Purell

[BlueC5Kitten]

No disrespect, but the quote you cited from the same page also supports alcohol based sanitizer- it says use the other non-alcohol type IF the alcohol based type is not available or permitted.

 

If that information is incorrect, and you are affiliated with the CDC, then perhaps you should work within your chain of command to have those statements removed from the H1N1 guidance.

 

I guess I should have put more emphasis on the first part of my quote from the CDC's website:

...and alcohols are effective against human influenza viruses if used in proper concentration for a sufficient length of time. For example, wipes or gels with alcohol in them can be used to clean hands. The gels should be rubbed into hands until they are dry.

 

With relation to how people tend to use these products. I have seen folks in lines at the buffet use the gel, rub it around and then rub their hands on their pants...that's not very helpful and its not using the product correctly, as labeled, and required for proper protection against the H1N1 or any flu virus. I am not directly affiliated with the CDC, nor have I don't research into the infectious disease that is H1N1 flu (my focus is largely in oncology), but we are looking at the same page and seeing the same information.

 

My point is, the products have to be used correctly and appropriately to have the desired effectiveness in prevention of infection.

[kthy66]

All good points... but I am thinking that something is better than nothing regardless with how effective one method is or how someone uses it. :D

[Megnolia]

What I like the very best is the tissues and garbage cans located in the entryways to the bathrooms so you can open the door with a tissue then throw it out before leaving - no touching door handles required. I think it's the smartest idea I've seen in a long time. I just wish I could find it at all restaurants or other public restrooms. At the very least, exit doors from washrooms should push and not pull, so your clean hands can stay clean.

[oceanseagle12]

I guess I should have put more emphasis on the first part of my quote from the CDC's website:

 

 

With relation to how people tend to use these products. I have seen folks in lines at the buffet use the gel, rub it around and then rub their hands on their pants...that's not very helpful and its not using the product correctly, as labeled, and required for proper protection against the H1N1 or any flu virus. I am not directly affiliated with the CDC, nor have I don't research into the infectious disease that is H1N1 flu (my focus is largely in oncology), but we are looking at the same page and seeing the same information.

 

My point is, the products have to be used correctly and appropriately to have the desired effectiveness in prevention of infection.

 

I totally agree. Of course, the same can be said for people washing their hands- I love it when I see people put soap on under the water, basically rinsing it right off. Then they turn the water off with their hands, use the dryer and wipe on their pants, and of course open the door with their bare hands as well. :rolleyes:

 

It would help if they would help educate passengers about the proper use.

[fireofficer5]

Don't eat in the buffet.

[aubreysmom]

Thank you BlueC5Kitten for your expert advice. My DD and I have a cruise planned for the middle of December. She is an asthmatic and has a comprimised immune system. She just received the pnuemonoccol (sp) vaccine and tomorrow we find out if it has done its job.

 

She gets a yearly flu shot as well. But this year will be different with the H1N1 around. We are great hand washers - but I appreciate finding out if there is anything more I can do to help her. (Without putting her in a bubble - LOL)

[arpie05]

I think Carnival handles the hand sanitizer situation well. There was a station located outside the dining room on the Sensation. In the bathroom there was a tissue like dispenser to allow you open the door since the paper towel dispenser was not near the door.. It says something about a new sanitary way or experiment...

 

NCL on the other hand goes to the extreme - they spray you if you walk near the buffet line or into the dining room, even if you are passing thru the buffet to get to the other end of the ship due to poor ship design.

 

Carnival even says during Muster (at some point on the Sensation they did) that alcohol based sanitizers do not kill Swine Flu so if you get sick, let them know.

[vacruizer]

On NCL a few years ago they were all over and outside every dining room and we were required to use before going in. They actually had a hostess stationed there to "remind" you if you did not use on your own. I have rarely seen them on Conquest' date=' but I do like the tissues at the exit of public restrooms and use them! [/color']

 

I have issues with them requiring the use (have heard this before about NCL.) Many people are either allergic to the dyes/scents in them or the alcohol dries and irritates their skin. I am a big believer in hand washing and do use the sanitizers as a last resort where no soap and water is available (like hiking in the woods) but cannot use them regularly as they really irritate my skin.

