P&O cruise struck by vomiting bug

10.26AM, Fri May 27 2005

At least 200 passengers on a luxury cruise liner have been struck down with a contagious virus, P&O Cruises has said.

The 24-hour bug, which causes nausea and vomiting, has struck passengers on board the five-year-old Oceana which is sailing around the Mediterranean for 17 days having left Southampton on May 19.

A P&O Cruises spokeswoman said about 130 of the 2,015 passengers on board are still ill and that about 10 per cent have been affected.

She said: "There has been an incident of gastrointestinal illness among passengers on board the current sailing of Oceania. Passenger unwell are being asked to isolate themselves in their cabins for as long as necessary."

The spokeswoman added that the 77,000 ton ship is undergoing an "extensive programme" of sanitation and disinfection to try to stop the spread of the virus.

Passengers who have had to be isolated in their cabins would receive compensation, the company said. In 2003, P&O's Aurora liner was dubbed the "plague ship" after hundreds of passengers and crew were struck down with the norovirus.

Here's a link to the story:

http://www.itv.com/news/world_1273987.html

Unfortunately, I have a friend sailing on this ship - she was also on the Aurora in 2003 when it was infected. In fact she is using her ship board compensation that she received from 2003 on this sailing. Unlucky hey! The compensation they give out is pretty poor, unlike other lines.

I am sorry to say but it is not the cruise lines but passengers that bring this onboard, so why should they compensate.

The main reason for this virus is people who do not wash their hands when they have been to the toilet. You see it very often when on board ships, I just cannot believe some people.

Not only poor hand-washing,but watch those salad bars too......:)

Agree wholeheartedly with the people saying that some passengers are to blame, not the ships. And yes some people's lack of personal hygeine is disgusting. Failure to hand washing after using the toilet is unbelievable in a developed country these days but sure as hell it is by no means unusual.

I suspect that the main culprits however are children who are not taught the importance of hand washing, are less likely than adults to use the sterilising hand lotion available in the buffets, and who are even more likely to spread their germs. But ultimately of course I blame the parents.

I wonder whether the norvirus problem has ever come up big time on an adults only ship ?

I have read on the Cunard thread that even QM2 has Norovirus from time to time. I'm sure you don't get too many kids on that ship. I have to strongly disagree with you on your comment about norovirus being spread by children. Norovirus is out in the community whether you are young or old. It spreads rapidly in close confines. Nursing homes, schools, hospitals etc.

I don't know about other parents on this site but I would like to think that I have done a pretty good job in bringing my kids up when it comes to manners and cleanliness. If they are told to wash their hands with an anti bacterial wipe then they will even now at 18 and 21. They'd rather do that than suffer a bout of sickness and diaorrhea (ok not sure how to spell it and can't be bothered to check)!!

Now I think one of the things you can accuse the kids of spreading around the ships but does not come out into the public eye is nits. I have known of two break outs on board ship to my knowledge in the past 18 months.

Elaine

Hear hear.

I've 'requested' many a person to wash their hands and only one of these has been a child. All cruises, so far, have been on 'with children' ships.

Artemis? We'll see.

Lyn

As I have posted on another board, we need to take our own measures to protect ourself as well as we can. You are most likely to pick up these viruses from handrails, so it is worth while to not use these if possible - though it would not be a good idea if this caused you to fall down stairs. Tea tree oil is a very useful product, and worth using a few drops rubbed on to hands after every wash.

David.

David

Tea tree oil has quite a strong odour. It's a shame that there isn't a product on the market that isn't so pungent!! As I say I always carry my own anti bacterial wipes in my bag. You just never know when you need them!!

Elaine

Hey - love that smell.

David.

A good product that I have used is " Cuticura" Mildly Medicated Hand Cleansing Gel. Available in Boots and supermarkets in large and a handbag size too. Not sure of the price, will fit easily into your pocket.

to be on the safe side, wipe onto hands.....it sinks in quicker than hand cream... AFTER you have got your buffet selection( but still use the ships one before choosing though) before you start to eat.

I have also seen tips on this site saying things such as, push elevator button with your knuckle, and push doors with your elbow.

You can do all or none but the gel is good.