Table Of Content
Cruise lines employ crews dedicated to keeping public areas and high-touch surfaces clean. Galley crews and waiters receive extensive training on food safety and handling. “The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority,” a spokesperson for Silversea Cruises told The Post in a statement. Nearly 30 people aboard a luxury cruise liner known for its phenomenal cuisine have fallen ill thanks to a gastrointestinal outbreak that swept through the ship. "Our warnings have proved sadly prescient and continuously compelling. Time for CDC and cruise lines to protect consumers, again pause — docking their ships," the Connecticut senator posted on Twitter.
Outbreaks 2013 reports
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. CruiseMapper's Norovirus survey is based on official data from CDC.gov (USA's "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention"). CDC's "Vessel Sanitation Program" assists the cruise tourism industry in preventing and controlling the transmission and spread of gastrointestinal illnesses (Norovirus, ETEC) on passenger ships calling on US seaports. The CDC's tally of norovirus outbreaks so far confirmed on cruise ships in 2023 is already higher than any annual outbreak tallies since 2012, when the health agency recorded 16 outbreaks. In May, two outbreaks were reported on voyages led by Celebrity Cruises and Holland America.
Hotel Reward Programs
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. All major cruise line companies will do their best to keep quiet about virus outbreaks on their ships. There are passenger testimonials about quarantined ships and how badly guests have been treated by the line. Virus outbreak news speaks of a lack of proper hygiene control, badly trained staff, bad ship management.
Facts About Noroviruses on Cruise Ships
June had one as well, affected a Viking Cruises ship that traveled from June 6 to June 20. This outbreak left 110 of 838 (13.1%) passengers and nine of 455 (1.98%) crew members sick in a bad way. Norovirus outbreaks have hit ships from a range of different cruise ship companies including Viking Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, and P&O Cruises. Yeah, even though norovirus is known as the “Winter vomiting bug,” it’s activity is not necessarily confined to the colder months. The CDC regularly inspects cruise ships and monitors the number of outbreaks.
In some cases, nearby ships with better medical facilities may assist. There are no internationally specified regulations governing ship infirmaries and medical staffing. Each company has its own standards provided for its passengers' healthcare.
Norovirus outbreak leaves nearly 100 Celebrity cruise passengers sick - USA TODAY
Norovirus outbreak leaves nearly 100 Celebrity cruise passengers sick.
Posted: Fri, 12 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Some people find getting tested for norovirus embarrassing, while others only have stomach virus symptoms for a few days and do not seek medical care during that time. Find more information about gastrointestinal illness outbreaks on land and at sea. In cases of severe emergencies, passengers with life-threatening illnesses or injuries are evacuated off the ship - either by boat (if in or near seaport) or by rescue helicopter dispatched from nearest coast guard or other station.
Scientists Identify Rare Gene Variants That Can Increase Your Risk of Obesity by up to 500%
Find out why norovirus is unfairly labeled a cruise ship illness, what cruise lines do to minimize onboard spread and whether you should be worried about it on your next voyage. An excessive number of news reports exist for norovirus cases on ships, making it seem to the unsuspecting public that cruise vessels are dirty or you're likely to get sick if you sail. To quell the spread of the stomach bug, Silversea Cruises reportedly quarantined its impacted passengers and crew member and “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures,” the CDC said. The cause of the outbreak — which has impacted roughly 5% of the ship’s passenger population — is still unknown, but the CDC notes that norovirus outbreaks are primarily caused by eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water.
People should avoid cruise travel regardless of their vaccination status, the CDC says
So if you are about to go cruising, how do you avoid getting a norovirus infection, beside, of course, not going on the cruise? Use soap and water since hand sanitizer may not kill or inactivate the virus. Just because many have eased up on Covid-19 precautions doesn’t mean that you should stop washing your hands. If you have stopped washing your hands, please don’t go to any parties, ever.
Cruise Ship Norovirus Outbreaks
On most vessels, the medical facilities are located midship on a lower deck (for easier access and better stability) and usually among other crew facilities. Every passenger stateroom has the Infirmary's number - posted or by the cabin's phone. Seasickness manifests in different ways and is always a result of the body's attempt to correct for the conflicting inputs received from its senses. Common symptoms are cold sweat, dizziness, drowsiness, headache, nausea.
Following the identification of the omicron variant, there has been an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases among cruise passengers and crew reported to the agency, the CDC said. They ask passengers who feel ill during their cruises to report symptoms to the medical center and keep themselves isolated in their cabins. Infected passengers who don't wash their hands after coughing, sneezing or using the restroom are the reason those surfaces become contaminated in the first place. According to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), every cruise ship must have a place to isolate any passengers who have a contagious disease. This step helps them minimize the risk of spreading the disease to others.
Cruise lines have had to invest heavily in cleaning and sanitation protocols, disease detection methods, and passenger education to combat the threat of norovirus. In many instances, outbreaks have led to public relations challenges, decreased passenger satisfaction, and financial losses due to trip cancellations and medical costs. The recent surge in Norovirus outbreaks underscores the necessity of vigilance and proper understanding of this issue, both for those planning a dream vacation at sea and for those in the cruise industry itself. Together, we can work towards ensuring that cruise ships remain a place of relaxation and enjoyment, rather than a breeding ground for this troublesome virus. Royal Caribbean offered a full refund to passengers on an Oasis of the Seas sailing that returned to its homeport early due to a Norovirus outbreak onboard.
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.
Shipboard hospitals as facilities and equipment vary by cruise line and vessel. Clinic's size usually depends on the ship's capacity (passengers plus crew). Generally, bigger and newer ships offer larger and better-equipped medical facilities and are served by bigger infirmary staff. So it comes as no surprise that when CDC reports an illness outbreak on some vessel, big media sources do not immediately (or ever) respond to the news.
No comments:
Post a Comment