We’ve had to field considerable questions the past few weeks about the sickness that seems rampant on cruise ships. In fact, we had some passengers who were on the Caribbean Princess that came in early a couple weeks ago, some said because several were exhibiting signs of the norovirus, but the ship’s captain said they were also trying to beat a possible fog that might have kept them out of port for several days.
The stomach bug or gastrointestinal illness that exhibits itself in vomiting and diarrhea is a passenger-borne illness. It is highly likely that a passenger boarded the ship shortly after or even while suffering from a stomach bug. That’s why passengers are asked to fill out a health survey asking about certain symptoms within the past two days. But if passengers lie about their illness, can you blame the ship? Some do, and the media has a heyday with the news.
The truth is, as reported by the Center for Disease Control, in 2012 there were seven norovirus outbreaks reported involving a total of 1,238 passengers. There were approximately 10.1 million passengers embarked on cruise ships from a U. S. port in 2012, so the number of passengers suffering from a gastrointestinal illness is approximately 0.102%. In 2013, there were seven outbreaks judged to have been caused by norovirus affecting 1,321 passengers, all that with around 11 million passengers.
The Center for Disease Control tracks such outbreaks and the ship medical staff are required to send gastrointestinal illness reports 24-36 hours before arriving at a U. S. port, even when there are no cases to report. When the number of cases reaches 3% of the passengers, the CDC makes a public report.
The CDC says that norovirus, the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the U. S., causes 19-21 million illnesses each year, an infinitesimal percentage catches it on cruise ships, so in no way is it a “cruise ship illness”. It spreads and moves quickly in schools, in malls, hospitals, and hotels where large numbers of people gather in close confines.
The best way to prevent norovirus is to wash your hands often and properly. And that’s why on cruise ships often times there usually are crew members who are holding a huge bottle of hand sanitizer and you board or enter restaurants.
So, take it with a big grain of salt when you hear the national news media start beating that “cruise ship disease” drum. . . just know that someone came on that ship with the disease and shared it with their shipmates. Thank you very much!!!
Give the professional and experienced travel counselors at The Travel Factory a call as you start planning your summer vacation. We can save you time and money and a lot of detail headaches with a call to 698-1421 or toll-free 800-760-4040. You can find out more about us at our website: www.thetravelfactoryabilene.com.