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Stumped- Norovirus Question


kcdancerkc

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The stomach flu is a virus - it is not bacterial correct?

 

Then why use anti-bacterial all over the ship if it is not made for

killing a viral organism?

 

Or is it made for that too????

 

No flaming please

 

Innocent question

 

Jokes allowed :D:D

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Hi kcdancer: Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that is passed "hand to mouth" and runs rampant in densly populated groups, such as cruise ships, dorms, and nursing homes. It is not killed by the antibacterial gels that you see everywhere on the ships; it is, however, knocked down by good old soap and warm water (scrub for 20 seconds!), or bleach. It is not an illness that you want to contract while on vacation :eek:- that's why healthcare professionals stress keeping your hands away from your face unless you've just washed your hands.

 

The antibacterials are effective on other cruddy germs that inhabit people's hands, so there is benefit from using the gels - just not effective on Noro. :)

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The stomach flu is a virus - it is not bacterial correct?

 

Then why use anti-bacterial all over the ship if it is not made for

killing a viral organism?

 

Or is it made for that too????

 

No flaming please

 

Innocent question

 

Jokes allowed :D:D

Hi there,

Check this website out: hopefully you will get a better understanding of the virus, it is not bacteria

 

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/id-mi/norovirus-eng.php

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You are right. There was even a time when Carnival played informative videos stating antibacterial soap was ineffective against any virus.

 

Never touched the stuff. I just wash my hands. I do not like that stuff to kill the good bacteria that makes up our immune system.

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Never touched the stuff. I just wash my hands. I do not like that stuff to kill the good bacteria that makes up our immune system.

I agree. I love the dirty looks that I get from people (both passengers and crew) when I walk right past the hand sanitizers. I wash my hands with good old soap and water, and will not give into peer pressure to use a product that isn't necessary and that in the long term can be harmful to our immune systems.

 

In my experience, the biggest germaphobes that constantly use Purell are the ones that seem to get sick most often. :rolleyes:

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I agree. I love the dirty looks that I get from people (both passengers and crew) when I walk right past the hand sanitizers. I wash my hands with good old soap and water, and will not give into peer pressure to use a product that isn't necessary and that in the long term can be harmful to our immune systems.

 

In my experience, the biggest germaphobes that constantly use Purell are the ones that seem to get sick most often. :rolleyes:

 

I agree. It's the only thing I don't like about NCL. They pretty much make you use the sanitizers in the buffet area and getting back on the ship from port.

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Without getting too clinical; the flu is a virus and correct using purell and such will not stop you from getting the flu. Norovirus is completely different and can be caused by bacteria from foods, fecal matter etc and an infected person can contaminate an area quickly, hence the reason to use hand sanitizer.

 

I could get into specifics of how it is spread but it is too early in the morning to get a visual of how easy it is to contaminate an area quickly.

 

The easiest way to explain it, when in a hospital and staff go from room to room we require that we use some sort of anti-bacterial cleanser. One person in the room could have Noro and without that precaution, I could easily bring it into a patient in the next room. Yes we wash our hand but the anti-bacterial is a next step

 

Hope that helped to explain - oh and for the record, I am one who carries purrell in my bag and with me throughout the day; I have not had the flu or any outbreaks in about 5 years and I work with the sick/elderly.

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I am a germaphob, and I never touch the stuff. Soap and water kept me healthy as a child, and does the same as an adult. I can't stand the chemical smell on that stuff. When I travel though I always throw a few hand soap containers in my luggage, because I prefer that to bar soap by the sink.

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You can use great common sense hygiene, then touch an elevator button, hold the handrail on the stairway, touch a serving instrument after someone who DIDN'T wash their hands nor use an alcohol cleanser and whammo you are now possibly carrying around a bacteria or virus and could possibly contaminate everything else you touch.

 

Hence the stantiation stations -- use them, a ship is a huge petri dish

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You can use great common sense hygiene, then touch an elevator button, hold the handrail on the stairway, touch a serving instrument after someone who DIDN'T wash their hands nor use an alcohol cleanser and whammo you are now possibly carrying around a bacteria or virus and could possibly contaminate everything else you touch.

 

Hence the stantiation stations -- use them, a ship is a huge petri dish

 

 

Funny to hear someone else say that, I tell my DH all the time - this place is a walking science project.

 

I agree with those on washing hands thoroughly, no one suggested not to wash hands, just add a bit of precaution throughout your day and use hand sanitizer ;)

 

My point was that the flu and Noro ware completely different issues.....

