Legionnaire's Disease on Prima

[schmoopie17]

Just received a very long letter from NCL stating that passengers on the November 19th sailing of the Prima contracted Legionnaire's. The letter goes on to say that passengers on ensuing sailings (including ours on January 29th) should be aware, especially if experiencing symptoms of cough and shortness of breath.

 

Not sure why it took NCL almost three months to inform us, but...

 

 

[BirdTravels]

Interesting. We were on the December 3rd Prima,,, it will be interesting to see if we get a letter. We were a lot closer in time to the suspect cruise than you. 

[chengkp75]

6 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Not sure why it took NCL almost three months to inform us, but..

Most likely because nothing was reported during the cruise, and it wasn't diagnosed for a while afterwards (by the person's PCP).  Then, they had to test to see if the Legionnaire's was caused by the ship or not (testing hot tubs and shower heads). 

[jdc987]

I was on December 18th.   Nothing observed or noted on my cruise.

[GirlWriter]

Ugh. I probably should cancel those spa passes. 🤔

[BirdTravels]

1 minute ago, GirlWriter said:

Ugh. I probably should cancel those spa passes. 🤔

If the spa was the source,,, we were there every day during our cruise. 😞

[chengkp75]

9 minutes ago, GirlWriter said:

Ugh. I probably should cancel those spa passes. 🤔

 

7 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

If the spa was the source,,, we were there every day during our cruise. 😞

Not sure what services the spa offers, but it must include aerosolized water, like a shower, to have any possibility of being a Legionnaire's source.

[GirlWriter]

1 minute ago, chengkp75 said:

 

Not sure what services the spa offers, but it must include aerosolized water, like a shower, to have any possibility of being a Legionnaire's source.

Yeah -- it's hot tubs and 'experiential' showers and saunas.

[mking8288]

Well, that's quite a substantial number of passengers that sailed the Prima during the above time period - more than a few thousands onboard (or a smaller "subset" of passengers) ...  Someone mind uploading or posting that letter as FYI, perhaps ??  

 

Probably reasonable to conclude the source(s) were traced, identified and mitigated and cleared by public health authorities, etc. to reassure - kind of surprised, for a new ship that ... Not a good public relations matter.  Surely, retired chief can help explain a little more. 

[chengkp75]

7 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Well, that's quite a substantial number of passengers that sailed the Prima during the above time period - more than a few thousands onboard (or a smaller "subset" of passengers) ...  Someone mind uploading or posting that letter as FYI, perhaps ??  

 

Probably reasonable to conclude the source(s) were traced, identified and mitigated and cleared by public health authorities, etc. to reassure - kind of surprised, for a new ship that ... Not a good public relations matter.  Surely, retired chief can help explain a little more. 

I know when I was with NCL, that we had to turn off all the air jets on the hot tubs, since the hot tub temperature is the prime breeding temperature for Legionnaire's, and then you purposely aerosolized it.  I think they have allowed using the air jets again.  The other common area for Legionnaire's is a shower head, where there is always a little water still in the head when shut off, and this mixes with the air, and the bacteria grows, and then is transmitted by the shower spray.  For this reason, the shower heads have to be taken off every 6 months and soaked in a sanitizing solution.

 

With a report of Legionnaire's from a passenger, they will start testing various water sources around the ship (mostly the shower heads of the affected passengers' cabins), to see if it indeed did come from the ship, and whether mitigation methods have removed it.  Ship's water is tested monthly, both from storage tanks, and also 6 random locations around the ship (like sinks, showers, galleys, laundry), but a mitigation testing would test far more locations.

[Cruising Lynne]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Interesting. We were on the December 3rd Prima,,, it will be interesting to see if we get a letter. We were a lot closer in time to the suspect cruise than you. 

I would like to know if others start receiving letters. We were on before that. I find it hard to believe this would happen on such a new ship. Could the passengers have contracted Legionnaire's elsewhere?

 

This comes just after La Lido Loca posted on You Tube about Legionnaire's on American Cruise Lines which occurred at various times over the last year.

