Norovirus Outbreaks Surge on Cruises: Here's How to Avoid the Bug

Table Of Content

• Using a Smartphone to Detect Norovirus (Winter Vomiting Bug)
• How does norovirus spread on cruise ships?
• Why are acute gastrointestinal illnesses including noroviruses associated with cruise ships?
• Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships
• Credit Card Reward Programs
• Environments Where Norovirus Spreads Quickly

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 19 to 21 million cases of vomiting and diarrhea illnesses caused by norovirus each year. The Ruby Princess has made headlines in the past as the site of several COVID-19 outbreaks, including a 2020 cruise early in the coronavirus pandemic that docked in Australia with hundreds of positive cases on board. As 95 of the world's top 100 largest megapolises are port cities, "hospital ships" could provide healthcare very quickly and more efficiently to large numbers of people. The crew serves with short-term (2 weeks to 2 years) and long-term (min 2 years) contracts. Volunteer crew members occupy both medical (surgeons, dentists, nurses) and general jobs (deckhands, seamen, engineers, machinists, electricians, teachers, cooks, welders, plumbers, agriculturalists.

Using a Smartphone to Detect Norovirus (Winter Vomiting Bug)

Several ships recently had to skip port calls in Mexico, for instance, after passengers and crew on board the vessels tested positive for COVID-19. The ports have since reopened after Mexico's Health Department overruled the decisions of local port officials. In total, 284 of 2,881 passengers on the Ruby Princess reported being sick during the voyage between Feb. 26 and March 5, CDC investigators said, and 34 of the 1,159 crew members also reported illness. Norovirus is a highly contagious virus often described as a “stomach bug,” the generic description of the leading cause of nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain and vomiting in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most common symptoms of norovirus are vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain, Dr. Albert Ko, infectious disease physician and professor of public health, epidemiology and medicine at Yale School of Public Health, tells TODAY.com. However, unlike on land, most basic travel insurance policies don't cover medical treatments on cruise ships as they are not from the patient's primary caregiver.

How does norovirus spread on cruise ships?

Lines also are dealing with a small but growing number of destinations -- India and Hong Kong, for example -- that are at least temporarily closing to cruising completely, even for ships where no one has tested positive for COVID-19. If anything, the positivity rate is far lower on ships than on land, thanks to much stricter health protocols (more on that in a moment). Royal Caribbean Group's eradication program is certainly a positive step, but if you're still worried about catching norovirus, the risks are low. The team reviewed public health trends and past areas of concern to come up with recommendations to do better. The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program epidemiologists and environmental health officers responded to the ship when it docked in Galveston, Texas on March 5, the agency said.

Why are acute gastrointestinal illnesses including noroviruses associated with cruise ships?

About 13% of its passengers and several crew members became ill with the virus while on board. Such viral/bacterial outbreak incidents affect the vacation experience of thousands of people, being packed up in a floating resort for many days on end. In confined spaces with frequent passenger turnover (like big capacity cruise ships), it is easy for diseases to spread - whether food- or air-borne, or otherwise. Including this outbreak, so far this year there have been 12 notable instances of gastrointestinal illness on international cruise ships reported by the CDC. That's already significantly higher than in previous years, with 2022 seeing four instances and 2021 only one.

The recent surge in Norovirus outbreaks underscores the necessity of vigilance and proper understanding of this issue, both for those planning a dream vacation at sea and for those in the cruise industry itself. Together, we can work towards ensuring that cruise ships remain a place of relaxation and enjoyment, rather than a breeding ground for this troublesome virus. A norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship in late May left 152 passengers and 25 staff members sick, according to a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) investigation. In addition, most cruise lines now are requiring passengers to wear masks at all times while in interior spaces of vessels, and they have stepped up cleaning regimens, improved air filtration systems on ships and made other onboard changes. While health authorities no longer are quarantining whole ships when a few passengers or crew test positive for COVID-19, the presence of the illness on board a vessel still could result in notable disruptions to your itinerary.