 

The last thing I want is two days into my cruise to have my hands red, raw, peeling, and swollen from being forced use the hand sanitizers before every meal. It's a nice idea to have them around, but I would have to stop cruising if their use became mandatory. :(

[BlueC5Kitten]

Thank you BlueC5Kitten for your expert advice. My DD and I have a cruise planned for the middle of December. She is an asthmatic and has a comprimised immune system. She just received the pnuemonoccol (sp) vaccine and tomorrow we find out if it has done its job.

 

She gets a yearly flu shot as well. But this year will be different with the H1N1 around. We are great hand washers - but I appreciate finding out if there is anything more I can do to help her. (Without putting her in a bubble - LOL)

 

Glad I can help with info, at the least...

 

Regarding her Pneumovax® and annual flu innoculations, those are very good measures to take for those who are immuno-compromised (speaking from experience here), but another prophylactic measure you might want to consider is a vaccine against meningococcal infections (again, speaking from experience). There are some newly approved ones out there for young children as well as adults.

 

Any "simple" bacterial infection can become bacterial meningitis in those who are immuno-compromised (and sometimes in those who aren't). Two years ago, I started out with a mild case of strep throat with a high fever (104.6°F) that, within 24 hours, became a life-threatening bout of acute bacterial meningitis for which I was hospitalized for 1 week (until I was past contagion stage), and then I continued to push my own IV antibiotics via a PICC line for two more weeks following.

 

Something to consider, in light of the other great prophylactic measures you are taking...all the while, avoiding the bubble! :)

[WinnieinWA]

Does Carnival REALLY need to have "Purell Stations" outside of every bathroom, buffet line, pool, etc.? Can't people simply take care of themselves?

 

If they DID take care of their own personal hygene there would be no need for the sanitizing stations. I love seeing them all over. NCL has been doing this for a few years, at least, and there are host/esses that will point the sanitizer out to anyone who doesn't do it automatically.

 

I LOVE IT!:)

[ShakyBeef]

Alcohol based sanitizers aren't typically effective in controling viral infections (including the new threat H1N1), as a general rule. That's not to say that it doesn't cut down on the other, numerous bacterial infections possible. I like having them available, but also tend to carry my own antibacterial (Triclosan-containing) hand "sanitizer"...that being said, I am also fastidious about hand-washing, and urge others to do the same.

 

According to my friend, a nurse, it's actually the Triclosan that you should NOT use, and the alcohol-based sanitizers that SHOULD be used. Do a Google search on Triclosan - it seems to be pretty scary stuff. Alcohol is safer, and kills a lot of stuff, without making "super-bugs"

[aubreysmom]

Glad I can help with info, at the least...

 

Regarding her Pneumovax® and annual flu innoculations, those are very good measures to take for those who are immuno-compromised (speaking from experience here), but another prophylactic measure you might want to consider is a vaccine against meningococcal infections (again, speaking from experience). There are some newly approved ones out there for young children as well as adults.

 

:)

 

Again, Many Thanks :D:) I believe DD got the meningococcal vaccine before she went to college. Does this make sense??? I will double check with her immunologist when we see him tomorrow.

 

We have been very lucky in keeping her healthly. Last year, her first in college, was a little rough. But - she was also swimming for the university - a Division I school - the training schedule was killer! But she did it very successfully :) (And maintain a 3.8 GPA). I am very proud of her.

 

I really appreciate your recommendations!

[BlueC5Kitten]

According to my friend, a nurse, it's actually the Triclosan that you should NOT use, and the alcohol-based sanitizers that SHOULD be used. Do a Google search on Triclosan - it seems to be pretty scary stuff. Alcohol is safer, and kills a lot of stuff, without making "super-bugs"

 

Triclosan, like any biocide or antibiotic, can be subject to overuse and abuse. (Heck, it started out as a pesticide!) I have never had any infectious disease specialist tell me that I shouldn't use Triclosan, but instead recommended it be used in moderation and when there is no other effective option (real "soap and water" hand washing, alcohol-based hand-sanitizers, etc). I am not a germophobe, but since I am immuno-compromised and I work in the healthcare field, I tend to take hygiene very seriously.

 

Again, Many Thanks :D:) I believe DD got the meningococcal vaccine before she went to college. Does this make sense??? I will double check with her immunologist when we see him tomorrow.

