Swine flu updates from Cruise Critic

[KULPN]

Just watching Dr Bisell on NBC with Brian Williams. He thinks this is pretty seripus because although the flu we usually see kills the elderly or very young, this seems to have killed people in the prime of life. As he says, this is a new strain & we will have to see where it goes.

I don't think we should over react as many people die of the flu yearly but common sense shoudl prevail.

I don't have the answers so don't flame me but I do hate to see money become more important than the health of all of us. We all know how germs populate quicker in a close environment: prisons, nursing homes, hospitals & cruise ships.

No vacation is worth ruining my health.

[InitialD]

Just watching Dr Bisell on NBC with Brian Williams. He thinks this is pretty seripus because although the flu we usually see kills the elderly or very young, this seems to have killed people in the prime of life. As he says, this is a new strain & we will have to see where it goes.

 

At the same time, some of the severity of infections in Mexico are likely due to other causes in their environment. So far there have been zero deaths from this flu in the U.S. South Carolina’s state epidemiologist Dr. Jerry Gibson is quoted as saying “The severity of this virus is very much like the severity of the regular seasonal virus.”

[Alohaaa]

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&t=p&msa=0&msid=106484775090296685271.0004681a37b713f6b5950&ll=44.840291,38.671875&spn=73.007283,221.132813&z=3

 

Give this link time to down load and user the cursers to navigate the golbe for reposrted case of the Swine flu. It is updated frequently.

[36kruzes]

Agree -- on Mexican Riviera cruise in a few weeks all three ports of call are in Mexico. So... if we avoid Mexico, we will be at sea 7 days with no ports. Or, they may drop us in San Diego (oops, there's swine flu there!) or perhaps Catalina Island. Not a great idea -- Mariner's passenger load would overwhelm that tiny island so not feasible.

 

How about taking us all to Hawaii -- three days at sea (approx) and then drop us in Honolulu -- we'll take it from there!

 

Only other alternative is sailing north from L.A. to San Fran. ---nah -- no good --- rocky seas and cold temps -- brrrrr. very BAD alternative!

 

 

Maybe they will cancel the Mexican ports and drop us in Cuba ;)

[firefly333]

Just a update, Richardson TX (where I live) has a case and closing a school tomorrow to wash the school down. A 7 year old boy they are trying to figure out how he contacted the flu. We have several cases in the greater Dallas area I believe. I havent been paying close attention, but the number in our area is growing. The news today does seem to be getting worse, but I have to say Im still not that worried. Its just the flu and shouldnt be a death sentence here.

 

Maybe I misunderstood?

[lollylew]

Being that I'm on the Valor next week with a stop in Cozumel, I'm guessing there's a more than 50% chance that port will be canceled. Would they make an effort to include another stop? Key West is on the way back to Miami.

 

I'll be sailing on the Valor in about three weeks and I am wondering what Carnival will do if it comes to that. I don't really want another sea day so stopping in Key Largo would be cool :):p

[melissa@cruisecritic]

Travel warnings are just starting to trickle in, from the CDC and FCO (but not yet the U.S. Department of State):

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3194

 

Stay tuned.

[*Mach*]

Carnival just announced there are no changes in itineraries as of now. This is from their official Twitter page (twitter.com/carnivalcruise)... "So far no change in Mexican itin. Will keep you updated."

 

 

This is the press release I got from Carnival and posted at about 1 PM:

STATEMENT REGARDING SWINE INFLUENZA

Miami - (April 27, 2009)

 

There are currently no reported cases of swine influenza on Carnival ships or in any of the ports that we visit in Mexico. We are consulting closely with public health officials and government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Department of Homeland Security to monitor the situation.

 

Carnival enforces the highest of standards for cleaning and sanitation on all of our ships to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. We have well trained medical staff, expansive reporting and surveillance capabilities onboard. Working with U.S. public health officials in the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program, we have extensive practices and procedures that are effective in mitigating illness aboard our ships.

We do not anticipate that our guests' cruise experience will be impacted by this type of illness and will not be making any adjustments to our itineraries at this time.

For further information on swine influenza, visit the CDC’s web site at www.cdc.gov.

