Norovirus at 10 year high

[graphicguy]

Still carry hand sanitizer with me…in my car, one of those little pocket ones that I can carry with me to restaurants, the ballgame, etc.

 

I guess out of all the habits I started, 3 years ago, this is the best one I’ve stuck with.

[graphicguy]

Mods should probably move this.  It’s not about NCL, per se.  It’s about Norovirus in general and Viking ships in particular.

[schmoopie17]

45 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

It’s about Norovirus in general and Viking ships in particular.

Viking ships probably don't have a very good beverage package...or towel animals...or...

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_ships

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by schmoopie17

[dexddd]

7 hours ago, tw0sugar5 said:

If viruses are not truly alive, are they actually killed in the traditional sense?

Welcome to CC.

[phillygwm]

I don't care which virus:  Noro, COVID, flu, whatever, if you're in close quarters with a bunch of people like, say, on a cruise ship, it's going to happen.  Risk can be mitigated but rarely eliminated.

 

Personally, I'll do the hygiene things and avoid the buffet, particularly at busy times.  I'll also get my shots before my next cruise (flu and updated COVID will be available by then.)  If Bill Gates is that interested in my whereabouts, have at it 🤣

 

Even after all that, I may still get sick.  But, at some point, one has to enjoy life and hope for the best.

Edited July 28, 2023 by phillygwm

[graphicguy]

I try not to hang out with people who want to hang out with me on a cruise. 😉

[laudergayle]

If you have ever caught norovirus you would travel with a stash of Zofran —the generic is ondansetron.  Get a prescription from your doctor.  Honestly, it is a lifesaver.  You dissolve a tablet under your tongue and it helps with nausea and vomiting, in addition it slows down intestinal activity.  

[Panhandle Couple]

47 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I try not to hang out with people who want to hang out with me on a cruise. 😉

"I don't know if I would join a club that would accept someone like me as a member."

 

Groucho Marx

[bruce85]

Our last cruise on MSC Seaside, very little hand washing noticed. Saw 80% of people walk right into buffet area and dining rooms with no washy washy or gel. I noticed because I always stop and wash or gel. 

Even when reboarding ship after a port stop, no washy washy. This compares to our last MSC a few months before when you couldn't get past the washy washy folks without stopping. So yea I can see why it's increased. 

 

 

 

[phillygwm]

9 hours ago, laudergayle said:

If you have ever caught norovirus you would travel with a stash of Zofran —the generic is ondansetron.  Get a prescription from your doctor.  Honestly, it is a lifesaver.  You dissolve a tablet under your tongue and it helps with nausea and vomiting, in addition it slows down intestinal activity.  

Just Googled it.  Apparently it's widely used by people on chemo/radiation.  But it's super cheap; even 20 (which should last for years) is <$5.  I wonder if my doc would give me a hard time?  

[laudergayle]

32 minutes ago, phillygwm said:

Just Googled it.  Apparently it's widely used by people on chemo/radiation.  But it's super cheap; even 20 (which should last for years) is <$5.  I wonder if my doc would give me a hard time?  

Yeah, it is off label.  I happened to have it after being prescribed by ER doc for gastroenteritis …which I never used.  On a whim…I put it in our med kit for our AK cruise…where my DH suffered greatly from noro.  I googled it and gave my DH double my dose.  OMG what a difference it made.  Next day…I was in the same spot..not as bad thankfully.  It was then I realized what a game changer it was.  My primary…who has kids…was like, oh yeah…this is a must in your household or if you travel.  Long story…not so short, you shouldn’t have issue getting this prescription.   And, I promise you won’t be disappointed if you ever need it.

 

here’s a link to one article about off label usage.https://www.acsh.org/news/2016/02/08/norovirus-from-satans-lab-to-your-duodenum

Edited July 29, 2023 by laudergayle

[UKstages]

15 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

if the sensor doesn't work, it is a problem.

 

quite often the sensor works, but there is no soap in the dispenser. that's also a problem.

[omahabob]

20 hours ago, CathyGo7280 said:

...Norovirus isn't killed by alcohol based hand sanitizer!...
 

 

That's not really true. If you read the article closely, they found indications that hand sanitizer was less effective than soap and water, not that it was ineffective. This was also not a clinical study. It was just a survey with anecdotal conclusions.

 

18 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

 

This is the one I use, the first picture is one I had saved on my CC images from a few years ago, they have removed the "Effective against Norovirus" from the current packaging....

 

That has been removed from all packaging in the US because you can't make such a claim unless you're FDA approved. So far, no hand sanitizer has been approved as effective against norovirus. That's not because they simply can't be effective. It's because hand sanitizer companies aren't going to jump through the enormous hoops needed to get FDA approval. Norovirus has built in resistance to alcohol, so you may need to use a sanitizer with 80% alcohol or more. However, hand washing will probably still be more effective. Doing it in a bathroom will be no more effective than anywhere else, because norovirus spread has nothing to do with going to the bathroom, except maybe causing you to do it a LOT more often.

