Saturday, April 13, 2024

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

cruise illness

"Cunard confirms that a small number of guests had reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness on board Queen Victoria, Cunard Cruise Line told NBC News in a statement. Around 140 people have fallen sick with a gastrointestinal illness onboard the Cunard Queen Victoria cruise ship that docked in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Jan. 22 when the CDC began monitoring the outbreak. VSP may also post information on gastrointestinal illness outbreaks of public health significance that do not necessarily meet the above criteria. Passengers sensitive to nausea or motion sickness should consult their doctors for medical recommendations prior to departure.

Respiratory Illnesses

As to its efficiency - a mere 20 particles are enough to get you. The ship, the Queen Victoria, operated by Cunard Line, departed Southampton, England, on Jan. 11 on a 107-night cruise that included recent stops in Florida and San Francisco, according to the company’s website. This will help the crew take appropriate precautions to keep any illness from spreading throughout the ship, and will ensure you get proper care to get well as quickly as possible. This will minimize your contact with greater numbers of people to reduce the risk of disease transmission. Different onboard events can draw huge crowds, including dance parties, revue shows, karaoke contests, comedy presentations, and other activities.

Protecting Yourself From Illnesses on a Cruise

Seasickness is physical disorientation as a result of conflicting signals received by the brain from different body senses. Our inner ear senses the ship's irregular motion, which our eyes can't see because the floor and walls are stable. Depending on individual balance, our ability to adjust to motions varies, so not everyone experiences seasickness. The ship left San Francisco for Honolulu on Wednesday and was traveling off the west coast of the United States on Thursday, according to the ship-tracking website Cruise Mapper.

Cruise Ship Medical Capabilities

The ship's medical staff is required by the CDC to maintain illness counts for each itinerary involving a stop at a US cruise port and to give CDC the number of all passengers/crew, plus the number of reported diarrhea cases during that voyage. This is done 24 hrs prior to arrival at any US port of call from a foreign port. This protocol only confirms that the CDC knows everything about it. What causes Norovirus on cruise vessels is mainly contaminated food/water.

☐ Provide routinely recommended (age-specific), required (yellow fever), and recommended vaccines. ☐ Provide older travelers with a baseline electrocardiogram, especially those with coronary artery disease. ☐ Discuss itinerary, including season, duration of travel, and activities at ports of call. ☐ Review the traveler’s medical and immunization history, allergies, and any additional health needs. ☐ Discuss relevant travel-specific health hazards and risk reduction. ☐ Provide travelers with documentation of their medical history, immunizations, and medications.

cruise illness

Outbreaks 2017 reports

We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports.Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. During the length of a cruise vacation, a disease has the opportunity to incubate and symptoms can appear in newly affected individuals. This makes diseases on cruise ships more easily noticeable and traceable than in other areas. If an unvaccinated or under-vaccinated passenger or crew member contracts the virus and brings it on board, other vulnerable people can get sick, Chen explains. (A ship was quarantined off the coast of St. Lucia in 2019 when measles was reported on board.) The same goes for chicken pox (varicella), which is similarly caused by a highly contagious virus that can circulate among unvaccinated people. Although less common than respiratory and GI illnesses, measles, along with chicken pox and other vaccine-preventable diseases, can circulate on cruise ships.

Illnesses You Can Get on a Cruise Ship (Besides COVID)

Royal Caribbean Blog - Unofficial blog about Royal Caribbean cruises - Royal Caribbean Blog

Royal Caribbean Blog - Unofficial blog about Royal Caribbean cruises.

Posted: Tue, 23 Apr 2024 06:24:35 GMT [source]

VSP (abbrev "Vessel Sanitation Program") monitors CDC's observations on illness patterns for GI (gastrointestinal) outbreaks on passenger shipping vessels (ferries and cruise ships). ☐ Carry prescription drugs in original containers with a copy of the prescription and a physician’s letter. ☐ Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Outbreak Updates for International Cruise Ships website for gastrointestinal outbreaks. ☐ Consider purchasing additional insurance coverage for overseas health care and medical evacuation. ☐ Consult CDC Travelers’ Health website for travel health notices. ☐ Defer travel while acutely ill. ☐ Evaluate the type and length of the planned cruise in the context of personal health requirements.

cruise illness

Zika virus on cruise ships

People of childbearing age should have documented immunity to measles, rubella, and varicella (either by vaccination or titer) before cruise ship travel. See additional guidance on the prevention and control of influenza on cruise ships. For most young and healthy people, norovirus isn’t much of a health risk, says Eyal Leshem, an infectious-disease expert at Sheba Medical Center who previously worked at the CDC. At least 28 of the Silver Nova ship’s 633 guests and one of its crew members reported feeling sick during their 16-day voyage from Peru, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. 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. The CDC logged 14 cruise ship outbreaks that met its threshold for public notification in 2023, more than any year between 2017 and 2019.

Travelers with chronic illnesses and travelers with disabilities who have additional needs (e.g., dialysis, supplemental oxygen, wheelchairs) should inform their cruise line before traveling. Travelers also should bring any medications recommended by their health care provider (e.g., an epinephrine auto-injector) to help facilitate care during a medical emergency. For detailed information on preparing travelers who have additional considerations for international travel, including severe allergies, chronic illness, disabilities, or immune compromise, see Section 3. Stresses of cruise ship travel include varying weather and environmental conditions, and unaccustomed changes to diet and levels of physical activity. Despite modern stabilizer systems, seasickness is a common complaint, affecting up to 25% of travelers (see Sec. 8, Ch. 7, Motion Sickness). Note that travel is an independent risk factor for behaviors such as alcohol and illicit drug use and misuse (see Sec. 3, Ch. 5, Substance Use & Substance Use Disorders), and unsafe sex (see Sec. 9, Ch. 12, Sex & Travel).

Most hospital ships are navy vessels (operated by military forces) which are specifically built for use in war zones. Major (in some cases epidemic) illness outbreaks are among the "biggies" that can bring down the brand's reputation on the market. Cruise illness issues often result in lower booking rates and cheaper prices - which is bad for the business. Generally, Zika is a mosquito-borne virus spread by Aedes aegypti (aka "yellow fever mosquito") and Aedes albopictus (aka "Asian tiger mosquito"). However, it became "cruise virus" since the decease can also result from intrauterine (contraceptive device), sexual intercourse, blood transfusion, lab exposure, organ/tissue transplantation, breast milk transmission. In February 2020, the shipowner cruise company Lindblad Expeditions announced the "Premium Purity" program with a shipwide cleaning system based on ACT CleanCoat technology.

The most frequently reported cruise ship outbreaks involve GI infections (e.g., norovirus), respiratory infections (e.g., coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19], influenza), and other vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), such as varicella. Although outbreaks may affect more than 100 passengers, the two most recent cases represented about 13 percent and 7 percent of guests, respectively. Medical facilities on cruise ships can vary widely depending on ship size, itinerary, cruise duration, and passenger demographics.

The vessel received an unusually low score of 67, nearly 20 points below the agency's passing grade. Obviously, the first thing is to go to the ship's infirmary (medical center) and contact the doctor. You should drink plenty of water as dehydration is a side-effect of the illness.

The federal agency recommends that people avoid cruise travel if they are at increased risk of severe illness, regardless of vaccination status. MIAMI — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating more cruise ships due to new cases of COVID-19 as the omicron variant drives extremely high infection levels in the industry hub of Florida. Cunard told the CDC that the ship increased cleaning and disinfection, and isolated ill passengers and crew. "They immediately activated their enhanced health and safety protocols to ensure the well-being of all guests and crew on board. Measures have been effective,” Cunard added.

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