[maxamuus]

(but not yet the U.S. Department of State):

 

Fox TV news is reporting that the US State Department has issued a warning (in fact the report had a copy in his hands) yet the website still doesn't have a warning regarding the Swine Flu.

[TThompson05]

Just a update, Richardson TX (where I live) has a case and closing a school tomorrow to wash the school down. A 7 year old boy they are trying to figure out how he contacted the flu. We have several cases in the greater Dallas area I believe. I havent been paying close attention, but the number in our area is growing. The news today does seem to be getting worse, but I have to say Im still not that worried. Its just the flu and shouldnt be a death sentence here.

 

Maybe I misunderstood?

 

No fly, you didn't misunderstand....there are several cases in Texas, Kansas, none in Oklahoma, and some other states, but the one that shocked me was 28 cases in New York and they are all in schools - which are closed

[maxamuus]

Firefly is implying we are all in a panic. I for one am tired of hearing that.

 

I am not in a panic in the least bit, i am however a tad concerned as i am headed to Mexico. I want to follow the news and be informed about a POSSIBLE pandemic.

 

If you dont care about the issue, have no plans to travel to Mexico soon, then turn off the news and ignore this post.

 

People coming by every 10 minutes and claiming we are all FREAKING out is getting to be annoying. No one is freaking out, we are discussing a issue that concerns us and sharing information. Informed doesnt = PANIC.

 

/rantoff

 

PS Firefly, i like you and your posts and that rant wasnt aimed at you at all just all the people who keep claiming by talking about the issue or sharing information we are all in a "panic".

[halos]

(from Web MD)

 

Pandemic Alert Phases

Here is how the World Health Organization defines its pandemic alert phases:

 

Phase 1: No viruses circulating among animals have been reported to cause infections in humans.

 

Phase 2: An animal influenza virus is known to have caused infection in humans.

 

Phase 3: An animal or human-animal influenza virus has caused sporadic cases or small clusters of disease in people, but it has not resulted in human-to-human transmission sufficient to sustain community-level outbreaks.

 

Phase 4: There is verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza virus able to cause community-level outbreaks. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not mean that a pandemic is a foregone conclusion.

 

In phase 4, sustained person-to-person transmission "is limited to one relatively contained geographic area, and it is felt that there is a possibility of a containment effort being successful" with antiviral drugs and vaccines, if there are any (there aren't for the new swine flu virus), WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told reporters earlier today.

 

Phase 5: There has been human-to-human spread of the virus in at least two countries in one World Health Organization region (WHO regions are Africa, the Americas, the Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific). Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that time is short to finalize mitigation measures.

 

In phase 5, sustained person-to-person transmission isn't just happening in one place; it's happening in several geographic areas.

 

"That means that the virus is much more widespread," Hartl said. "In that case, there would be decisions needed to be made" about vaccine production, antiviral drugs, and preventing health care systems from getting overloaded.

 

Phase 6: This is the pandemic phase, which is characterized by community-level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region than the countries involved at the phase 5 level.

 

The pandemic phase 6, which is the highest phase, basically means that it has spread across continents," Hartl says.

 

Today, Fukuda said that the WHO decided to raise the pandemic alert level to phase 4 because there was clear evidence of person-to-person transmission, but not to raise it to phase 5 until there was more information on the sustainability of the virus.

 

Although there has been a case in Spain, that person had recently traveled to Mexico, and there wasn't evidence that that patient's illness was spreading in Spain, Fukuda notes.

 

Swine Flu: Cases Rising

Here's a quick wrap-up of today's other swine flu news:

 

There are 40 lab-confirmed cases of swine flu in the U.S., according to the CDC.

 

New York City has 28 swine flu cases -- the most in the U.S. All New York cases occurred at a parochial school in Queens; 17 other students at that school have "probable" swine flu; the CDC will conduct lab tests on samples taken from the students.

The other lab-confirmed swine flu cases in the U.S. include seven people in California, two in Kansas, two in Texas, and one in Ohio.

26 cases, including seven deaths, have been confirmed in Mexico. Six cases have been confirmed in Canada, and one case has been confirmed in Spain.

All swine flu cases in the U.S., Canada, and Spain have been mild; severe cases have only been seen in Mexico, for unknown reasons.

The CDC is advising U.S. residents to avoid "nonessential" travel to Mexico because of swine flu.

