Novirus from public restrooms?

[gooch47]

But I also add another step, the LAST thing I do before I eat is use hand sanitizer at the table. That way any germs I have picked up on the way to dinner are not ingested with your food.

 

Might not help. Think about this. Your waiter picks up the used silverware or a menu from another diner. Then he walks over and gets some clean utensils and lays them down in front of you. I'd think that germs are being transferred around like this the whole time.

[davekathy]

I've used the public restrooms a handful of times and before existing I always use the same papertowel to open the door handle when I exit. I've seen many folks exit the restroom and not wash their hands so all their wonderful germs are on the door handle. YUK!!! I never touch the door handle when exiting the rest room.

 

...and what else did those same people touch you and I also have touched and don't even know about? We agree, YUk!!!

[Wishing on a star]

I just realized - you say have a great cruise and quit worrying - you are the lady who posted:

 

MY DH (fussy engineer) takes off the grate and cleans the vent the first day of every cruise. Some are clean, some are not.

 

that's not worrying about things?

 

Wow... Why do people have to get into personal exchanges and flame other posters?????

 

She said her husband - not her...

 

And, personally, yes, unless one goes around touching toilet seats, :rolleyes:, then, yes, it is much, much, much, more likely to become ill from touching everyday surfaces that everyone else touches (doorknobs, keyboards, etc....)

 

If one is ill and feels it necessary to wipe down the toilet seat after themselves, then it is clear that the illness caused the cleaning, not that the cleaning caused the illness.

 

IMHO, Tina is right.

And as one who can suffer from respiratory sensitivities, I will agree with her husband about the air-vents too!

[Grego]

Wash your hands! Wash your hands !wash your hands! Wash your hands!wash your hands! Wash your hands!

But keep the towel to use on the door and then, if there is no place to leave it outside throw it on the floor . They will soon put a basket there.

Sing happy birthday to yourself while washing and you will have a good amount of time.

 

Enough said.

 

I know that it is only right to have these facilities cleaned properly, but in order for them to be 100% germ free the cleaning staff would have to live in there 24/7. It is ultimately up to everyone to take care of their own protection by - washing the hands - using Purel and don't touch the door handle with bare hands because you can't be certain the last person that touched it washed their hands properly.

[Colo Cruiser]

Wow... Why do people have to get into personal exchanges and flame other posters?????

 

 

Unfortunately there are those that thrive on this. :(

[aoverby]

Here's the part of the story that surprised me the most: "Norovirus can survive for weeks on surfaces at room temperature, and it is difficult to kill. “It’s a tough virus,” said the lead author of the study, Dr. Philip C. Carling. “It isn’t killed by alcohol hand rubs. Chlorine bleach is the only thing that works.”

WOW! It can survive for weeks and only bleach kills it. Guess I'll be asking our room steward for a jug of bleach when we go on our next cruise :)

[Northern Bear]

Mama said you can get pregnant from a public toilet seat too, so you better watch it! :D

[maplo]

If you read the Patter, there is a note that you should use the bathroom in your stateroom if at all possible. I think I've only used a public restroom once in over 40 days of cruising in the last 2 years.

I prefer to use our own restroom but we were just on Golden and on our way back to LA from Hawaii, ours did not work 14 plus hours on Wed. and from early morning until around lunch on Friday, same on Saturday and was not working when we got up early on Sunday to get ready to disembark and was till not working when we left our room at 8.

[cruiserone]

EWWWWWWW!!!!

 

The one and only time I found the "ladies" room to be truly horrible I told someone at the pursers desk and there was someone there almost immediately! That was on the Crown Princess outside the dining room.

 

Wash your hands, keep your hands away from your face and drink lots of alcohol :eek::D

 

Happy, Clean Sailing All:D

[aaerobear]

RickEk said it all. Lets tone down the paranoia, noro is as prevalent in schools, hospitals, and almost every other public place as it is on cruise ships and I venture to say a LOT LESS on cruise ships. How many times a day do you think they clean the restrooms in public schools? How about those toilets on airplanes?

[Tina G]

I just realized - you say have a great cruise and quit worrying - you are the lady who posted:

 

MY DH (fussy engineer) takes off the grate and cleans the vent the first day of every cruise. Some are clean, some are not.

 

that's not worrying about things?

Yes! That's my DH! He worries about EVERYTHING! Imagine what he would be like if he had married someone who fusses as much as he does!:eek: I'm the relaxed traveler who has extra patience with the worriers. Relax, and have a great cruise!:D

[Tina G]

By the way, folks, GERMS (from dirty contaminated surfaces) and VIRUSES (contracted from people who are sick) are not the same thing!;) You can't get Noro or H1N1 from germs. They are viruses. You can get infections from germs, which is why Mommy used to spray Bactine on cuts and scrapes when you were a kid. I've survived cancer, measles, rubella, pneumonia and raised two healthy kids. I'm not going to worry about Noro or H1N1. Happy cruising!

[MelvynG]

In pubs over here they often used to have bowls of peanuts or potato snacks. On analysis these were found to have traces of urine in them from custoers who had not washed after using the toilet.

 

My advice is to only eat packed snacks, like they serve on airlines, NEVER take from open bowls.

[Coolmama_1]

The best thing to do is wash your hands! You can't control what others do. I would think that just as many people use a bathroom in Walmart on a Saturday as on any given day on a cruise ship! If you gotta go, then you gotta go!

Wash your hands!:)