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Hi kcdancer: Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that is passed "hand to mouth" and runs rampant in densly populated groups, such as cruise ships, dorms, and nursing homes. It is not killed by the antibacterial gels that you see everywhere on the ships; it is, however, knocked down by good old soap and warm water (scrub for 20 seconds!), or bleach. It is not an illness that you want to contract while on vacation :eek:- that's why healthcare professionals stress keeping your hands away from your face unless you've just washed your hands.

 

The antibacterials are effective on other cruddy germs that inhabit people's hands, so there is benefit from using the gels - just not effective on Noro. :)

They should make this a sticky.

Just as important as washing hands constantly is keeping your hands away from your face and try to be conscious of what you are touching while on the ship (like railings)...hit elevator buttons with your elbows if you can remember to.

Overkill?? Maybe. But better safe than sorry.

 

I think antibacterials tend to give people a false sense of security. They're not bad if used along with hand washing but can not replace it by any means.

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Hepatitis C can live on surfaces a long time, like handrails, bathroom door handles leaving the rest room (oh yeah, my microbiology class swabbed everything and studied it) If you have doubts that people don't wash hands after toileting, go stand and watch!! Many will just dip their fingers in water without soap and feel they washed :eek:

I prefer to not catch Hep C, common colds, flu, MRSA, VRE. So I wash with soap and water often AND I use the hand sanitizers when out in public. At home, soap and water is enough, but there are a LOT of scary germs out there, one of the least is Noro, it will make you feel horrible, but it's curable, you that say the good bacteria will be killed, that may be true but in a ship or plane situation where there is close quarters, I'm thinking you may not be as safe as you think.

JMO, Carole

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It is put all around to make people feel better. Plain and simple. It does not stop norovirus and in many cases leads to bigger and stronger bacteria.

 

Farm kids who live their lives with all kinds of things get sick less than sterile city kids. A few bugs and germs are good for the system.

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It is put all around to make people feel better. Plain and simple. It does not stop norovirus and in many cases leads to bigger and stronger bacteria.

 

Farm kids who live their lives with all kinds of things get sick less than sterile city kids. A few bugs and germs are good for the system.

Just a clarification on the evolution of stronger bacterial, it is the misuse of antibiotics, that is how the origin of MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus) or VRE (Vancomycin Resistant Enterococci) resulted.

 

Unfortunately, the evolution of bacteria and even virus is more virulent and contagious compared to last 10-15 years ago. Therefore, good hand hygiene and where your hand touched especially in public places. Particularly, before you eat.

 

Here is an example on how some bacteria are spread:

How is MRSA spread?

 

At any given time, between 20 and 30 per cent of the general population carry Staph bacteria on their hands or in their noses, but are not ill. Some of these bacteria may be MRSA, while others are not antibiotic resistant. You may have MRSA and not be sick, however you can still spread it to others and they can become ill.

 

MRSA is usually spread through direct physical contact or through contact with objects contaminated with infected bodily fluids. If you pick up the bacteria on your hands through physical contact with an infected person or from a contaminated surface, you can spread it to others if you don’t clean your hands properly. You can also infect yourself through an open wound on your own body.

 

Has anyone seen the movie "Contagion", it is a very great possibilty that this can happen if it hasn't. It started out by "touching the contaminated item".

 

I have no problem sanitizing my hand before I eat, in fact I am one of those that carries a bottle of hand sanitizer in my hand bag.

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The Centers for Disease Control recommends using alcohol-based hand sanitizers on one of its pages about the norovirus. The active ingredient in Purell is ethyl alcohol.

 

I'm still a firm believer in thorough handwashing. I also avoid eating anything with my fingers if possible, using utensils instead.

 

Actually the recommend using it ALONG WITH hand washing, not in lieu of.

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I would bring them to wipe down the phone, the remote control, etc. I guarantee housekeeping never cleans these items and after tons of cruises, one can only imagine the bacterial burden. Heck, even in the hospitals where they DO clean these things, the bacterial burden on them is quite high.

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It is put all around to make people feel better. Plain and simple. It does not stop norovirus and in many cases leads to bigger and stronger bacteria.

 

Farm kids who live their lives with all kinds of things get sick less than sterile city kids. A few bugs and germs are good for the system.

I have to agree with you. Washing hands is a good thing but we also should be teaching people how to boost their immune system with proper nutrition and there are herbs that can make our immune systems stronger. A strong immune system can stand up to most germs quite well. I deal with the public on a daily basis and never get sick but I am also careful to feed my body the foods that help it stay strong.

Pat

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