The World Health Organization is not recommending closing any borders or restricting travel because travel bans wouldn't be effective in preventing the spread of the swine flu virus. However, Fukuda says it would be "prudent" for people to delay travel if they are sick and to seek medical attention if they get sick after traveling to any part of the world.

[santanna]

I'm on the Splendor this coming Sunday and the only thing I'm in a panic about is whether or not my cruise will be cancelled!

 

I might just get stopped at the port. I'm over 60, asthmatic and just naturally wheezy.

[SavannahMoon]

Well for once I'm really glad my trip is not until August. Cozumel is one of the ports I would stop in. I hope by that time we'll know more. I really pray this turns out to be not so bad.

[*Mach*]

I'm on the Splendor this coming Sunday and the only thing I'm in a panic about is whether or not my cruise will be cancelled!

 

I might just get stopped at the port. I'm over 60, asthmatic and just naturally wheezy.

 

Contact your doctor and have him fax you a note to that effect...

I imagine that the embark team will be watching folks a bit closer than normal but they aren't qualified to make medical decisions. Having said than, it's better to be safe than left at the doc. Bring the note with you...

:)

[Kurbanfan]

The World Health Organization is not recommending closing any borders or restricting travel because travel bans wouldn't be effective in preventing the spread of the swine flu virus. However, Fukuda says it would be "prudent" for people to delay travel if they are sick and to seek medical attention if they get sick after traveling to any part of the world.

 

This makes more sense then any other article out there........it has already spread across the border.......your chances are just as good getting it here in the States as it is in Mexico.........

Now they just need to focus on sick people traveling........

[santanna]

Good point Host Mach. I didn't even consider that. I was posting tongue-in-cheek.

[cookc61462]

I do hope things are cleared up in three weeks! I have planned this cruise for over 2 years and will be pretty pissy if I don't get to stop at a port or two... Even MORE if it gets canceled.

[brownies95]

What are the chances that countries around the Caribbean start closing their ports to Cruise ships, not wanting thousands of possible sick passengers infecting their population? This could become an issue, especially if the death toll rises or we get confirmed deaths here in the United States.

 

Tim:cool:

[nolaAlive]

What are the chances that countries around the Caribbean start closing their ports to Cruise ships, not wanting thousands of possible sick passengers infecting their population? This could become an issue, especially if the death toll rises or we get confirmed deaths here in the United States.

 

Tim:cool:

 

This has happened before with ships when passengers had Noro. I think it might have been Grand Cayman.

 

They didn't want sick people from one ship infecting the locals and didn't want them infecting the passengers from other ships.

[susique333]

I just read in interesting comment in another thread that says here in the U.S. our swine get vaccinated for the swine flu, but they do not give these shots in Mexico. Makes one wonder if the U.S population (who eat pork) will have a sort of immunity? <grabs another piece of bacon while typing>

[5waldos]

Here are some interesting statistics that I came across. The death rate in the 1917-18 flu epidemic was about 2.6%. The death rate in the current epidemic is about 7.5%. Those figures are sobering if they continue on this trajectory.

[nolaAlive]

Here are some interesting statistics that I came across. The death rate in the 1917-18 flu epidemic was about 2.6%. The death rate in the current epidemic is about 7.5%. Those figures are sobering if they continue on this trajectory.

 

The death rate outside of Mexico is 0%.

 

This is NOTHING like the 1917-18 flu.

[lookslikdi]

Melissa..the local San Diego news update Celebrity/Mercury ship debark delay(not HAL) was that Mercury had two stops in Mexico, Cabo and Acapulco from their cruise schedule. The big delay was that 6 passengers were missing and could not be located. So it was a customs/immigration matter. The news did not say if the missing passengers were found. Several people were interviewed and complained about missing their flights..No Swine Flu ...

[nolaAlive]

I just read in interesting comment in another thread that says here in the U.S. our swine get vaccinated for the swine flu, but they do not give these shots in Mexico. Makes one wonder if the U.S population (who eat pork) will have a sort of immunity? <grabs another piece of bacon while typing>

I have hypothesized that several times. Also, even in Mexico, the sickest are not the very young or old. In the case of the old, it is quite possible that they have been exposed to a similar virus years ago and still retain some immunity.