Edited February 18, 2023 by Cruising Lynne

[chengkp75]

7 minutes ago, Cruising Lynne said:

This comes just after La Lido Loca posted on You Tube about Legionnaire's on American Cruise Lines which occurred at various times over the last year.

Royal Caribbean had a ship with Legionnaire's about 4 years ago.  It really isn't something that only happens on older ships.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

Not sure what services the spa offers, but it must include aerosolized water, like a shower, to have any possibility of being a Legionnaire's source.

'

Full wall decorative fountain/water feature humidifying air 

 

Steam rooms with circulating steam (aerosolized water) (warm, moist environment ideal for growing bacteria) 

 

Salt bath with warm, highly humidified (aerosolized water) air running over salt blocks

 

Experimental showers featuring multiple jets from ceiling and sides to generate aerosolized water

 

Ice room with chilled, humidified air (aerosolized water) blowing over chipped ice

 

Saunas were more hot,,, but they did have buckets of water to throw over the hot rocks of the heaters to cerate aerosolized water.

 

Two pool-size hot tubs with a complex plumbing system of high pressure jets 

Edited February 18, 2023 by BirdTravels

[schmoopie17]

Error...tried uploading the letter but couldn't do it. Maybe I need to call my six year-old grandson for help.

 

Edited February 18, 2023 by schmoopie17

[schmoopie17]

Dear Norwegian Prima Past Guest,
We hope you enjoyed your time during your recent cruise and we trust that you have arrived home safely. On
behalf of Norwegian Cruise Line, thank you for your loyalty and for making us your vacation of choice.
As you know health and safety is our top priority. We operate to the highest public health and sanitation
standards. We are reaching out to you today to inform you that it has come to our attention that two guests
who sailed aboard Norwegian Prima on her November 19, 2022 voyage were diagnosed with Legionnaires’
disease following their travels.
On the rare occasion that any past guests receive such a diagnosis, we work with Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) to support their investigation efforts as part of their standard operating procedures. In
response to these cases and as part of our routine measures to protect the health of guests and crew, we are
elevating our already rigorous sanitation procedures on board and testing for Legionella on the ship. Testing of
devices and fixtures that use water including hot tubs, showers, and faucets is underway. It is not currently
known whether the two passengers with Legionnaires’ disease were exposed from the ship’s water system or
some other source. The investigation is ongoing.
In an abundance of caution as we continue our investigations, we are reaching out to guests who sailed aboard
Norwegian Prima voyages departing on January 22, January 29, February 5, and February 12, 2023, to share
details provided by the CDC about Legionnaires’ disease.
Although rare, Legionnaires’ disease is a serious type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. People can
get sick when they breathe in small droplets of water containing Legionella. In general, it is not spread from
person to person. In hotels and on cruise ships, there are several devices and fixtures that can spread small
droplets of water (i.e., aerosolize water) that people could then breathe in. Examples include hot tubs, showers,
bathtubs with jets, decorative fountains, and misters.
Risk factors, symptoms, and treatment
It is important to note that most healthy people exposed to Legionella do not get sick. People at increased risk
for getting sick include:
• Those who are 50 years or older
• Current or former smokers
• Those with chronic lung disease
• Those with weakened immune systems caused by diseases or medicines
Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease typically include:
• Cough
• Shortness of breath

• Fever
• Muscle aches and headaches
Most people get better after being sick with Legionnaires’ disease, but often need care, including specific
antibiotics, in the hospital.

