Do You have A Cruise Ship Virus?
You wonder what the cruise lines ever did to the newspapers to deserve having their name associated with a nasty gastrointestinal virus. Especially since the virus was named after a 1968 school outbreak in Norwalk, Ohio. Noroviruses are a group of viruses that affect the stomach and intestines. Noroviruses,b(previously known as Norwalk-like viruses)bhave been around for a very long time, and are known by other common names such as stomach flu, the 24 hour virus, or food poisoning.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Noroviruses are one of the most common illnesses in the United States, being only second to the common cold. There are an estimated 23 million cases occurring each year, and the CDC receives reports on only a small percentage of those cases. About 40% of the reported cases of Norovirus originated in restaurants as food poisoning, 30% in hospitals and nursing homes, and only 10% on cruise ships.
So why is this highly contagious virus been given the moniker ‘cruise ship virus‘?
For the simple reason that health officials are required to track every incidence of gastroenteritis onboard a cruise ship. They must immediately file a report when 3% of the passengers are ill, so many more cases of the virus are reported on a cruise ship than on land. When was the last time you thought you had “food poisoning” from something you ate at a restaurant the night before, and you reported it to the health authorities? That’s why the statistics are skewed.
Noroviruses are quickly spread through contaminated food and water. They are also spread via physical contact with persons who are ill, and the surfaces they have touched. Any places where humans are in close contact, such as cruise ships, nursing homes and schools are a prime target. Caring for someone with the virus, shaking hands with an ill person, and failing to adequately wash hands after toileting, all can spread the virus. Often a person has not realized they are ill and are unknowingly spreading the virus to everything and everyone they contact.
Symptoms of a Norovirus infection come on quickly, and the person feels very ill. They are contagious from the onset of the illness to at least three days after recovering, but may remain contagious for up to two weeks after recovering. Vomiting and explosive diarrhea are the main symptoms, and may be accompanied by nausea, stomach cramps and a low-grade fever. ehydration is the biggest concern, with the elderly and small children most susceptible. Unless the person has an underlying chronic illness, recovery occurs in one or two days.
There is little treatment for the Norovirus infections. Since they are not bacterial in nature, antibiotics are of no value, and symptomatic treatment of the vomiting and diarrhea may only ease the symptoms. Rest and plenty of rehydrating fluids are recommended and you will be confined to to your cabin, to prevent the spread of the virus to other passengers.
So what can you do to avoid becoming ill on a cruise ship? Frequent hand washing with soap and hot water for a minimum of 15 seconds is of utmost importance. Keep your hands away from your mouth and carry hand sanitizing lotion with you, and use it frequently between washings. Always wash your hands after using the toilet and before and after eating.
The Norovirus is very resistant to common disinfection methods, so simply cleaning with chlorine based grocery store wipes may or may not be effective.
While checking the online reports about the safety and cleanliness of a cruise ship may put your mind at ease, there seems to be no correlation between the cleanliness of a cruise ship and the incidence of “cruise ship virus” onboard that ship.
If you’ve been concerned about the “cruise ship virus”, pack your bags, throw in some anti-diarrheal medicine, go and have a good time and be sure to wash your hands frequently.