My cruise ship had a norovirus outbreak Should I be worried?

Table Of Content

• Norovirus Clusters Known to Cause Stomach Flu Are Resistant to Environmental Stresses and UV Disinfection
• Facts About Noroviruses on Cruise Ships
• C.D.C. Investigating Gastrointestinal Illness on Luxury Cruise Ship
• Royal Caribbean Blog is your ultimate source for Royal Caribbean coverage.
• Yes, Cruise Ships Have Strategies to Prevent Outbreaks
• Cruise Ships

Norovirus — a common and contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea — is on the rise throughout the United States, especially on cruise ships. Cruise ships are required to report gastrointestinal illness cases to the CDC before arriving from a foreign port, or when 2% of the crew and passengers have the illness. Norovirus is a highly contagious virus often described as a “stomach bug,” the generic description of the leading cause of nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain and vomiting in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Norovirus Clusters Known to Cause Stomach Flu Are Resistant to Environmental Stresses and UV Disinfection

Norovirus outbreaks on Royal Caribbean cruise ships eliminated in 2023 - Royal Caribbean Blog

Norovirus outbreaks on Royal Caribbean cruise ships eliminated in 2023.

Posted: Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:03:42 GMT [source]

To do that, they use stronger solvents, like Microbac, chlorine bleach, hydrogen peroxide. Sick passengers and crew are quarantined in their rooms, typically for at least 2 days. When Norovirus outbreaks can't be contained, cruise lines might also pull the ship out of service for a few days for sanitizing. CruiseMapper's Norovirus survey is based on official data from CDC.gov (USA's "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention").

Facts About Noroviruses on Cruise Ships

Even though you may be tempted to conceal your illness, you would be doing a great disservice to the other passengers and the crew on the cruise by keeping it a secret. To see how your specific cruise line performed on its VSP inspections, you can visit the CDC website and search their portal. This site also lists any corrective actions taken to remedy any issues. Typically, norovirus lasts for one to three days, though you can spread the illness for a few days after.

Royal Caribbean solves a key passenger problem - TheStreet

Royal Caribbean solves a key passenger problem.

Posted: Mon, 22 Apr 2024 23:29:47 GMT [source]

C.D.C. Investigating Gastrointestinal Illness on Luxury Cruise Ship

Zika virus (aka ZIKV) is a Flavivirus - from the genus of the viruses named West Nile, dengue, tick-borne encephalitis, yellow fever. These plus several other viruses may cause encephalitis (acute brain inflammation). In humans, Zika virus causes the Zika fever which is known to occur only within some equatorial regions. In 2014, Zika spread across the Pacific Ocean to French Polynesia, and soon to Easter Island.

In such cases, the CDC requires cruise lines to file a medical report. 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. The most common symptoms of norovirus are vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain, Dr. Albert Ko, infectious disease physician and professor of public health, epidemiology and medicine at Yale School of Public Health, tells TODAY.com. The number of outbreaks in the first six months of 2023 is higher than the yearly total during every year since 2012, when there were 16 outbreaks on cruise ships reported to the CDC. The symptoms seem to suggest norovirus, a highly contagious condition that has been responsible for gastrointestinal cruise ship outbreaks in the past.

According to the Cruise Lines Industry Association, the risk each year of getting laboratory-confirmed norovirus during a ship outbreak is about 1 in 5,500. Over half of all cases originate in long-term health care facilities, according to the CDC, while less than 1 percent of all norovirus cases come from cruise ships. The most recent norovirus outbreak was reported on the Viking Neptune cruise ship. During its June 6 to June 20 voyage, 110 of the ship’s 838 passengers, or 13.1 percent, were infected.

Cruise ships in particular have many of the conditions that make people susceptible to norovirus—close quarters, enclosed spaces, communal dining, and high turnover of passengers. People also are more likely to get sick now since pandemic restrictions have been lifted. For the past few years, people have not been exposed to as many common viruses and illnesses and now that exposure is rising, illnesses are bound to rise as well. “Infected people spread the virus widely and make it difficult for public health officials to contain the virus,” Boden-Albala said. The crew serves with short-term (2 weeks to 2 years) and long-term (min 2 years) contracts. Volunteer crew members occupy both medical (surgeons, dentists, nurses) and general jobs (deckhands, seamen, engineers, machinists, electricians, teachers, cooks, welders, plumbers, agriculturalists.

Cruise Ships

The most commonly reported setting for norovirus outbreaks in the United States and other industrialized countries is healthcare facilities, including long-term care facilities and hospitals. Over half of all norovirus outbreaks reported in the United States occur in long-term care facilities. 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.

Norovirus outbreaks on school and university campuses have even led to campus closures. Close quarters, shared spaces, and high-touch surfaces make it easy for norovirus to spread in schools. Some of the most commonly reported outbreak settings are listed below. It's important to wash your hands with soap and clean water frequently, but especially after using the bathroom or changing diapers, before eating and before touching your face. Some people are at higher risk of developing severe norovirus symptoms — these include infants, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems, Ostrosky noted.

The total number of infected was 1177 (of those 1099 passengers and 78 crew). While only about 1% of all annual norovirus cases reported in the U.S. happen on cruise ships, the perception is it occurs more frequently due to media reports of gastrointestinal viral outbreaks on cruise ships. This is partly because health officials track illness on cruise ships, so outbreaks are found and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land. You can get norovirus from an infected person, from contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed (acute gastroenteritis). This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up.

If you want to bring something on your ship to help lower the chance of catching norovirus, Lysol and Clorox products are among the bleaches the Environmental Protection Agency lists as being effective against norovirus. Before you buy anything, keep in mind bleach isn't allowed on cruise ships. The CDC advises frequent hand washing with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds to prevent the spread of norovirus.

The following "health advisory" list of recommended actions is often issued during gastrointestinal illness outbreak or on embarkation day (of the next scheduled voyage). It has important suggestions on how to avoid spreading the cruise ship virus infection. Here are listed latest cruise ship Norovirus outbreaks on passenger ships, with information what is and how to avoid Norovirus on cruise ships, CDC reports, and news updates. That said, the chances of catching the bug on a cruise ship aren’t particularly high.