How common is norovirus on cruise ships? Should you worry?

Table Of Content

• Norovirus Cases On Cruise Ships Skyrocket: Here’s Why—And How To Avoid Getting Sick
• Infection Prevention and Control
• How to avoid norovirus on a cruise
• Scientists Identify Rare Gene Variants That Can Increase Your Risk of Obesity by up to 500%
• How to prevent seasickness on cruise ships (tips)
• Why are there so many cruise norovirus reports on the news?
• Smartphone Norovirus (‘Cruise Ship’ Microbe) Detector

This alarming number marks the highest incidence of such outbreaks since 2012 when there were 16 across eight lines over the entire year. In an email to NPR, a spokesperson for the Cruise Lines International Association said the trade group was "disappointed" by the CDC's latest advisory against cruise ship travel. Typically, norovirus lasts for one to three days, though you can spread the illness for a few days after.

Norovirus Cases On Cruise Ships Skyrocket: Here’s Why—And How To Avoid Getting Sick

Should you be worried about catching norovirus or another gastrointestinal illness when you cruise? The CDC says cruises account for some of the lowest case numbers in the U.S. annually. Frequent, routine cleaning and disinfection of commonly touched surfaces with an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered disinfectant is recommended. For COVID-19, EPA-registered disinfectant effective against coronaviruses is strongly recommended. Respiratory specimens for ARI testing should be collected immediately upon illness onset, with the understanding that repeat testing may be indicated based on the viral etiology or state of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Infection Prevention and Control

Outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness plummeted during the pandemic, which shut down the cruise industry for more than a year and forced a slow return with multiple health precautions in place. There were no reported cases in 2020, followed by one in 2021 and four last year. As 95 of the world's top 100 largest megapolises are port cities, "hospital ships" could provide healthcare very quickly and more efficiently to large numbers of people. 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.

How to avoid norovirus on a cruise

2024 Is Already Shaping Up to Be the Year of Cruise Ship Norovirus Cases - Matador Network

2024 Is Already Shaping Up to Be the Year of Cruise Ship Norovirus Cases.

Posted: Wed, 13 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

The threat of norovirus on cruise ships is a serious issue that has both health and economic impacts. The confined environment of a cruise ship, combined with the virus’s highly contagious nature, creates a significant challenge. It’s crucial for cruise lines, passengers, and health officials to remain vigilant, proactive, and informed to prevent and contain potential norovirus outbreaks.

The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) requires cruise ships to log and report the number of passengers and crew who say they have symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. Learn more about illnesses and outbreaks reported to VSP and find information about outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships. After a lull during the COVID-19 pandemic, cases of the highly contagious virus that causes diarrhea and vomiting, aka stomach flu, spiked this winter and spring on land. As post-pandemic travel surges and millions of Americans return to cruise ships, an increasing number of cruise lines are reporting outbreaks at sea. In 2012, the number of reported illness outbreaks on cruise ships was 34. The total number of infected was 5542 (of those 5079 passengers and 463 crew).

How to prevent seasickness on cruise ships (tips)

Depending on individual balance, our ability to adjust to motions varies, so not everyone experiences seasickness. Moreover, the cruise industry often finds itself under scrutiny following an outbreak, which can affect the public’s perception and willingness to book cruises, ultimately impacting the industry’s bottom line. The Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Sunrise ship is seen in the port of Miami on Dec. 23, 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to Shah, norovirus spreads rapidly anywhere there are large groups of people, like school classrooms, family gatherings, and weddings.

Why are there so many cruise norovirus reports on the news?

The total number of infected was 2570 (of those 2458 passengers and 112 crew). In 2016, the number of reported illness outbreaks on cruise ships was 23. The total number of infected was 2504 (of those 2378 passengers and 126 crew).

The most recent outbreak hit passengers and crew members on board a Viking Cruises trip from Iceland that docked in New York on June 20. More than 13% of passengers on the Viking Neptune — 110 of 838 in total — reported being ill while onboard, according to the CDC. Health officials at the CDC determined that norovirus caused the outbreak after Viking Cruises collected and sent specimens to the agency's laboratory for testing. That’s how many people have been infected with the norovirus while aboard cruise ships this year, according to CDC data. The outbreaks happened on Celebrity Cruises, Viking Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and P&O Cruises.

It hits 1 in 5 people annually and is the cause of ~50% of all foodborne illness outbreaks in the USA and for ~90% of all non-bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. 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.

"Health officials track illness on cruise ships. So outbreaks are found and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land," reads the CDC's facts page. Norovirus is the most common of several viruses that cause severe gastrointestinal illness or acute gastroenteritis. Symptoms may include diarrhea and vomiting, as well as abdominal cramping, headaches, muscle aches and fever — an unpleasant experience any time but especially when you're on vacation. Disembarking cruise ship passengers or crew members who have ARI should continue to take recommended precautions after disembarkation.

However, many passengers likely can blame a sick crewmember for the virus. According to a survey based on 170 inspection records on ships that docked in Florida ports in 2012, on 59 cruises violations of the required illness reporting laws were reported. A total of 130 crew had gotten sick on those voyages and didn't report their illness in the required time period. Outbreaks of influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other viral respiratory infections can occur at any time of the year among cruise ship passengers and crew members.

Cruise ship medical personnel should consider someone as having a fever if the sick person feels warm to the touch, gives a history of feeling feverish, or has an actual measured temperature of 100°F (37.8°C) or higher. It operates hospital ships since 1978 and also has currently the world's largest hospital ship (excluding navy vessels) - MV Africa Mercy. 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.

Less commonly, norovirus may cause a headache, muscle aches, or a low-grade fever — symptoms usually develop within one to two days after exposure to the virus, per the CDC. Norovirus can spread year-round, but it tends to have a wintertime seasonality and peak during the colder months. Outbreaks are most common between November and April, TODAY.com previously reported.

Most cruise lines require adult passengers to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, according to AP. "Even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants," the CDC said on its website. 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.