Mariner of The Seas Deals With Norovirus

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Mariner of The Seas Deals With Norovirus
By now you've probably heard the stories regarding the virus outbreak onboard Royal Caribbean's Mariner of The Seas last week. We had stayed away from this story because it has already received a lot of coverage in the media. Unfortunately, there's been a significant amount of sensationalistic reporting, and in the process some important facts are being left out. We talked a bit about Norovirus, in Episode 3 of The Mail Buoy podcast. Norovirus, or Norwalk Virus is a form of gastroenteritis. It commonly occurs in areas where large groups of people are in close proximity to each other for a period of time, these are typically locations like hotels, nursing homes, and cruise ships. However, only cruise ships are required to report outbreaks, these outbreaks are reported to the Centers for Disease Control. Click "more" for additional information. According to the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL)

In most cases of norovirus reported on cruise ships, the CDC has determined that the increased incidents of norovirus were sourced from passengers bringing the illness on board and transmitting it through direct or indirect contact - not from food or water sources.

The CDC estimates that 23 million Americans contract Norovirus every year, or 1 in every 12 people. Approximately 8 million people take a cruise every year, of those less than 1 percent (1 in every 3,600 people) contract Norovirus onboard a cruise ship. According to the ICCL cruise lines use the following procedures to prevent and control outbreaks onboard:

An aggressive communications effort on board ships encourages passengers to thoroughly wash their hands frequently to help avoid unknowingly spreading the virus. Washing one's hands regularly (every hour or two) is a very good way to reduce the spread of any contact virus such as norovirus.

Aboard ship, staterooms and public areas are cleaned and disinfected daily.

Cleaning procedures include the use of disinfectants on areas including, but not limited to: counters, bathroom surfaces, door handles, railings and grab bars, exercise equipment, video arcade equipment, vanities and TV remote controls.

Cleaning measures go as far as disinfecting the Scrabble game tiles, poker chips and anything that a passenger might touch.

Other measures include disposing of playing cards after each evening in the casino; not shaking hands at cocktail parties to reduce the risk of spreading the virus; and the elimination of all self-serve buffets (passengers point to the food they would like and staff will serve them).

Areas where people are or have been sick are immediately and thoroughly cleaned, sanitized/disinfected.

On turnaround days, extra crew may be brought on board to disinfect the ship with the CDC-recommended disinfectants from top to bottom before additional passengers board.

Norovirus may be killed with strong chlorine solution, some hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-based cleaners and some phenolic-based cleaners. It is not susceptible to quaternary ammonium or alcohol-based cleaners. Heat will kill the virus at 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71C).

Passengers with obvious symptoms of illness upon embarkation may be refused boarding.

To avoid the risk of spreading the virus, passengers who experience symptoms are sometimes asked to remain in their cabins and could be asked to disembark the ship at the next available port. This procedure is endorsed by the CDC.

All crew who have norovirus symptoms may be confined to their quarters or transferred off the ship.

Cruise ships are inspected twice a year through the Vessel Sanitation Program, which was started in early 1970s. Cruise ships are routinely thoroughly cleaned and adhere to strict sanitation standards. In general, the lower the score, the lower the level of sanitation; however, a low score does not necessarily imply an imminent risk for gastrointestinal disease. Since the program began, the number of disease outbreaks on ships has declined despite significant growth in the number of ships sailing and the number of passengers carried. In nearly every case of norovirus, the CDC traced the virus to passengers bringing it on board and transmitting the illness. So, while the ships are cleaned and sanitized, the arrival of new, susceptible or affected passengers every one or two weeks on cruise ships provides an opportunity for the transmission of norovirus during successive cruises. So what can you do to protect yourself? 1. Wash your hands! Just like your mother used to tell you when you were a kid, wash your hands often, in particular after using the bathroom and before eating. 2. Leave the area if you see someone get sick (vomiting or diarrhea). Report to cruise staff, if not already notified. You could become sick if you ingest contaminated particles that travel through the air. 3. Take care of yourself, by getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of water. by resting your rebuilding your immune system and preventing dehydration. 4. Be considerate of other people's health. If you're ill before taking a cruise, call the cruise line to determine if there are alternative cruising options.