Cruise Ship Outbreak Updates Vessel Sanitation Program

Table Of Content

• Royal Caribbean eliminated norovirus outbreaks on its cruise ships last year after making big changes
• Travel
• Norovirus Cases Are Rising on Cruises. Here’s How You Can Stay Safe
• Common Settings of Norovirus Outbreaks
• Why the Number of Norovirus Outbreaks Increased
• How does norovirus spread on cruise ships?

A total of 130 crew had gotten sick on those voyages and didn't report their illness in the required time period. During this investigation, VSP used surveillance data and environmental and spatial analyses to improve field responses and quickly identify sources of norovirus exposure and transmission. Public health response to maritime AGE outbreaks involves robust and timely monitoring of AGE cases and collaborations with cruise companies.

Royal Caribbean eliminated norovirus outbreaks on its cruise ships last year after making big changes

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. You're far more likely to catch norovirus at a long-term care facility, hospital, childcare center, or school. "In close quarters it doesn't get away, everything's concentrated," Zimring says. Norovirus is the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the U.S., with between 19 to 21 million cases a year and more than 56,00 hospitalizations. Introduced in 2023, the Silver Nova boasts butler service for every suite, one crew member for every 1.3 guests and “outstanding gastronomy” — it even welcomed “Top Chef’s” Nina Compton to its ranks at the end of last year.

Travel

My cruise ship had a norovirus outbreak. Should I be worried? - The Washington Post

My cruise ship had a norovirus outbreak. Should I be worried?.

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

It operates hospital ships since 1978 and also has currently the world's largest hospital ship (excluding navy vessels) - MV Africa Mercy. Most hospital ships are navy vessels (operated by military forces) which are specifically built for use in war zones. Hospital ships are designated as floating medical facilities (hospitals). Major (in some cases epidemic) illness outbreaks are among the "biggies" that can bring down the brand's reputation on the market. Cruise illness issues often result in lower booking rates and cheaper prices - which is bad for the business.

Norovirus Cases Are Rising on Cruises. Here’s How You Can Stay Safe

Another popular cruise line, Royal Caribbean International, has reported four outbreaks since January. Norovirus is the most common of several viruses that cause severe gastrointestinal illness or acute gastroenteritis. Symptoms may include diarrhea and vomiting, as well as abdominal cramping, headaches, muscle aches and fever — an unpleasant experience any time but especially when you're on vacation. That’s the highest number of norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships since 2012.

Common Settings of Norovirus Outbreaks

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. Although outbreaks may affect more than 100 passengers, the two most recent cases represented about 13 percent and 7 percent of guests, respectively. The threat of norovirus on cruise ships is a serious issue that has both health and economic impacts.

Why the Number of Norovirus Outbreaks Increased

There’s no specific treatment or antiviral for norovirus, according to Ostrosky, but most cases can be managed at home with supportive care like hydration and rest. Sick people should also isolate until their symptoms resolve, the experts emphasize. In the vast majority of people, norovirus symptoms will last several days and resolve on their own. Less commonly, norovirus may cause a headache, muscle aches, or a low-grade fever — symptoms usually develop within one to two days after exposure to the virus, per the CDC. In the case of the Royal Caribbean outbreak, the CDC is testing specimens taken from sick people onboard the ship and lists the cause of the outbreak as unknown. The outbreak was reported one day before the “Easter” themed cruise was scheduled to end.

How does norovirus spread on cruise ships?

Norovirus is the leading cause of outbreaks from contaminated food in the United States. About 50% of all outbreaks of food-related illness are caused by norovirus. Most of these outbreaks occur in food service settings like restaurants. Infected food workers are frequently the source of outbreaks in food-service settings, often by touching ready-to-eat foods, such as raw fruits and vegetables, with their bare hands before serving them. However, any food served raw or handled after being cooked can get contaminated with norovirus.

Attacking a hospital ship is considered a war crime, but enemy forces have the right to board them for inspections. 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.

It's easy to make norovirus case numbers sound alarming, but context matters. For example, 100 cases on a single ship might seem like a lot, but on a vessel like Oasis of the Seas, which carries more than 5,400 passengers, 100 cases are only about 2% of the onboard population. The simple answer is that cruise ships are required to report cases of acute gastroenteritis to the CDC, even when the numbers are low. In contrast, other entities — schools, nursing homes, hospitals and restaurants — are not.

Other possible actions and results are red level ("Code Red") cleaning. The boarding/embarkation of new passengers is often delayed to permit more extensive disinfection of public areas and the cabins. Usually, a pre-embarkation health advisory is distributed to all boarding passengers. Additional med staff is sent to the ship in port to assist the disembarkation of infected passengers. Another possibility is the cruise ship to cancel all the itinerary's foreign ports of call and to return to its US home-port before the end of the voyage. An "illness outbreak" is considered when 3% or more of all passengers report symptoms to the ship's med staff.

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.

The total number of infected was 2385 (of those 2249 passengers and 136 crew). In 2014, the number of reported illness outbreaks on cruise ships was 17. The total number of infected was 3559 (of those 3354 passengers and 205 crew). In 2015, the number of reported illness outbreaks on cruise ships was 23. The total number of infected was 2570 (of those 2458 passengers and 112 crew). In 2016, the number of reported illness outbreaks on cruise ships was 23.

So the decision to travel or not should depend on several factors, Ungerleider says, including your personal health status and risk tolerance. According to the CDC, the incubation period for norovirus — the time it takes between infection and the onset of symptoms — is between 12 and 48 hours. In February 2023, for instance, a school of K-8 students in Livonia, Michigan shut down as over 115 students and staff members contracted this virus, according to reports. If you are around a family member who is sick or taking care of someone wiping down surfaces that are shared can also help decrease transmission of this virus within a household. While current data suggests we are currently within the seasonal range, the CDC reports that this is an increase compared to the past years.

This is because norovirus can persist on surfaces for days or weeks and is resistant to many common disinfectants. Among 410 reported cases during November 2022–January 2023 (voyages 1–5), 356 (87%) occurred in passengers and 54 (13%) in crew members. The index case likely occurred in a food and beverage crew member sailing on a crew-only voyage (voyage 1).

Hydration is one of the most important things you can do to help prevent dehydration — the biggest complication of this illness. While this virus tends to be short-lived, treatment is based on symptomatic care. And recent data from the CDC has noted that over 15% of norovirus tests are coming back positive. Likewise, Mathis says vacationers shouldn’t let the fear of norovirus keep them from taking a vacation. Cruise experts say several factors may be contributing to the rise in cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating an outbreak on a luxury cruise ship after more than 150 people reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, including diarrhea and vomiting. There have currently been 13 norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships in 2023. The most recent outbreak occurred on a Viking Cruises ship, which traveled from Iceland and docked in New York City. About 13% of its passengers and several crew members became ill with the virus while on board. Norovirus cases aboard cruise ships were on a steady decline between 2006 and 2019, according to CDC data.