 

We have been very lucky in keeping her healthly. Last year, her first in college, was a little rough. But - she was also swimming for the university - a Division I school - the training schedule was killer! But she did it very successfully :) (And maintain a 3.8 GPA). I am very proud of her.

 

I really appreciate your recommendations!

 

Yes, a meningococcal vaccine right before college would be appropriate considering how they pack kids in the dorms these days, the proximity of living quarters and of course other shared spaces. Glad to hear she is doing well in school with her swimming and her GPA!

[ShakyBeef]

Triclosan, like any biocide or antibiotic, can be subject to overuse and abuse. (Heck, it started out as a pesticide!) I have never had any infectious disease specialist tell me that I shouldn't use Triclosan, but instead recommended it be used in moderation and when there is no other effective option (real "soap and water" hand washing, alcohol-based hand-sanitizers, etc). I am not a germophobe, but since I am immuno-compromised and I work in the healthcare field, I tend to take hygiene very seriously.

 

 

I'm sorry, I may have taken what you said in the earlier post wrong - I thought you were reccomending Triclosan over alcohol-based sanitizers, in general.

 

My best friend (actually not-quite-yet pediatric oncology nurse, with a Leukemia-survivor daughter) took this really seriously when she found out about it (dangers of Triclosan). She warned me against it (specifically antibacterial soaps like Dial, that contain it) with all kinds of scientific details and "medicalese" to back it up. But I have to admit, I don't remember the details. Just the warning. :o

 

I'm sure, from your background, you know better than I. I defer to your expertise...

[IKE]

I am all for the hand sanitizers. I carry my own and use it all the time when out shopping at the mall etc. It is unbelievable how many people You see in public bathrooms that donot wash their hands. Have seen many on the cruisehips and it really turns me off. Even though it maynot be the cure all for everything, I feel it is better than nothing at all.

[Almost Packed]

Does Carnival REALLY need to have "Purell Stations" outside of every bathroom, buffet line, pool, etc.? Can't people simply take care of themselves?

 

just curious....what's the beef about them being there?

 

i think it's great. some people may not....so if one person using the hand sanitizer....isn't that one less likely germ you will catch?

 

i think it's great!

[cathyz]

Actually, you don't know this to be a fact, because there are hand sanitizers that have been shown to be effective against noro. The Purell VF481 is an example, and that may actually be why Carnival is putting the stations out...

Actually, I have several friends who are nurses in hospitals and there are hand sanitizers that they use in the hospitals that work much better than the basic Purell brand, but they are quite a bit more expensive, so I doubt Carnival or any other cruise line would use them. I use the sanitizers when I can, but also know that they don't kill everything, so mostly just wash my hands alot.

[alreadypacked]

It would make no sense to have them outside of a bathroom because presumably you would have just washed your hands. Any idiot who won't wash hands is not going to use the sanitizer either.

 

Agreed, but at least the rest of us have an added measure of protecton (hopefully) from those idiots after touching handrails and the like. From what I've read, though, us handwashers are less likely to catch anything, because we are constantly reducing the number of bacteria/viruses on our hands (like doctors)--most of us do have immune systems that will take up where good handwashing left off. I travel a lot and have worked in dirty hospitality positions and hardly get sick--due to my good hygiene practices, I believe (just like the doctors).

[chiarigirl]

I think it's important if you go to the bathroom and there is a sink there and a hand sanitizer dispenser outside the bathroom you need to choose the sink. Good ole soap and water is best, but when you are somewhere where you cant run to the restroom and wash your hands it is beneficial. Even if they are outside the buffet i will probably still not get lettuce if the tongs are laying iin it, but i guess the purell is better than nothing. I actually carry it in my fanny pack for when i get back on the ship from in port.

 

Especially in the ports where you have to go through security in port before you get on the ship and go through it again. I have a pacemaker and have to be patted down so after having hands all over me i like to be able to use it. On the ship they dont bother with patting me down and let me go on through without a problem, occasionally i get questioned about being pregnant and just show my pacemaker card.

[harrodsfan]

That hasn't been true in my case at all. I used to get 2-3 colds between November and March. Since I started using hand sanitizer regularly about 10 years ago, I only get one cold at the most and sometimes not even a cold for two years. I don't think it's a coincidence.

 

This is true...purell and similar things really do work. I always carry a small bottle in my purse and I always use it before I touch food. I also wash my hands a lot. I have few colds.