Credit Card Reward Programs

You can get norovirus from an infected person, from contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed (acute gastroenteritis). This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhea and to throw up. The following statistics show the number of cruise ship illness outbreaks in recent years.

Environments Where Norovirus Spreads Quickly

This is partly because health officials track illness on cruise ships, so outbreaks are found and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land. 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. The ship's medical staff is required by the CDC to maintain illness counts for each itinerary involving a stop at a US cruise port and to give CDC the number of all passengers/crew, plus the number of reported diarrhea cases during that voyage. This is done 24 hrs prior to arrival at any US port of call from a foreign port. In 2012, the number of reported illness outbreaks on cruise ships was 34.

How to prevent seasickness on cruise ships (tips)

Quarantining the ill passengers and crew to their cabins is mandatory (at least for 48 hours) to slow the outbreak's spread. Failing to comply with the crew's orders results in fines or even discharge from the ship. Should you be worried about catching norovirus or another gastrointestinal illness when you cruise? The CDC says cruises account for some of the lowest case numbers in the U.S. annually.

The company said the sickness was likely caused by norovirus, a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Norovirus, which is sometimes called the "cruise ship virus," causes more than 90% of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the CDC. In the following table, you can see all 2019-reported Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships. It shows the number of sick passengers and crew (with the respective percentage to all), along with the corresponding CDC report pages (if available) as outgoing links. While only about 1% of all annual norovirus cases reported in the U.S. happen on cruise ships, the perception is it occurs more frequently due to media reports of gastrointestinal viral outbreaks on cruise ships.

Norovirus Is Rising on Cruise Ships: How to Stay Safe - AARP

Norovirus Is Rising on Cruise Ships: How to Stay Safe.

Posted: Thu, 20 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

VSP doesn't charge fees for consultations related to shipping facilities renovations or new ships. ▪ You can get norovirus in a variety of ways, such as by eating or drinking contaminated food and drinks, touching an infected surface and then touching your mouth or having direct contact with someone ill from the virus, according to the CDC. In a study of acute gastroenteritis cases from 2006 to 2019 (before the cruise industry's COVID-19 shutdown), the CDC found that the number of cases on ships decreased over those 14 years. It also noted that the number of cases tends to be higher on larger ships and on voyages of a week or longer. Cruise lines employ crews dedicated to keeping public areas and high-touch surfaces clean.

Norovirus infects between 19 million and 21 million Americans annually, the CDC reports. Land-based operations ("Field Service") include mobile clinics providing screening for potential surgery patients, healthcare, dental care, also mental health programs, infrastructure projects. They are located on upper decks and include cabins for families, couples and single cabins. The navies of USA, UK, Australia, China, France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, and Japan have some classes of military ships fitted with onboard hospitals. In January 2016, the CDC issued travel guidance on affected countries and suggested using enhanced precautions and even postponing travel. Similar travel warnings were issued by other health agencies and governments.

Still, it's important to note that most of these "cases" of COVID-19 are asymptomatic or mild, only discovered during routine testing. While some ships only are testing passengers who report feeling ill for COVID-19 (and close contacts of those who subsequently test positive), other ships are testing every single passenger at least once per voyage, sometimes more. One line, Viking, is testing every single passenger for COVID-19 every day.

However, as travel surges this summer, travel-related illnesses are expected to surge, as well. “I think our travel frenzy after COVID is partially fueling this continued spread (of norovirus),” says Ostrosky. Major (in some cases epidemic) illness outbreaks are among the "biggies" that can bring down the brand's reputation on the market.

Studies have shown that norovirus can continue to spread for two weeks or more after an infected person stops having symptoms of the illness, according to the CDC. The virus spreads easily and is typically contracted when someone accidentally ingests tiny particles of vomit or feces from someone who is infected with it. The CDC writes that people who are infected "can shed billions of norovirus particles that you can't see without a microscope," and exposure to just a few norovirus particles can make someone sick. The CDC advises frequent hand washing with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds to prevent the spread of norovirus.

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.