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Vaccinations


bateau bay

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hi bateau bay. we have been on 3 cruises and have never had the shots. just wash your hands a lot and avoid hand rails and toilet doors etc from kerrie at berkeley vale

I agree. After you wash your hands in the public bathroom, use a paper towel to open the outside door. There is usually a bin handy in which you can put the towel. This is mainly to protect you against norovirus (the tummy wog).

 

If you are going on a cruise in April or after, I recommend you have a flu shot. We will be. In the past, I have seen the flu sweep through the ship. This will only happen in flu season when a someone (or more than one) come on with the flu. If you have been vaccinated you might catch the virus, but you won't get very sick.:)

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Hi bateau bay,

 

We consulted our Doctor, at the time he recommended that we didn't need flu shots or any other shots for that matter. I guess it depends on the time of year you travel. He just suggested that we keep on eye on the water we drank and raw foods we consumed on the islands.

 

As per the other replies make sure you wash your hands reguarly, use the antispectic gel provided and avoid the public toilets on the ship.

 

As a precaution to avoid the noro virus, we sprayed our cabin reguarly with Glen 20 and used Dettol hand wash in our bathroom. We took both of these products with us from home as a recommendation from another cruiser. We avoided the virus when many people on our cruise were affected.

 

More importantly, don't stress, just have a good a time.

 

Regards

Marg

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Did anyone get the recommended flu shots when they sailed to the islands in the south pacific?:confused: :confused:

Wish we had!

It is not about the Islands though. We noticed with each passing day, more and more people on the ship coughing. It is an amazing thing to hear a person cough on a cruise ship, and 50 people turn around to suss out where it is coming from.

 

We took all the precautions with staying out of public toilets, using the gel, scrubbing hands, taking echinacea, avoiding handrails etc.

 

Alas flu is different to noro, and is more readily made airborne by coughing & sneezing. I walked off the ship feeling like I had the flu coming on, and sure enough it hit me later that day. Great to enjoy all of the cruise unaffected, but gave me a week of misery after it. Flu might be more common in winter, but it only takes one to start the spread in December too.

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I believe it is wise to have a flu shot, but the vaccine is not available until the end of March or early April. You are much more likely to encounter someone with the flu in the flu season. In summer, it is more likely they just have a cold.:)

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Tracey and I came down with a weird flu type thing after getting home,that is why I have spent so much time on here this week! No energy at all and aching joints

but I think we picked it up on the flight as aposed to the cruise though!

There will always be somebody onboard with a head cold so just avoid them if you can.

On my first cruise I got a really bad cold about half way through and so did quite a few people so this time I took sudafed just in case as the flu tablets they sold onboard didnt stop the dreaded runny nose.

Didnt need anything this time although a few had a head cold.

Lack of hand wash on the Dawn compared to the P/S where it was everywhere and even being squirted in your hands for you before meals both in the buffet and dinning room,maybe the sun had had a slight case of nuro before that cruise and the Dawn was clear?

 

Den.

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Many people think they have the flu when they really only have a cold. If you have a bit of a cough & a blocked or runny nose, you have a cold. If every bone in your body aches as well, then you probably have the flu:) .

 

Karen

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I believe it is wise to have a flu shot, but the vaccine is not available until the end of March or early April. You are much more likely to encounter someone with the flu in the flu season. In summer, it is more likely they just have a cold.:)

Thanks for the online diagnosis. My doctor disagreed, and diagnosed flu. :)

Unfortunate to miss my annual flu shot earlier in the year.

 

If you have a bit of a cough & a blocked or runny nose, you have a cold. If every bone in your body aches as well, then you probably have the flu:) .

Karen

Yep Karen, the latter description summed it up for me. When I get a cold, it is only an annoyance. When I get the flu it hits me like a tonne of bricks!

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Yep Karen, the latter description summed it up for me. When I get a cold, it is only an annoyance. When I get the flu it hits me like a tonne of bricks!

 

As the "flu" does for most people. It amazes me when people are out & about, off to work even out partying when they have the "flu". They're the ones that only have a cold.

 

Karen

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I do think it is common for people to think they have flu when they have a cold. Those who have had the flu know the difference.

 

I have only had two episodes of what i think is real flu in my life. Both times I wished I was dead.

 

Could not walk, eat, shower etc for 10 days. Very very ill and weak as weak. Really began to think death was a good idea I felt so terrible, the 2nd time i had 4 kids with it as well and i could not even contemplate taking care of them, it was not an option. Generally as a mum (of 5 )you would ignore your own illness and care for the others.

 

A cold often has severe aches etc and can be really really unpleasant, if you have the flu you usually aren't up to going anywhere and sudafed etc will not make a huge difference to how you are feeling.

 

The best thing I have found for avoiding illness is Colloidal minerals. Have taken daily for 6-7 years and not had a cold or anything except very mildly once when we had been off them for about a month. Have been exposed a lot in that time and prior to taking them got sick 3-4 times a year.

 

tonip

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I was at work this morning and one of the girls showed up & someone asked the usual "how are you?". She replied, "well, I've got the flu but apart from that I'm ok". To be honest, I woudn't have even said she had a cold. She seemed perfectly ok:confused: .

 

Karen

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Thanks for the online diagnosis. My doctor disagreed, and diagnosed flu. :)

Unfortunate to miss my annual flu shot earlier in the year.

 

 

Yep Karen, the latter description summed it up for me. When I get a cold, it is only an annoyance. When I get the flu it hits me like a tonne of bricks!

I was not making an 'online diagnosis' of yourself, simply saying what I think the likelihood of people with the flu being on board a cruise ship during summer. I was at my GPs office this morning (seeing the dentist who shares the rooms) and was advised that the flu vaccine will be available at the end of Feb or early March.:)

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I recall on our last cruise that P&O sent some paperwork with the blue folders suggesting that we have flu vaccinations prior to sailing "just in case". We didn't get that notice this time though? Must be because it's off season for true flu?

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