aware of the spread of the potentially dangerous norovirus as Michigan is seeing an uptick in cases.

 

In a press release issued Monday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services warned residents about increased reporting of norovirus cases and what to be on the lookout for if they or someone they know starts to feel ill.

 

“Norovirus often causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping, but infected people may also have a low-grade fever, headache, weakness and muscle aches,” reads a portion of the release. “Symptoms can begin as early as 12 hours after exposure to the virus or as late as 72 hours.”

 

While the symptoms can often feel the same as the onset of the flu, they are two different things.

 

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that can spread very easily, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It causes gastroenteritis, which causes inflammation of a person’s stomach and intestines.

 

Some people might refer to norovirus as the “stomach flu,” but the flu is a respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus.

 

Norovirus symptoms typically last for one to three days and often go away without medical attention being necessary. However, the elderly, young children and those with weakened immune systems are at risk for possible hospitalization due to dehydration.

If you believe you have norovirus or have been diagnosed, you’re encouraged to drink plenty of liquids.

 

To prevent contracting the virus, you’re encouraged to frequently wash your hands thoroughly. especially after you’ve been in public places as the virus can remain on objects such as door handles, telephones and counters for extended periods of time.

 

For more information about the disease, visit the Center for Disease Control website.

 

Edited January 20, 2019 by brillohead

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

This is where good habits come into play, and the necessity of teaching those same habits to children at a young age.

When I get an itch on my face or have to wipe something from my eye, if I'm unable to clean my hands first, I use the INSIDE of my shirt to do the wiping/itching.  My finger on the outside of my shirt, lift up the neckline and use the inner material of my shirt to wipe my eye.  Most itches on my face can be rubbed with my shirt/shoulder/arm without using hands at all.  

Teach good habits and reinforce good habits.  Knock wood, I haven't gotten anything noro-like in over a decade, and that's even with me taking care of hospitalized patients with puke and poop shooting out of them, including the way-worse-than-noro C.-diff infection.  

Wash your hands, people... just do it.

I used to work with a guy who always scratched his face with the back of his hands.  I asked him once why he did that, and he told me that he worked summers in high school picking peppers for Tabasco on McIlhenny Island, and you quickly learned not to touch your face until your hands were thoroughly washed.

[Joebucks]

Here are the best things you can do when it comes to noro

 

- Wash your hands

 

- Minimize hands to face

 

- Completely ignore the topic and anything else you see on the news that is "cruise related"

[brillohead]

4 hours ago, Joebucks said:

Here are the best things you can do when it comes to noro

 

- Wash your hands

 

- Minimize hands to face

 

- Completely ignore the topic and anything else you see on the news that is "cruise related"

QUOTED FOR TRUTH.

And for the love of everything that is holy, people need to stop calling it "stomach flu" or say they got a flu shot and don't know why they came down with noro.... 

 

[MicCanberra]

17 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

 I read Disney vacation boards and people (right now) are asking for advice regarding "stomach flu" that last 24 hours.   They are unconcerned about the fact they are contagious and are hellbent on getting back out "because they are on vacation" .  These people are crossing paths with cruisers in airports but Disney isn't obligated to report Norovirus.  As a matter of fact, many Disney vacationers want to blame food poisoning instead of Noro in hopes of getting some freebies from Disney.  

They must be living in a fairytale.

[dkjretired]

22 hours ago, txflood33 said:

 

Excessive hand sanitizer can actually start to kill the good bacteria in your body making it more difficult to fight off the bad viruses. Also, many people will substitute using hand sanitizer for actual hand washing because they believe it's a safe alternative.

 

And some like myself are allergic to many hand sanitizer’s

[dkjretired]

6 hours ago, brillohead said:

Bless you, a bazillion times over, @chengkp75, for TRYING to explain this to people who simply refuse to accept the truth.  

 

Excellent explanation as usual. Keep in mind also it’s glamorous for the news media to show this on cruise ships. Remember the old news adage, “if it bleeds it leads”

[GeezerCouple]

4 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

And some like myself are allergic to many hand sanitizer’s

 

DH has the same problem.

We carry a little container of our "fragrance/additive free" version, and apply it to our hands in front of the person trying to get us to use "their" product.

 

GC

[dkjretired]

15 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

Nope but since Disney visitors are sharing airports and their Norovirus with cruisers heading to Florida ports and none of them are quarantining themselves.  

 

They also very often visit the parks for a few days and of course for everyone there are shore excursions.

