NY Times Noro Article

[donaldsc]

Check out this article

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/travel/why-norovirus-crops-up-on-cruises.html?nl=travel&emc=edit_tl_20140215&_r=0

 

DON

[Kris74]

Quite shocked to read that in the study baby changing tables were not cleaned not once in three years :eek:

[cashier]

Thanks for that Don. It was interesting and I hope everyone reads this article.I have been on many cruises and have never gotten sick, so I will do as I have always done. And that is to wash my hands alot. That to me is most important. Happy cruising to all.

[deladypilot]

Nice article. Thanks for sharing

[leaveitallbehind]

The 20 million annual cases cited is total US based out of a population of 315 million - or about 1 in 15 people. Per CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), there are over 21 million global cruisers annually. The total reported and confirmed outbreaks of noro in 2013 was 1,238 cases - or about 6 one thousandths of 1 % of the cruising population.

 

In other words an extremely low % risk on board any given ship compared to the total US cases occurring annually.

 

I post this only as a comparative reference to show the reality of noro with cruising given all the media coverage with the recent shipboard incidents.

[Underwatr]

I have been on many cruises and have never gotten sick, so I will do as I have always done. And that is to wash my hands alot. That to me is most important.

I would add that avoiding the public toilets onboard whenever possible is a close second. This article seems to confirm that.

[mom says]

I would add that avoiding the public toilets onboard whenever possible is a close second. This article seems to confirm that.

 

Does it? Are you at greater risk of getting noro by using a public restroom vs only using your cabin toilet? I would argue that as long as you follow proper handwasing practices and refrain from licking changing tables, then you'll probably be just fine.

[Lady Chew]

At least this article did not slam cruise lines, as most of them seem to do ... dare I say, "fair & balanced" ??

[calliopecruiser]

Does it? Are you at greater risk of getting noro by using a public restroom vs only using your cabin toilet? I would argue that as long as you follow proper handwasing practices and refrain from licking changing tables, then you'll probably be just fine.

 

I agree, though the issue of drying one's hands can be a problem. However, a proper use of hand sanitizer after leaving a public washroom would deal with that.

 

It's also amazing how many people don't wash their hands properly, so knowing a proper handwashing technique is important too.

[Underwatr]

Does it? Are you at greater risk of getting noro by using a public restroom vs only using your cabin toilet? I would argue that as long as you follow proper handwasing practices and refrain from licking changing tables, then you'll probably be just fine.

The article mentions a study showing that restrooms don't get cleaned effectively. Of course you should wash your hands (which is why I agreed that's still the most important prevention) but you won't catch someone else's Noro by using the toilet in your cabin. Defense in depth. :)

 

Having been on a ship with a reportable outbreak, I know that not using the public restrooms was one of the urgings of the captain on that particular voyage, in addition to hand washing and not shaking hands with anyone among other things.

Edited February 15, 2014 by Underwatr

[calliopecruiser]

The article mentions a study showing that restrooms don't get cleaned effectively. Of course you should wash your hands (which is why I agreed that's still the most important prevention) but you won't catch someone else's Noro by using the toilet in your cabin. Defense in depth. :)

 

Common misconception........there are many places and ways you could catch someone else's Norovirus, and I'd wager using a public washroom is a minority of those ways. Now, if you chose to never leave your cabin, that might be different, but the instant you hit an elevator button or a door handle (to the lido deck/bar/showroom/casino/where ever), you're just as potentially exposed.

[BruceMuzz]

I agree, though the issue of drying one's hands can be a problem. However, a proper use of hand sanitizer after leaving a public washroom would deal with that.

 

It's also amazing how many people don't wash their hands properly, so knowing a proper handwashing technique is important too.

 

One of the reasons people get NLV is the mis-conception you have, that proper use of a hand sanitizer will "deal with that".

Not only do most people NOT know how to PROPERLY use a hand sanitizer, but most seem to think - like you do - that these hand sanitizers will prevent them contracting a virus. You - and they - are wrong.

[BruceMuzz]

Common misconception........there are many places and ways you could catch someone else's Norovirus, and I'd wager using a public washroom is a minority of those ways. Now, if you chose to never leave your cabin, that might be different, but the instant you hit an elevator button or a door handle (to the lido deck/bar/showroom/casino/where ever), you're just as potentially exposed.

 

Don't quit your day job.

Many CDC studies show that the #1 place on a cruise ship to expose yourself to NLV is the Buffet. #2 is a public toilet.

When we have outbreaks on ships, we must complete commonality reports and studies with all affected passengers and crew. We track all their movements and activities on and off the ship since they boarded, looking for common locations or causes of the illness, and cross reference timing of the events and the onset of the illness.

 

Buffet and public toilets are almost always the prime culprits.

 

A few years ago, CDC awarded HAL for coming up with the best proactive method of preventing NLV outbreaks by not allowing passengers to serve themselves in the buffet for the first (most dangerous) 48 hours of the cruise.

They also awarded NCL for the second-best proactive prevention of super-sanitizing all public toilets for the first (and most dangerous) 48 hours.

No other cruise lines have received any such awards from CDC.

[calliopecruiser]

One of the reasons people get NLV is the mis-conception you have, that proper use of a hand sanitizer will "deal with that".

Not only do most people NOT know how to PROPERLY use a hand sanitizer, but most seem to think - like you do - that these hand sanitizers will prevent them contracting a virus. You - and they - are wrong.

 

No, I know hand sanitizers do a lousy job of dealing with Norovirus, since it's an non-enveloped virus (like papillomavirus, or herpesvirus). I was actually thinking about all the bacteria in a bathroom, not specifically about Noro. Sorry i wasn't clear.

 

Exposure is everywhere, but proper hand hygiene is a great defense......if people would actually practice proper hand hygiene.

[Kris74]

No I wonder if its also something to do with ones own ability to fight the illness. Somewhere read that with bloodtype O you are more likely to get infected. Now that is sthg one cannot avoid. Always when I read people commenting how they have never gotten ill Im thinking maybe they were born like that and its not so much their own doing.

 

People tend to take credit themselves when things that go well in life and blame others when things go bad ;)