The Norovirus: Why the Recent Outbreaks Are Keeping Cruise Ships Sick

A norovirus is a nasty bug that affects the stomach and intestines, causing gastroenteritis. The symptoms begin suddenly, with vomiting and diarrhea being the worst, and it lasts between 24-72 hours. Over the years, this virus has often been associated with cruise liners. According to the CDC, in 2010 eight cruise ships have been affected already, with 4 in just one week. In 2009 there were 15 outbreaks of this illness total. This may be a bad year, if the trend continues.

So what is the norovirus and why won't it go away?

The norovirus is a non-enveloped RNA virus belonging to the Caliciviridae family. The virus is spread through fecal matter, or vomit, and then through surfaces that have been touched by an infected person. The virus is very contagious and virulent, and according to the CDC, as few as 10 virus particles may be sufficient to infect someone. Outbreaks often occur where there is a large number of people in a small area, such as on a cruise ship.

The norovirus is difficult to get rid of, especially on a cruise ship. The virus is very tough, and unlike some other viruses like HIV or Hepatitis C which can't survive for very long outside the body, the norovirus can linger on surfaces touched by someone infected. In addition, because the virus does not have a lipid envelope, it is less susceptible to alcohol or detergent based cleansers. In some cases, it can even survive a 10 percent bleach cleaning solution.

So the norovirus can happily linger on surfaces waiting for its next victim. And on a cruise ship, with so many people in tight quarters, it is easily spread from person to person. A big problem area on the cruise is the buffet tables. With so many hands touching so many items, the virus can spread easily, not to mention the fact that the food and drink can be easily contaminated.

What cruise lines have been infected and what are they doing about it?

So far this year, three Royal Carribbean cruise ships have been infected, as well as a Celebrity Cruise ship and Holland America. Lucky for me, we just got back from a cruise 5 days ago on the Carnival cruise line, and while there, the cruise director was sure to mention that so far, Carnival has not been hit by the outbreaks. Whew!

The infected ships have been doing their best to eradicate the norovirus. Some ships have been delaying boarding to allow more time to clean the ship between cruises. Also, additional sanitization methods have been implemented during the cruise as well. Even on our Carnival cruise last week, they had alcohol-based sanitization stations everywhere and asked that we use them every time we go on and off the ship. Some ships are even trying to serve passengers individually to minimize cross contamination. However, with so many new people coming and going keeping the cruise ship surfaces disinfected is difficult, which is why the norovirus keeps returning. Experts have yet to find the best method to kill it.

How can you protect yourself from the virus if you are going on a cruise?

Don't think that in order to avoid the virus you have to avoid going on vacation at all. You just have to take extra precautions! The major step you can take to protect yourself and the spread of the virus is simply to wash your hands often, or use gel hand sanitizers. Also, you can prevent the sharing of food and surfaces. Stay away from finger food items such as sandwiches, and bring your own bottled water. Avoid touching any common areas as much as possible.

If everyone is vigilant and aware of these protection methods, hopefully we can eliminate or decrease the frequency of these outbreaks, and everyone can enjoy their cruise instead of vomiting all over it.

Source:

www.cdc.gov