Ebola Virus

In theory what you say is very practical, but what about the person who is infected who boards the same cruise as you in Vancouver?

 

I too work in the health care and would practice the same protocol for infection control that I would on any given day. At this point and time I am not even thinking of cancelling my November Oasis cruise.

I'm not worried. I see it in terms of probability & relative risk. I view airlines as higher risk and cruise ships as lower risk. Nothing is zero risk. So if someone boards in my home port with any communicable disease that is a risk I am comfortable with. I've watched RCL, HAL & Princess in action and their current level of cleanliness and the 2 cruises I watched them respond to noro makes me feel quite safe. I've observed a couple of longer cruises where colds seemed to gain some traction, but handwashing, being careful about touch, using gel sanitizer regularly, & not touching the face all help.

We rebooked 3 cruises in place of the 1 we cancelled, one in the spring and 2 back 2 back in the fall. The savings in airfare by sailing in & out of our nearby port of Vancouver almost make up for the extra cruises actually. Canadian air costs are much higher than American tickets.

If dh & I see some super deals we can afford, I am confident in the cruise industries and we will snap them up too.

Meanwhile I'd feel better about flying if airlines would make more effort in cleaning between flights.

Bottom line though, life is risky, and each person has to figure out their own risk level they are comfortable with.

One last point, most cruises last from 3 to 21 days. I've noticed that colds seem to take hold on a ship when its a cruise from 10 days or longer. Shorter cruises don't allow as much time to pass the germs. The more people catch whats going, the harder it gets to avoid catching a germ. Then when enough people have been exposed, & gotten it or fought it off the germ burns itself out.

If it helps, taking shorter cruises from 3 to 10 days may be reassuring to the more anxious.

Personally dh & I aren't concerned at all about Ebola on the ship. Neither of us are comfortable with the risk of air travel on the other hand.

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I'm not worried. I see it in terms of probability & relative risk. I view airlines as higher risk and cruise ships as lower risk. Nothing is zero risk. So if someone boards in my home port with any communicable disease that is a risk I am comfortable with. I've watched RCL, HAL & Princess in action and their current level of cleanliness and the 2 cruises I watched them respond to noro makes me feel quite safe. I've observed a couple of longer cruises where colds seemed to gain some traction, but handwashing, being careful about touch, using gel sanitizer regularly, & not touching the face all help.

 

We rebooked 3 cruises in place of the 1 we cancelled, one in the spring and 2 back 2 back in the fall. The savings in airfare by sailing in & out of our nearby port of Vancouver almost make up for the extra cruises actually. Canadian air costs are much higher than American tickets.

 

If dh & I see some super deals we can afford, I am confident in the cruise industries and we will snap them up too.

 

Meanwhile I'd feel better about flying if airlines would make more effort in cleaning between flights.

 

Bottom line though, life is risky, and each person has to figure out their own risk level they are comfortable with.

 

One last point, most cruises last from 3 to 21 days. I've noticed that colds seem to take hold on a ship when its a cruise from 10 days or longer. Shorter cruises don't allow as much time to pass the germs. The more people catch whats going, the harder it gets to avoid catching a germ. Then when enough people have been exposed, & gotten it or fought it off the germ burns itself out.

 

If it helps, taking shorter cruises from 3 to 10 days may be reassuring to the more anxious.

 

Personally dh & I aren't concerned at all about Ebola on the ship. Neither of us are comfortable with the risk of air travel on the other hand.

 

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Just to let you know The Australian Nurse tested Negative to the Ebola Virus

The ships are flagged in the Bahamas, not Liberia.

Republic of Liberia 98-0081645 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

We left AOS this morning after a 2 week Med cruise, and this question was raised at the Captain's Q and A, and the Hotel director answered that as yet, there had been no directive from RCI head office on the subject of Ebola. However, we must appreciate this is a new concern for everyone, and I am sure steps will be being made as we write as how to tackle this should the need arise on a cruise ship.

Thank you for you input! Interesting...

I imagine they are doing nothing but the regular illness questionnaire. They are more likely at this point to leave it up to the airports. This is only a guess on my part.

I suspect they'll add a question at boarding about whether the cruisers have visited West Africa or have been in contact with anyone who has Ebola.

Thinking about crew . . . they don't hire many Africans, do they? I mean, the crew members are from all over the world, but I can't recall seeing any from Africa.

Republic of Liberia 98-0081645 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

While the corporation is incorporated in Liberia, there is no corporate presence in Liberia.

The ships are flagged in the Bahamas.

There are virtually no cruise ship crew hired from West Africa, even that clown Jim Walker of Cruise Law News admits that.

