Cruise Ship Outbreak Updates Vessel Sanitation Program

Table Of Content

• Seasickness on cruise ships
• How common is norovirus on cruise ships? Here’s why you shouldn’t worry
• Cruise Line Adds “Glacier Day” to Its Alaskan Cruise Itineraries
• If you have norovirus
• More than 300 sickened on Ruby Princess cruise ship, CDC says
• How can you stay healthy on a cruise?
• Cruise ship hospital (medical care)
• Outbreaks 2013 reports

An "illness outbreak" is considered when 3% or more of all passengers report symptoms to the ship's med staff. In such cases, the CDC requires cruise lines to file a medical report. VSP (abbrev "Vessel Sanitation Program") monitors CDC's observations on illness patterns for GI (gastrointestinal) outbreaks on passenger shipping vessels (ferries and cruise ships). Norovirus on ships is spread through contaminated water, foods and surfaces (public restrooms, railings, doorknobs, handles, board games-cards-puzzles-toys, etc). Norovirus withstands chlorine, prolonged exposure outside the body, as well as temperature extremes. Like a virus, Norwalk can't be effectively treated with antibiotics, making it extremely difficult to eliminate in closed environments - like cruise vessels.

Seasickness on cruise ships

Consider bringing along a travel-size packet of sanitizing wipes, and use them in your cabin to quickly disinfect handles, surfaces, remotes, switches, and other high-touch surfaces. Don’t forget surfaces like the telephone, hair dryer, and balcony railing as well. For example, if several hundred people on an aircraft were exposed to a virus or bacteria, they may indeed become infected with the illness during the several hours of their shared flight. It's important to wash your hands with soap and clean water frequently, but especially after using the bathroom or changing diapers, before eating and before touching your face. “Norovirus is one of the few viruses that doesn’t get deactivated by alcohol.

How common is norovirus on cruise ships? Here’s why you shouldn’t worry

Whether you prefer family cruises or adults-only cruises, no one wants to get sick while they’re on vacation. This is especially true when you’re on a ship—after all, it’s tricky to cut your trip short if you’re floating in the middle of an ocean. Plus, falling ill on a cruise ship can have bigger implications these days. There are considerations related to cruise ships and COVID-19 that are designed to keep everyone aboard safe and healthy. More common than the common cold, in terms of cruise illnesses that is, seasickness tends to start wreaking havoc on your vacay upon boarding.

Cruise Line Adds “Glacier Day” to Its Alaskan Cruise Itineraries

Passengers expecting outstanding cuisine aboard a luxury Silversea cruise liner spent much of their vacation in the ship's bathrooms with a gastrointestinal virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Monday. 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. The crew serves with short-term (2 weeks to 2 years) and long-term (min 2 years) contracts. Volunteer crew members occupy both medical (surgeons, dentists, nurses) and general jobs (deckhands, seamen, engineers, machinists, electricians, teachers, cooks, welders, plumbers, agriculturalists. 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.

Some people are at higher risk of developing severe norovirus symptoms — these include infants, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems, Ostrosky noted. Azamara can also handle these types of injuries, says a spokesperson for the line. In the case of a broken bone or orthopedic injury, the onboard provider will also recommend that the guest follows up with an orthopedic referral at the next available port. Viking's website also states that its ocean and expedition vessels have upgraded state-of-the-art medical facilities with specialized equipment.

More than 300 sickened on Ruby Princess cruise ship, CDC says

If medical staff are concerned about your condition, they may advise—and even require—you to seek the advice of specialists on shore, says William Spangler, MD, global medical director with AIG Travel. Port agents will often arrange a taxi or even an ambulance to the treatment center for you. In the best-case scenario, your appointment will be quick, your issue resolved or aided by the specialist, and you can hop back on board to your cruise cabin to heal while watching the scenery go by.

How can you stay healthy on a cruise?

Doctors and nurses can treat minor ailments and injuries, dole out medicine and assess and stabilize passengers with more serious medical conditions. They cannot care for patients who are severely injured or have life-threatening conditions. If onboard medical staff deem a passenger to be seriously ill, they will likely have the patient disembarked at the next port of call or evacuated by helicopter to the nearest hospital for more comprehensive treatment.

Cruise ship hospital (medical care)

Nearly 140 people onboard a cruise ship sick in gastrointestinal illness outbreak - NBC News

Nearly 140 people onboard a cruise ship sick in gastrointestinal illness outbreak.

Posted: Fri, 02 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

To protect you as well as your fellow passengers and the crew, cruise ship staff screens passengers for health issues prior to boarding. You’ll be asked to fill out a form that addresses health questions and illness symptoms like fever, vomiting and diarrhea. You may also have your temperature taken by walking through a thermal-imaging scanner. Checks for certification of COVID-19 vaccination or negative tests have, at least for now, ended (here are other recent changes that might affect your cruise). A staff member may ask you additional questions, and you might be sent for secondary screening by a doctor. Should they determine that your or anyone else’s health would be jeopardized, they may not let you board.

If they forget or need something, over-the-counter medications are available in the retail spaces. Guests will find some medicines at the reception desk for minor ailments like motion sickness. They can visit the medical center for other requests, such as basic prescription medications inadvertently left at home. According to its website, Princess Cruises' ships also have medical centers staffed by full-time registered physicians and nurses. The facilities are open twice daily, and they provide 24-hour emergency care.

Generally, bigger and newer ships offer larger and better-equipped medical facilities and are served by bigger infirmary staff. In total, 284 of 2,881 passengers on the Ruby Princess reported being sick during the voyage between Feb. 26 and March 5, CDC investigators said, and 34 of the 1,159 crew members also reported illness. On a cruise ship, however, outbreaks are much more visible and tend to make headlines. This gives the impression that cruise ships are more susceptible to disease outbreaks, but this is not true. As a precaution, you can visit your doctor for a prescription medicated patch that sticks behind your ear, or pick up an over-the-counter box of Bonine or Dramamine pills. For more natural remedies, invest in a copper wristband, or pack some ginger candies.

A clinical staff from multiple nationalities works in MSC Cruises' facilities. The medical professionals also adhere to the standards prescribed by the American College of Emergency Physicians – Cruise Ship Medicine Section Guidelines. Seasickness isn't contagious, but it can do just as much to derail your vacation as ailments that are. “Handwashing, cleaning your stateroom, watching what you eat and how much you eat, and making sure that you stay hydrated will go a long way in preventing these illnesses, from you catching them even if they are there,” she says. You can also buy medicine in port, but foreign pharmacies might not carry the same brands you're used to. They also might not have the same regulations as at home and might not accept foreign prescriptions.

It’s important to prevent the spread, because it also affects the blood vessels, and one in 10 infections is causing long-term problems to the heart, circulatory system and brain. Before COVID-19, colds and other minor respiratory illnesses were not taken as seriously as they are now. If you have any respiratory symptoms on a cruise, you may be asked to take a COVID test—likely on multiple days and with swabs of both the mouth and nostrils—to rule it out. If COVID-19 is ruled out and the ship’s doctor thinks you likely do have just a cold, no one else on board wants to get a cold or other mild illness either.

More severe medical emergencies can't be handled on the ship and usually require medevacs. Coast guard helicopter teams fly to the ship, hoist the passenger (accompanied by a spouse/relative and a crew nurse) and fly them to the nearest land hospital. Some of the world's most famous passenger ships are listed in the virus outbreak statistics, yet one hears so little of it in mass media news. 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.