[aubie1996]

Hand sanitizer is not effective against noro virus because the virus has a thick outer coating that alcohol and peroxide have a difficult time penetrating. There are new studies that are proving sanitizers and wipes would need to maintain 15 minutes of contact with the virus to render kill the virus. Soap and water is more effective than anything. Many of the wipes that claim to kill noro are having to remove this label. 

[ziggyuk]

9 hours ago, omahabob said:

That has been removed from all packaging in the US because you can't make such a claim unless you're FDA approved. So far, no hand sanitizer has been approved as effective against norovirus. That's not because they simply can't be effective. It's because hand sanitizer companies aren't going to jump through the enormous hoops needed to get FDA approval. Norovirus has built in resistance to alcohol, so you may need to use a sanitizer with 80% alcohol or more. However, hand washing will probably still be more effective. Doing it in a bathroom will be no more effective than anywhere else, because norovirus spread has nothing to do with going to the bathroom, except maybe causing you to do it a LOT more often.

 

While it's been removed as a flash on the tub they still make the claims as I put in my post, they still state "EcoHydra kills Norovirus ........ Alcohol based sanitisers do not offer complete protection"
EcoHydra does not use alcohol as it's active ingredient, and it contains zero alcohol.

 

As it has no alcohol it also does not dry out your hands.

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by ziggyuk

[esimon]

Oh Norovirus is back -  hmmmm 

[aubie1996]

All EcoHydra products contain the active ingredient Benzalkonium chloride (BAC).

The problem with this is BAC are not effective against Noro at low concentrations or low contact times. BAC needs contact time of 10 minutes or higher on a hard surface . 
 

[omahabob]

6 hours ago, ziggyuk said:

 

While it's been removed as a flash on the tub they still make the claims as I put in my post, they still state "EcoHydra kills Norovirus ........ Alcohol based sanitisers do not offer complete protection"...

 

 

I said they removed it from packaging in the US. You're in the UK. Different rules.

[omahabob]

1 hour ago, esimon said:

Oh Norovirus is back -  hmmmm 

 

It never went away. It's been around for almost 100 years. It's probably been around longer than that, but they just didn't know what it was.

[esimon]

it completely disappeared when covid hit -   NO cases reported - it was all Covid -  my comment was sarcastic for sure    had the same issue with the flu

[ziggyuk]

1 hour ago, omahabob said:

 

I said they removed it from packaging in the US. You're in the UK. Different rules.

 

I never said any different, except its still on the website readable in the US.
But I did say it is removed from UK packs so I don't really understand your reply.

[omahabob]

1 hour ago, ziggyuk said:

 

I never said any different, except its still on the website readable in the US.
But I did say it is removed from UK packs so I don't really understand your reply.

 

I was talking about products marketed in the US. EcoHydra is a British company, it's on the site in British pounds, can't be shipped to the US, and it isn't marketed to Americans in the US. So, it isn't subject to the US rules saying hand sanitizers can't make such claims without FDA approval. Such claims have been removed from the packaging and advertisements of hand sanitizers marketed in the US. I'm not sure what you don't understand about that.

Edited July 29, 2023 by omahabob

[ziggyuk]

23 minutes ago, omahabob said:

 

I was talking about products marketed in the US. EcoHydra is a British company, it's on the site in British pounds, can't be shipped to the US, and it isn't marketed to Americans in the US. So, it isn't subject to the US rules saying hand sanitizers can't make such claims without FDA approval. Such claims have been removed from the packaging and advertisements of hand sanitizers marketed in the US. I'm not sure what you don't understand about that.

 

Because if its a UK product why would they need to remove the marketing? You say its due to FDA approval but then say it's not available in the US, that just does not make any sense at all.

[omahabob]

1 minute ago, ziggyuk said:

 

Because if its a UK product why would they need to remove the marketing? You say its due to FDA approval but then say it's not available in the US, that just does not make any sense at all.

 

I'm still not sure what you don't understand.

 

I was talking about hand sanitizers marketed in the US. Does that make sense to you?

 

Hand sanitizers marketed in the US cannot make such claims without FDA approval. Does that make sense to you?

 

Hand sanitizers marketed in the US must remove such claims from their packaging. Does that make sense to you?

 

EcoHydra is a UK product not marketed in the US, and as such is not subject to that rule. Does that make sense to you?

 

All that makes perfect sense to me. Is there something else you don't understand?

[ziggyuk]

6 minutes ago, omahabob said:

 

I'm still not sure what you don't understand.

 

I was talking about hand sanitizers marketed in the US. Does that make sense to you?

 

Hand sanitizers marketed in the US cannot make such claims without FDA approval. Does that make sense to you?

 

Hand sanitizers marketed in the US must remove such claims from their packaging. Does that make sense to you?

 

EcoHydra is a UK product not marketed in the US, and as such is not subject to that rule. Does that make sense to you?

 

All that makes perfect sense to me. Is there something else you don't understand?

 

You clearly need it in very very simple terms.

1, you said the marketing was removed due to FDA rules.

2, you then said the product is not available in the US.

 

Prey tell why would they remove the marketing if the US is not a market,,,, not rocket science.