Ebola is like HIV - the virus needs wetness and a means of invading your bloodstream to survive. How many of you have become HIV-positive just from cruising?

Republic of Liberia 98-0081645 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

Not sure what you are trying to state in your post, but the ships are flagged in the Bahamas.

If you really want to be afraid, be afraid of measles. That is probably where the next serious outbreak in the US comes from that will get millions ill. Too many people out there are anti-vaccine and that is where you need to worry. Ebola is not anywhere near as contagion threatening as things like Measles and Mumps.

I have several friends who work for CDC and Emory and have been dealing with this since the beginning. The newscasters know nothing, they are fools

I don't think the TV people are necessarily fools -- I mean, have you ever visited CNN to see the MASSIVE numbers of people who work behind the scenes to put words into the anchors' mouths? Instead, the real issue is that their goal isn't to distribute information, as they'd have you believe. No, their goal is to create sensation so that their ratings will go up and their sponsors will pay them more.

One last point, most cruises last from 3 to 21 days. I've noticed that colds seem to take hold on a ship when its a cruise from 10 days or longer. Shorter cruises don't allow as much time to pass the germs. The more people catch whats going, the harder it gets to avoid catching a germ. Then when enough people have been exposed, & gotten it or fought it off the germ burns itself out.

 

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I have copied a statement of yours from a previous post.....what you have written is very confusing ...... and I am sure I am not the only person that cannot understand what you meant by it.

Perhaps clarify what you were trying to say.

We cancelled our Jan 2015 cruise because of the possibility of Ebola.

They put screening on the east coast but forgot LAX & SFO for screening,

Australia currently has Ebola patients. There many flights to LAX and SFO from Asia and Australia. We can't also forget connections from Mexico south as well.

Really?

Im a health care worker myself and would never consider cancelling a trip because of this.You have a better chance of you plane crashing enroute to the port then "catching" ebola.You are most definately over reacting.But with the way the news portrays this everyday its the news stations that are putting the fear of god into people.

This is kc50's wife, we rebooked immediately for 2 cruises out of Vancouver because we aren't worried about the cruise industry, its airline travel that concerns us. Vancouver is a comfortable 4 hour drive for us.

 

I'm a retired RN, & the cleanliness on board has always impressed me, even during noro outbreaks, which happened on 2 of our cruises. The staff were great, its the people avoiding the sanitizer station at the entrance to food lines that are more of an issue. We were on the Crown Princess recently and several people didn't sanitize, then fumbled around touching multiple dishes. We have never gotten sick but we wash well and use the sanitizer without fail.

 

On the other hand the airline industry which allows a whole 5 minute cleaning routine on the flight turnaround IS a factor to consider. Several recent studies were done on colds & flu transmission on airline flights. Passengers who wiped just armrests & table trays with sanitizer gel & used the gel a few times in flight PLUS avoided touching their faces had an 80 to 90% reduction in colds & flu after the trips versus passengers who didn't.

 

Another germ culture study found a lot of harmful bacteria on those table trays & arm rests, while the soft fabrics didn't have as much. This says the cleaning isn't adequate, but most people with adequate immune systems & reasonable handwashing habits can and do resist them, its not too much of a public health problem. Until something like Ebola enters the picture.

 

Since Ebola is transmitted through contact with infected fluids, those armrests & table trays & even the fabric cushions become more of a risk.

 

It is looking like standard isolation procedures aren't quite enough since at least 3 nurses, possibly 4 have become infected in Western hospitals. 2 Spanish & the Australian plus possibly Dallas. Isolation procedures are designed with a bit of overkill, so that says we need to revamp the procedure as this virus is slipping thru.

 

We are looking forward to some lovely cruises beginning & ending in Vancouver, without fear. For the immediate future we will not travel by air unless absolutely necessary.

 

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Ok you are an RN TOO.Then I am now totally shocked on just about everything you have said.You are way over reacting.Reading your post I guess I should quit my job as well.Common sense will prevent you from getting ebola.Just like any contagius disease its always healthcare workers who get infected when it comes to bodily fluids.Usually because a protocol was broken.Common sense,wash your hands,dont put your fingers in your mouth,dont sit on the seat cusion naked,if your food falls on anything but your own dish dont put it in your mouth.All this is common sense that you should be doing everyday anyways and it will prevent you from getting ebola if thats what your worried about.But you are an RN and you should know this already.! Geeze you make me laugh!Absolutely rediculous!OMG!

Not sure what you are trying to state in your post, but the ships are flagged in the Bahamas.

Never said they wern't:rolleyes:. My post pointed out where the company is incorporated

Never said they wern't:rolleyes:. My post pointed out where the company is incorporated

Uh...ok?