[ilikeanswers]

On 1/20/2019 at 5:44 AM, donaldsc said:

There is another thing - cruise companies encourage people who are sick to travel.  Not purposely but that is what they effectively do.  They don't still have you fill out one of those "I am Not Sick" cards but if you did not feel well or had thrown up the night before and were honest, what do you think could happen to you.  They don't let you cruise.  They don't refund your cruise payments.  They don't cover your plane flight home.  So you are out both the money and the cruise.

 

What would you do if you didn't feel well pre cruise - answer the form honestly or lie on the form and board hoping that you felt better tomorrow.

 

DON

 

Not just money, but also lost time 😕. For some people they have to move heaven and earth to get the time off to travel, so unless you are so ill🤢 you physically can't move, you would be even less motivated to give up a cruise🤫. 

[MicCanberra]

I do use the sanitisers whenever possible but nothing beats good hand washing along with the other good hygiene practices.

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

Not just money, but also lost time 😕. For some people they have to move heaven and earth to get the time off to travel, so unless you are so ill🤢 you physically can't move, you would be even less motivated to give up a cruise🤫. 

There is that too. The forms are useless except for the cruise line saying 'you lied on your form'. They are better off having the check-in staff and ship's staff watching and listening to the passengers as they are waiting as well as the special cameras scanning them as they go past and picking out the ill passengers to stop them boarding.

[MarkCanada]

On 1/19/2019 at 11:38 AM, CPT Trips said:

The cruise line can't fix stupid. As in the pax that don't wash hands, and engage in other unsanitary practices in dining rooms and buffets.

 

Absolutely, CPT! Well said. 

 

I just got off the NCL Escape and they did a wonderful job working hard to try to contain the damage caused by "stupid". 

And there are LOTS of them. 

And they reproduce! 

 

Help us all. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

8 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

DH has the same problem.

We carry a little container of our "fragrance/additive free" version, and apply it to our hands in front of the person trying to get us to use "their" product.

 

GC

We do that too.

[Harry and Lucille]

I was taught the cleanness is next to Godliness. 

 

Now with tongue in cheek. 

 

No matter how good the smell of the hand soap is. Please don't come out of the bathroom sniffing your fingers. LOl

 

Hand washing is so important. We bring wipes for our cabin. Door handles, phone, remote and anything that we will be touching before we sail. Noro kill type. Wash hands often and use sterilizers often. 

 

I press elevator buttons with my fingers. I play slot machines. I use the hand rails and yes, I shake hands. It may sound a little paranoid but I bring a small black  light called the hotel inspector. I look around the room. Floors and bedding, etc. Detects human activity that is not clean.

 

We start off clean and stay that way. I have even had trays of food removed from the buffet because of some idiot touching and tasting and placing back.

 

There are people that just don't know or even care. They are the ones that we need to watch out for.

 

Noro pops up wherever people group together. Always hear about cruise ships but schools, shopping centers, ball games, nursing homes, etc. are prone to this also.

 

On our first cruise in 1978 the wife came down with Noro. Not a good 4 days on a 7 day cruise. Not worth the risk. 

[CPT Trips]

On January 19, 2019 at 5:10 PM, GUT2407 said:

But most are useless against Noro.

 

if you want to avoid Noro, stop worrying what everyone else is doing and wash your hands  and done put your hands to your mouth, you have now reduced YOUR risk by about 90+%.

 

OK, I washed my hands and was careful not to touch anything on my way into the MDR or buffet. Then the waiter hands me a menu that has passed through many pax hands. Or, I serve myself in the buffet using the common serving utensils, again used by who knows how many.

And then I enjoy breaking my roll or croissant, holding it with my hands while I butter it and increase my risk of noro. Oops. 

We use sanitizing wipes in the MDR and buffet after handling those items and before the bread or roll.

[MicCanberra]

This is why I try not to use my hands to eat, chips, pizza and burgers get eaten with utensils when cruising unless it is back in our room where I can wash my hands again directly before eating.

[Hlitner]

I do feel some empathy for germophobes (a person with an extreme fear of germs and an obsession with cleanliness) and the related anxiety disorders that flow from that type of obsession.  Consider the following:

Nearly two-thirds of the estimated 40 million adults with anxiety disorders are women. What people with these disorders have in common is unwarranted fear or distress that interferes with daily life.  Anxiety also plays a role in somatic symptom disorder, which is characterized by physical symptoms such as pain, nausea, weakness, or dizziness that have no apparent physical cause.

 

Just saying.  

 

Hank