How to Avoid Getting Norovirus on Cruise Ships

Table Of Content

• Monkeypox Outbreak: “This Is an Entirely New Spread of the Disease”
• Smartphone Norovirus (‘Cruise Ship’ Microbe) Detector
• How do you get this stomach bug?
• How common is norovirus on cruise ships? Here’s why you shouldn’t worry
• Scientists Identify Rare Gene Variants That Can Increase Your Risk of Obesity by up to 500%
• How does norovirus spread on cruise ships?

The index case likely occurred in a food and beverage crew member sailing on a crew-only voyage (voyage 1). In general, crew members with AGE reported to onboard medical personnel in a timely manner and were isolated until 48 hours after symptoms subsided. Crew member transmission was followed by passenger transmission on voyages 3, 4, and 5. Approximately 70% of crew members with AGE interacted with passengers (i.e., housekeeping and food and beverage services). VSP partnered with the United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry’s Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program to create four-dimensional visual models of the ship. These models helped visualize continued norovirus transmission and sources of potential exposure (e.g., contaminated surfaces in cabins of persons with AGE and high-touch surfaces in common areas).

Monkeypox Outbreak: “This Is an Entirely New Spread of the Disease”

Data on this page are from ship surveillance reports and from CDC-led investigations. As of 2018, hospital ships have Brazil (6), China (5), Russia (6), USA (2), Spain (2), and India-Indonesia-Peru-Vietnam (x1). Hospital ships are designated as floating medical facilities (hospitals).

Smartphone Norovirus (‘Cruise Ship’ Microbe) Detector

The most recent outbreak hit passengers and crew members on board a Viking Cruises trip from Iceland that docked in New York on June 20. More than 13% of passengers on the Viking Neptune — 110 of 838 in total — reported being ill while onboard, according to the CDC. Health officials at the CDC determined that norovirus caused the outbreak after Viking Cruises collected and sent specimens to the agency's laboratory for testing.

How do you get this stomach bug?

However, in March 2022 the agency dropped the health notice, though it strongly urged against cruising without a booster shot. There are also behind-the-scenes procedures that cruise lines must follow. For instance, medical officers are required to maintain illness incident counts for each voyage that involves a stop at an American port. They are also required to communicate to the CDC, within 24 hours of arrival at a U.S. port, "the number of passengers and crew members who reported diarrhea to the ship's medical staff" during that voyage. Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes acute gastroenteritis, which is inflammation in the stomach or intestines, according to the CDC. Health officials say norovirus is the most common cause of vomiting and diarrhea as well as the most common type of foodborne illness.

How common is norovirus on cruise ships? Here’s why you shouldn’t worry

The CDC's latest report of a norovirus outbreak happened on Viking Neptune, a cruise ship owned by Switzerland-based Viking Cruises, during a voyage from June 6 to June 20. When a single case of norovirus appears on a cruise ship, it can quickly become an outbreak affecting hundreds or even thousands of people. This can happen incredibly quickly due to the confined nature of a cruise ship and the frequency of close interactions among passengers and crew. The design and operation of cruise ships often involve large groups of people living in close proximity, sharing dining areas, entertainment spaces, and public restrooms.

The most common symptoms of a norovirus infection are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramping. You can also get a low-grade fever, chills, a headache, and muscle aches. Such symptoms tend to emerge rather suddenly about one or two days after the virus has gone down your pie hole.

How does norovirus spread on cruise ships?

Beyond that, crewmembers distribute information to passengers onboard offering precautionary tips, as well as a heads-up memo at embarkation to travelers boarding a ship that had previously seen a high percentage of illness. And, as mentioned above, passengers who report symptoms may be quarantined to their cabins. In February, several passengers on board Cunard Cruise Line in the US were struck down with vomiting and diarrhoea, CDC said. According to the press note, at least 123 passengers and 16 crew members travelling on the Queen Victoria reported falling ill since the voyage set off on January 22 from Florida.

Outbreaks 2013 reports

Norovirus has been a particular problem of late for cruise ships because passengers and crew typically occupy close -- and closed-in -- quarters, such as casinos, theaters and banquet-style dining rooms. However, Norovirus has been known to close schools, attack college dormitories and even infect a Hollywood Academy Awards party. The “vomiting” should be a tip off as to what may happen when you get infected with norovirus.

Although outbreaks may affect more than 100 passengers, the two most recent cases represented about 13 percent and 7 percent of guests, respectively. The threat of norovirus on cruise ships is a serious issue that has both health and economic impacts. The confined environment of a cruise ship, combined with the virus’s highly contagious nature, creates a significant challenge. It’s crucial for cruise lines, passengers, and health officials to remain vigilant, proactive, and informed to prevent and contain potential norovirus outbreaks.

Purchasing cruise travel insurance with health coverage (medical clauses) is highly recommended. Some of the world's most famous passenger ships are listed in the virus outbreak statistics, yet one hears so little of it in mass media news. And there is no surprise in that since the "cruise illness" news are nothing but bad publicity for the companies - which is bad for a prosperous multi-billion dollar sea travel vacation business.

Specifically, it could also pick up medical expenses and/or compensate you for days you missed if you left the ship before the end of the cruise. Since policies vary between travel insurers, read the fine print before you go. Though generally moderate, symptoms are often flu-like (in fact, Norovirus is often called the "stomach flu," even though it is not related to influenza). Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps; children often vomit more than adults. If you have norovirus illness, the CDC recommends you drink plenty of liquids to replace fluid lost from vomiting and diarrhea and help prevent dehydration. For most young and healthy people, norovirus isn’t much of a health risk, says Eyal Leshem, an infectious-disease expert at Sheba Medical Center who previously worked at the CDC.

After a lull during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases of the highly contagious virus that causes diarrhea and vomiting, aka stomach flu, spiked this winter and spring on land. As post-pandemic travel surges and millions of Americans return to cruise ships, an increasing number of cruise lines are reporting outbreaks at sea. The CDC's "Vessel Sanitation Program" is for monitoring illness outbreaks on passenger ships carrying 100 or more guests on sailings from 3 to 21 days in length. This is done 24 hrs prior to arrival at any US port of call from a foreign port.

For this reason, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that outbreaks are reported more frequently on sea than on land. Hand hygiene is key to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus — but the way you clean your hands matters, experts note. It has to be with soap and water, because alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not effective against norovirus. Several weeks prior, a Celebrity Summit cruise ship reported an outbreak of norovirus that sickened more than 150 passengers and 25 crew members, per the CDC. It was the third norovirus outbreak on a Celebrity Cruises vessel this year. Another popular cruise line, Royal Caribbean International, has reported four outbreaks since January.

Nearly 30 Silverseas cruise passengers fall ill with diarrhea at sea - New York Post

Nearly 30 Silverseas cruise passengers fall ill with diarrhea at sea.

Posted: Tue, 16 Apr 2024 23:44:00 GMT [source]

You actually need to use soap and water to physically destroy it and remove it from your hands,” Ostrosky previously told TODAY.com. Exposure to less than 100 norovirus particles can make someone sick, and infected people typically shed billions of particles, according to the CDC. Norovirus can also get into food before, during or after preparation, and it's the top germ causing foodborne illness in the U.S., per the CDC. Virus particles can contaminate drinking water that isn't treated properly or pools when people poop in the water. Some people are at higher risk of developing severe norovirus symptoms — these include infants, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems, Ostrosky noted. There’s no specific treatment or antiviral for norovirus, according to Ostrosky, but most cases can be managed at home with supportive care like hydration and rest.