While the corporation is incorporated in Liberia, .

Thanks for agreeing with me, all I was pointing out. Never said anything about flags

Never said they wern't:rolleyes:. My post pointed out where the company is incorporated

But the post you quoted was pointing out the ships' registry, not the nation of incorporation. I think you just quoted the wrong post.

I have copied a statement of yours from a previous post.....what you have written is very confusing ...... and I am sure I am not the only person that cannot understand what you meant by it.

 

Perhaps clarify what you were trying to say.

I meant that when we've been on longer cruises and by that i meant 18 & 21 days, we noticed that people started catching a lot of colds around days 10 to 12, and as time went by the sounds of coughing & sneezing increased. Some staff caught it as well. On all our shorter cruises, even if a few people seem to have a bug, it doesn't really get going before the end.

I meant to suggest that people should NOT be concerned and if they feel anxious perhaps taking a shorter cruise would help them deal with the anxiety.

At no point am I saying dh & I are worried about cruising. Quite the opposite.

As to the fellow health care worker who suggests cancelling a flight was wrong, I think we each have to make up our own minds on the amount of risk we feel comfortable with.

I'm quite comfortable with the cruise industry. I am not comfortable with the airline industry and I spelled out my reasons quite clearly.

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We cancelled our Jan 2015 cruise because of the possibility of Ebola.

They put screening on the east coast but forgot LAX & SFO for screening,

Australia currently has Ebola patients. There many flights to LAX and SFO from Asia and Australia. We can't also forget connections from Mexico south as well.

I don't know where you got your information but there was ONE suspected Ebola case in Cairns, Australia and after two tests, both of which were negative, she has been cleared.

Thinking about crew . . . they don't hire many Africans, do they? I mean, the crew members are from all over the world, but I can't recall seeing any from Africa.

Well...there are usually quite a few staff from South Africa, and I remember seeing someone from Zimbabwe. So technically there are crew members from Africa but not western parts of Africa (not in my memory, anyway).

And yeah, I'm much more worried about flu and noro when I travel (whether by air or by cruise ship). I don't have the energy or the time to worry about ebola...

Ebola is like HIV - the virus needs wetness and a means of invading your bloodstream to survive. How many of you have become HIV-positive just from cruising?

This is what was said at first. It is not true, however. This comes from the CDC:

(http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/case-definition.html)

A high risk exposure includes any of the following:

Percutaneous (e.g., needle stick) or mucous membrane exposure to blood or body fluids of EVD patient

Direct skin contact with, or exposure to blood or body fluids of, an EVD patient without appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)

Processing blood or body fluids of a confirmed EVD patient without appropriate PPE or standard biosafety precautions

Direct contact with a dead body without appropriate PPE in a country where an EVD outbreak is occurring*

Low1 risk exposures

A low risk exposure includes any of the following

Household contact with an EVD patient

Other close contact with EVD patients in health care facilities or community settings. Close contact is defined as

being within approximately 3 feet (1 meter) of an EVD patient or within the patient’s room or care area for a prolonged period of time (e.g., health care personnel, household members) while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment (i.e., standard, droplet, and contact precautions; see Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations)

having direct brief contact (e.g., shaking hands) with an EVD patient while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment.

I'm much more concerned about contracting chikungunya or dengue in the Eastern Caribbean than contracting Ebola on a cruise ship. It seems as if children would be more likely to contract enterovirus, the severe respiratory disease, on a cruise ship than Ebola.

At this time, I am not considering canceling any upcoming cruises.

I'm much more concerned about contracting chikungunya or dengue in the Eastern Caribbean than contracting Ebola on a cruise ship. It seems as if children would be more likely to contract enterovirus, the severe respiratory disease, on a cruise ship than Ebola.

I totally agree with you!! Puerto Rico has declared a chikungunya epidemic with more than 200 cases in the last month. I'm much more concerned with getting norovirus, the flu or my kids getting enterovirus. That being said, if people are worried about Ebola and it causes them to be more mindful of hand washing, etc., that's great! It will help prevent those other diseases like norovirus and the flu!

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I would worry more about chikungunya than ebola. I would not hesitate to fly anywhere. The media has turned this into a circus. You could step off the street tomorrow and get plowed over. Enjoy your vacation.

I would worry more about chikungunya than ebola. I would not hesitate to fly anywhere. The media has turned this into a circus. You could step off the street tomorrow and get plowed over. Enjoy your vacation.

Amen!

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Chikungunya is not nearly as deadly as Ebola. I know someone who got Chikungunya a couple of weeks ago, and after a couple of days she was out and about again!