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

Table Of Content

• How to avoid Norovirus on cruise ships?
• Healthcare Facilities
• Norovirus outbreaks 2022 reports
• COVID, Bird Flu, Monkeypox – A Virologist Explains the Surge of Virus Outbreaks Around the World
• Why are acute gastrointestinal illnesses including noroviruses associated with cruise ships?
• Why are there so many cruise norovirus reports on the news?
• Royal Caribbean eliminated norovirus outbreaks on its cruise ships last year after making big changes

Once you have been exposed to Norovirus, it takes anywhere from one to three days for its symptoms to appear. Symptoms typically last only 24 to 48 hours but keep up the good hygiene for longer; people may be contagious for as long as two weeks after recovery. While having the symptoms of norovirus can be uncomfortable, they tend to be very short-lived and something that many people recover from in just a few days with over-the-counter medications. Even before this new initiative was put into place, the CDC acknowledges that risks are quite low on cruise ships compared to your chances of catching it elsewhere on land. In short, the math points to it being an unlikely scenario for you to encounter.

How to avoid Norovirus on cruise ships?

Some people are at higher risk of developing severe norovirus symptoms — these include infants, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems, Ostrosky noted. 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.

Healthcare Facilities

It is important to note that antibiotic drugs will not help treat norovirus infections because they fight bacteria, not viruses. There is no specific medicine to treat people with norovirus illness. Here's everything you need to know about Norovirus -- and how to avoid getting sick on your next cruise vacation.

Norovirus outbreaks 2022 reports

2024 Is Already Shaping Up to Be the Year of Cruise Ship Norovirus Cases - Matador Network

2024 Is Already Shaping Up to Be the Year of Cruise Ship Norovirus Cases.

Posted: Wed, 13 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Norovirus is also known as the “Cruise ship virus” because conditions on cruise ships can stack the deck for the spread of norovirus, so to speak. Typically, a cruise ship will have dozens, hundreds, and in some cases thousands of people sharing surfaces, objects, food, drink, and who-knows-what-else over extended period of times. Norovirus is highly infectious, as I’ve described for Forbes previously.

Cruises

You can also get a low-grade fever, chills, a headache, and muscle aches. Such symptoms tend to emerge rather suddenly about one or two days after the virus has gone down your pie hole. To try to help prevent the spread of stomach viruses at sea, the CDC randomly inspects cruise ships and scores them on a scale of 0 to 100 through the Vessel Sanitation Program.

COVID, Bird Flu, Monkeypox – A Virologist Explains the Surge of Virus Outbreaks Around the World

Though generally moderate, symptoms are often flu-like (in fact, Norovirus is often called the "stomach flu," even though it is not related to influenza). Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps; children often vomit more than adults. 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. Regardless, because of the media attention reports of the virus on cruise ships attract, Royal Caribbean Group took action to mitigate cases.

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

While this virus tends to be short-lived, treatment is based on symptomatic care. Norovirus is an illness that tends to have a wintertime seasonality with an uptake usually around February. And recent data from the CDC has noted that over 15% of norovirus tests are coming back positive. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more.

There's nothing like a stomach virus to ruin your vacation, as hundreds of cruise ship passengers have unfortunately learned this year. You are at your most contagious when you have symptoms of norovirus illness, especially vomiting or during the first few days after you feel better. In serious cases where outbreaks cannot be contained, cruise lines might actually pull a ship out of service for a few days so it can undergo a more thorough sanitization. Cruise lines have had to invest heavily in cleaning and sanitation protocols, disease detection methods, and passenger education to combat the threat of norovirus. In many instances, outbreaks have led to public relations challenges, decreased passenger satisfaction, and financial losses due to trip cancellations and medical costs.

These models helped visualize continued norovirus transmission and sources of potential exposure (e.g., contaminated surfaces in cabins of persons with AGE and high-touch surfaces in common areas). The threat of norovirus on cruise ships is a serious issue that has both health and economic impacts. The confined environment of a cruise ship, combined with the virus’s highly contagious nature, creates a significant challenge. It’s crucial for cruise lines, passengers, and health officials to remain vigilant, proactive, and informed to prevent and contain potential norovirus outbreaks.

Cruise lines are not required to compensate passengers who fall ill on a voyage; however, cruise lines will generally compensate passengers whose voyage is altered or canceled due to an outbreak. First and foremost, wash your hands often with hot water and soap; the CDC recommends hitting the sink before and after eating and smoking, after touching your face, after using the restroom, and whenever your hands are dirty. Limit person-to-person contact as much as possible (we're not saying you absolutely must refuse the captain a handshake at his cocktail party ... just use your judgment throughout the cruise).

Princess Cruises reported its first outbreak of the year in February, and Royal Caribbean International reported two the previous month. P&O Cruises also reported an outbreak on its Arcadia cruise ship this year. That’s the highest number of norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships since 2012. That’s how many people have been infected with the norovirus while aboard cruise ships this year, according to CDC data. The outbreaks happened on Celebrity Cruises, Viking Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and P&O Cruises.

Like a virus, Norwalk can't be effectively treated with antibiotics, making it extremely difficult to eliminate in closed environments - like cruise vessels. The “vomiting” should be a tip off as to what may happen when you get infected with norovirus. The most common symptoms of a norovirus infection are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramping.

It's also frequently spread through contaminated food, sometimes earning it the nickname "food poisoning," even though there are many pathogens that can cause foodborne illnesses. You might also hear it generically called a stomach bug or the stomach flu despite the fact that noroviruses are not the same as flu viruses. It’s really not that surprising that norovirus outbreaks have already reached a high water mark this year. As many Covid-19 precautions went the way of sweater vests in late 2022, it’s probably not a coincidence that this past winter saw a surge of norovirus cases in general, as I reported for Forbes on February 10, 2023.