That ship is sick and not in a good way. Genevieve Shaw Brown from ABC News wrote last week about the Royal Caribbean ship, Vision of the Seas, that had returned to port in Florida with 108 sick passengers and crew. The ship finished an 11-day trip that included stops at several Caribbean ports.The illness was suspected to be norovirus and the source has not been determined. The cruise line stated “we have high health standards for all our guests and crew. During the sailing, we conduct enhanced cleaning on board the ship to help prevent the spread of the illness” but in this case that was not enough. http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/royal-caribbean-passengers-sick-apparent-norovirus/story?id=18687875
According to the CDC website, Norovirus infection symptoms include diarrhea, throwing up, nausea, and stomach cramping. It is usually not a serious infection and lasts only 1-2 days. The passengers on the Vision of the Seas responded well to over the counter medications. But it is certainly not something you want to experience on vacation. The Norovirus spreads quickly from person to person in crowded or closed in places making a cruise ship a perfect environment for the virus to spread. Also, another way of transmission is through contaminated food, that’s two strikes against cruise ships.
Norovirus is extremely common and causes about 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach or intestines or both) and is the reason for about 70,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths in the Unites States each year. The spread of infection can be prevented by simple measures like washing hands, washing fruits and vegetables, and cleaning surfaces appropriately. http://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/trends-outbreaks.html
The occurrence of Norovirus and similar illnesses on cruise ships is so prevalent that the CDC has developed a Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP). This programs goal is to prevent and control the introduction, transmission, and spread of stomach illnesses on cruise ships. Ships are required to report any cases of stomach illness to VSP according to specific guidelines. The program inspects cruise ships both scheduled and unannounced. It also monitors gastrointestinal illnesses and investigate outbreaks. Training cruise ship employees on public health practices is another part of the program. http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/desc/about_investigations.htm
The cruise ships and the CDC are doing everything they can to prevent the outbreak of Norovirus and other highly contagious infections. The CDC website has information for travelers and the cruise ship industry on how to prevent infection and also report the results on inspections, outbreaks and ships affected. Unfortunately, the environment is perfect for the spread of disease and it is a risk you must being willing to take before getting on a cruise ship.
I think it is interesting that even though we have an organization, with procedures, to prevent the spread of these noroviruses on cruises; so many people are able to become infected. I am surprised that so many people are able to get infected by noroviruses especially because the ways to prevent them are so easy. As Billy said some of the easy ways to prevent it are washing hands, washing foods, and properly cleaning surface. However people who have the luxury to take cruises are usually from well off countries that do not normally have terrible diseases. So they do not see that much of an importance in proper sanitation, because it is taken for granted. It is a good thing the CDC provides information on how to prevent the spread, the more people that know the less likely the illness will spread.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very interesting article because as Billy said cruise ships do make for perfect living conditions for infections such as norovirus. But I agree with Dan in the case that santitation is often taken for granted in our country. Some countries don't even have indoor plumbing and we take for granted that we have a sink in our kitchen to wash our foods and hands and in every bathroom after we use the bathroom. Simple measures such as this go a long way and in the case of the cruise ships it could save lives. As Billy said it causes about 800 deaths in the United States each year and the CDC has provided instructions to help people stay away from infections such as this. People should really start paying attention to the resources in front of them and stop taking things for granted.
ReplyDeleteHaving just traveled on a Royal Caribbean ship last summer I found this article to be very interesting. Like Alex said I agree with Billy, cruise ships do make for perfect living conditions for infections such as norovirus. On cruises the living conditions are rather tight and people are often in close proximity to each other, this makes it extremely easy for bacteria and disease to spread. On vacation most people acquire this easy going relaxed mind set which is great but it's also vital not to forget the importance of washing your hands and protecting your body from diseases. I think much of the reason why we get sick is because we take our health for granted. It is great to have fun but we should never forget the importance of staying healthy.
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