Cruise Ship Illness: How to Protect Yourself

Table Of Content

• Respiratory Illnesses
• Nearly 30 Silversea cruise passengers get sick in gastrointestinal illness outbreak
• Outbreaks 2013 reports
• Outbreaks 2017 reports
• Cruise Ship Medical Capabilities
• Nearly 30 Silverseas cruise passengers fall ill with diarrhea at sea
• Common Health Concerns During Cruise Travel and what You Can Do to Prevent Illness

Norovirus is often branded as "cruise ship virus" simply because on ships health officials are required to report every gastrointestinal illness incident. This means Norovirus outbreaks are reported more quickly on ships than on land. Just for comparison, the virus can afflict as many as 3000 people per day in only one big city, which is about the passenger capacity of a typical modern cruiser. The CDC's "Vessel Sanitation Program" is for monitoring illness outbreaks on passenger ships carrying 100 or more guests on sailings from 3 to 21 days in length.

Respiratory Illnesses

Similar travel warnings were issued by other health agencies and governments. After that flight ends, however, the passengers quickly disperse, perhaps taking other flights, continuing to travel via other means, or simply going home or to different vacation spots. For example, if several hundred people on an aircraft were exposed to a virus or bacteria, they may indeed become infected with the illness during the several hours of their shared flight. However, antihistamines can interact with other medications and often cause drowsiness and decreased mental alertness, and the nonsedating ones appear to be less effective, the CDC says. Your doctor may also prescribe or recommend a patch that can help prevent nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness.

Nearly 30 Silversea cruise passengers get sick in gastrointestinal illness outbreak

Some of the world's most famous passenger ships are listed in the virus outbreak statistics, yet one hears so little of it in mass media news. And there is no surprise in that since the "cruise illness" news are nothing but bad publicity for the companies - which is bad for a prosperous multi-billion dollar sea travel vacation business. All major cruise line companies will do their best to keep quiet about virus outbreaks on their ships. There are passenger testimonials about quarantined ships and how badly guests have been treated by the line. Virus outbreak news speaks of a lack of proper hygiene control, badly trained staff, bad ship management. The whole responsibility goes to the shipowner (cruise line company) and its management.

Outbreaks 2013 reports

Sick passengers and crew are quarantined in their rooms, typically for at least 2 days. When Norovirus outbreaks can't be contained, cruise lines might also pull the ship out of service for a few days for sanitizing. "The health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit are our top priority," Silversea told USA TODAY in an emailed statement.

At the cruise ship's Infirmary, and also at Reception Desk is provided (free of charge) Meclizine. Also, motion in midship-located areas (including staterooms) is highly reduced in comparison to forward and aft areas. The C.D.C. said that, as of Thursday, 129 passengers and 25 crew members had reported being ill on the ship. The agency said 1,824 passengers and 967 crew members were aboard at the time of the outbreak. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines.

None of the ships so far appear to have so many cases that they would overwhelm medical resources on board and require a return to port. Most lines require adult passengers to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Cruise ships are allowed to relax measures such as mask use if at least 95% of passengers and 95% of crew are fully vaccinated. "Our warnings have proved sadly prescient and continuously compelling. Time for CDC and cruise lines to protect consumers, again pause — docking their ships," the Connecticut senator posted on Twitter. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling for the CDC and cruise lines to again halt cruise travel, six months after the industry mounted its comeback.

It operates hospital ships since 1978 and also has currently the world's largest hospital ship (excluding navy vessels) - MV Africa Mercy. On most vessels, the medical facilities are located midship on a lower deck (for easier access and better stability) and usually among other crew facilities. Every passenger stateroom has the Infirmary's number - posted or by the cabin's phone.

Respiratory illnesses are the most common medical complaint on cruise ships. During the pretravel visit, evaluate whether vaccines or boosters (e.g., COVID-19, influenza) are needed and emphasize the importance of practicing good respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette while onboard. As with GI illnesses, cruise ship passengers should report respiratory illness to the medical center promptly and follow isolation recommendations as instructed. Medical staff on cruise ships under U.S. jurisdiction are required to report gastrointestinal illness cases to the Vessel Sanitation Program when at least two percent of people onboard are infected. This is one of the most well-known bugs that can foil fun on a ship. Norovirus — marked by diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain — is to blame for more than 90 percent of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruises, according to the CDC.

Norovirus cases aboard cruise ships have spiked for the first time in over 10 years, and experts believe more lenient travel restrictions and an increase in cruise passengers following the Covid pandemic are to blame. SAN FRANCISCO — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating an outbreak on a luxury cruise ship where more than 150 people have reported gastrointestinal illness, including diarrhea and vomiting. Routine vaccinations protect you from infectious diseases  that can spread quickly in groups of people.

CDC reviews cruise ship in S.F. after passengers, crew get stomach illness - San Francisco Chronicle

CDC reviews cruise ship in S.F. after passengers, crew get stomach illness.

Posted: Wed, 07 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Generally, shipboard medical centers can provide medical care comparable to that of ambulatory care centers; some are capable of providing hospitalization services or renal dialysis. There are more than 21 million US cases reported annually, of which 1 mill related to kids. Outbreaks happen mostly during winter months and mainly in more crowded places with close quarters. Among those are schools, hospitals, nursing homes, dormitories, prisons, big resorts, bigger passenger ships (including cruise ferries).

VSP conducted an environmental assessment and outbreak investigation to assist the ship in controlling the outbreak. It’s expected that the ship will be allowed to dock Tuesday, the cruise line said, after results of tests conducted Sunday become available. An MSC Cruises representative told Insider at the time that the cruise line had launched an internal investigation based on the inspector's concerns and taken immediate corrective actions. Both emergency and basic care are available on the ship 24 hours a day.

☐ Report all illnesses to ship’s medical center and follow their recommendations. ☐ Use insect bite precautions during port visits, especially in vectorborne disease–endemic areas or areas experiencing outbreaks of vectorborne diseases (e.g., Zika, yellow fever) ☐ Use sun protection. ☐ Wash hands frequently with soap and water; if soap and water are not available, use ≥60% alcohol–based hand sanitizer. People who become ill with a communicable disease before a voyage should consult their health care provider and delay their travel until they are no longer contagious.

This is a neurodevelopmental disorder - babies are born with an underdeveloped head. Zika virus (aka ZIKV) is a Flavivirus - from the genus of the viruses named West Nile, dengue, tick-borne encephalitis, yellow fever. These plus several other viruses may cause encephalitis (acute brain inflammation). In humans, Zika virus causes the Zika fever which is known to occur only within some equatorial regions. In 2014, Zika spread across the Pacific Ocean to French Polynesia, and soon to Easter Island. In 2015, Zika virus reached Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.