If you become sick in the 14 days after your cruise ends:
• Refer to CDC fact sheet for information regarding symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease and share this
information with your travel companions.
• If you experience symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease seek medical attention right away and show this
letter to your doctor so that they know to test you for Legionnaires’ disease and prescribe appropriate
antibiotics if needed.
• Request Legionella testing by both urinary antigen test (i.e., testing your urine) and culture of sputum
(i.e., testing your phlegm) if your doctor thinks you may have Legionnaires’ disease.
Both NCL and CDC are working to protect the health of the guests and crew aboard Norwegian Prima. If you
have questions about Legionnaires’ disease, you may contact your local or state health department or CDC at 1-
800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636). You can also learn more about Legionnaires’ disease at cdc.gov/legionella.
We thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued loyalty. We hope to see you back on
board soon.
Sincerely,

Norwegian Cruise Line

 

 

Edited February 18, 2023 by schmoopie17

[chengkp75]

I'm kinda assuming that the two cases were in the same cabin, so if it was contracted on the ship, it was likely from one shower head.

[eileeshb]

There’s a pretty random gap in those dates, the guests were on November 19th sailing but the letter was sent to guests who sailed January 22nd onwards? 
Were guests who sailed after November 19th and before January 22nd notified?  I’d have thought those on the sailings immediately after the infected pair would be at highest risk. 

[GeezerCouple]

Legionnaire's was diagnosed in two passengers on the 19 November 2022 sailing?

 

"...In an abundance of caution as we continue our investigations, we are reaching out to guests who sailed aboard
Norwegian Prima voyages departing on January 22, January 29, February 5, and February 12, 2023, to share
details provided by the CDC about Legionnaires’ disease...."

 

What about all the sailings between November and 22 January?

If they were already notified it would have been helpful to mention that in this letter!

 

GC

[Cruise5life]

Huh.    This is interesting.     There’s word that on my NCL Joy panama cruise a passenger was taken off the ship and died a week later from the same thing.        
passing this on to the passengers daughter now.   

[Always Cruising]

I was on the Dec 16 sailing, and received no notification.  I agree that the people sailing from Nov 19 would be more at risk than later passengers. 

 

[SomewhereGirl]

Dr Google would suggest if you were on a sailing before those mentioned, and you didn't get sick, then you're in the clear because of the incubation period.  That's not to say people on previous sailings shouldn't also be notified in case they did get sick.  (Interesting reading on this thread that a shower head could do harm.)

[cementhands]

Recently onboard getaway a few covid19 quarantine. Also came back home with covid19. Double vaccinated and double boosted and even the 5 th vaccinations! 3 rd time for covid19 and 2 nd following cruise.

New normal. New risk. But surviving.

[Bottleinthewater]

My dad travelled in the Norwegian Prima from Feb 5th for a week. He flew back to Montreal he was very sick. Monday morning I called the ambulance. Upon arrival at the emergency room, he was unstable. He had all of the Legionella symptoms. My dad is currently in the ICU  and almost died. He is getting a bit better since yesterday but still fragile. The MDs here thought he had Legionella and started the appropriate antibiotics quickly. We are waiting for the results of the sputum culture. What a week!

[happy cruzin]

1 hour ago, Bottleinthewater said:

My dad travelled in the Norwegian Prima from Feb 5th for a week. He flew back to Montreal he was very sick. Monday morning I called the ambulance. Upon arrival at the emergency room, he was unstable. He had all of the Legionella symptoms. My dad is currently in the ICU  and almost died. He is getting a bit better since yesterday but still fragile. The MDs here thought he had Legionella and started the appropriate antibiotics quickly. We are waiting for the results of the sputum culture. What a week!

We also said the week of 2/5. 😮

 

Hope your father continues to improve! 

Edited February 18, 2023 by happy cruzin

[bortman23]

2 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

Legionnaire's was diagnosed in two passengers on the 19 November 2022 sailing?

 

"...In an abundance of caution as we continue our investigations, we are reaching out to guests who sailed aboard
Norwegian Prima voyages departing on January 22, January 29, February 5, and February 12, 2023, to share
details provided by the CDC about Legionnaires’ disease...."

 

What about all the sailings between November and 22 January?

If they were already notified it would have been helpful to mention that in this letter!

 

GC

 

Sailed on the Jan 15 sailing. No letter (and no Legionnaires’ disease *knocks on wood*). As others have said this wording must be due to incubation periods; if we caught it we'd know by now. Still odd they've left out the sailings in-between these dates.