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There have been 13 norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships since the start of the year, the most outbreaks the U.S. has witnessed since 2012, and more than there were in all of 2022. Royal Caribbean International's 'Oasis of the Seas' cruise ship is seen at Port Canaveral, Florida ... [+] on January 12, 2019, after returning a day early from a seven-night Caribbean cruise when over 400 passengers and crew members suffered gastrointestinal illness due to a suspected Norovirus outbreak. Norovirus cases aboard cruise ships have spiked for the first time in over 10 years, and experts believe more lenient travel restrictions and an increase in cruise passengers following the Covid pandemic are to blame. ▪ Norovirus is the “leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea and food-borne illness in the United States,” with more than 2,500 norovirus outbreaks reported every year, according to the CDC.
Outbreak Updates for International Cruise Ships
Cruise ships are required to report gastrointestinal illness cases to the CDC before arriving from a foreign port, or when 2% of the crew and passengers have the 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. ‡ Sources of data should include medical center records and other established surveillance systems for passengers and crew (e.g., employee illness reports). There are no internationally specified regulations governing ship infirmaries and medical staffing.
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However, in March 2022 the agency dropped the health notice, though it strongly urged against cruising without a booster shot. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, so far this year there have been 12 outbreaks of vomiting and diarrhea that have reached the threshold for public notification on cruise ships visiting U.S. ports. The tally has already exceeded each yearly total number of outbreaks reported from 2017 to 2019. The hotel staff is required to implement special cleaning and disinfection procedures for sanitizing the whole ship.
What is norovirus and how do you treat it? What to know about the ‘cruise ship virus’ - Miami Herald
What is norovirus and how do you treat it? What to know about the ‘cruise ship virus’.
Posted: Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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Passengers and crew members should be reminded to wash their hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, they can use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cruise operators should ensure passengers and crew have access to well-stocked hygiene stations with soap and water and/or hand sanitizer, tissues, paper towels, and trash receptacles. Cruise ship operators should consider denying boarding for passengers who test positive for infectious viral etiologies during pre-embarkation screening, as well as those who tested positive for COVID-19 within 10 days before embarkation. If boarding is permitted, see guidance for isolation and other measures provided below.
Illness outbreaks on cruise ships (annual statistics)
“While many viruses and illnesses cause a fever, norovirus does not always cause one,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee. In the past 10 years, only three other cruise ships have received sanitation scores below 70, CDC records show. Violations can include something as small as not posting a raw-eggs advisory on the omelet station or a single fly hovering in a food area. But before going on your next cruise adventure, it doesn't hurt to check out the ship's most recent sanitation rating. And while you might still have a closet full of hand sanitizer from the COVID days, keep in mind that hand sanitizer doesn’t work well against norovirus.
Managing Cruise Travelers with ARI and Contacts while on Board
In contrast, other entities — schools, nursing homes, hospitals and restaurants — are not. Healthcare providers should understand the advantages and limitations of rapid diagnostic tests, and proper interpretation of negative results of any antigen diagnostic tests. Rapid antigen diagnostic tests have a lower sensitivity compared with RT-PCR, and false negative results can occur frequently. Some of the world's most famous passenger ships are listed in the virus outbreak statistics, yet one hears so little of it in mass media news. 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.
Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships
Named after Norwalk, Ohio, where the first outbreak was identified in 1968, norovirus can lead to severe vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and, in certain cases, even more serious consequences such as severe dehydration. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a new advisory Thursday that travelers should avoid traveling by cruise ship, regardless of vaccination status, after a recent surge in positive COVID-19 cases onboard ships. Norovirus is often referred to as a "stomach bug" or "stomach flu" (although it is not a form of flu). It causes a variety of symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain. People infected with the virus may also have headaches, fevers and body aches, and are at risk of dehydration. VSP may also post information on gastrointestinal illness outbreaks of public health significance that do not necessarily meet the above criteria.
The number of outbreaks in the first six months of 2023 is higher than the yearly total during every year since 2012, when there were 16 outbreaks on cruise ships reported to the CDC. ▪ Norovirus spreads easily and can make anyone ill, with symptoms usually lasting one to three days. The virus most often spreads in closed and crowded environments, such as hospitals, nursing homes, child care centers, school and cruise ships, according to the Mayo Clinic. That said, the chances of catching the bug on a cruise ship aren’t particularly high.
The virus is commonly spread through direct contact with an infected person, consuming contaminated food or water, or touching surfaces or objects contaminated with the virus. One of the main challenges in containing norovirus is its ability to survive on various surfaces for a significant amount of time, making it easy to pick up unknowingly. While there have been 13 outbreaks of norovirus on cruise ships this year, Labus explained that not every cruise passenger is going to be exposed to the virus. Still, taking certain steps to prevent the likelihood of getting sick is never a bad idea. What’s more, the CDC has established a rigorous Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) to help prevent the overall spread of illnesses on cruise ships.
It's important to wash your hands with soap and clean water frequently, but especially after using the bathroom or changing diapers, before eating and before touching your face. “Norovirus is one of the few viruses that doesn’t get deactivated by alcohol. You actually need to use soap and water to physically destroy it and remove it from your hands,” Ostrosky previously told TODAY.com. It only takes a small number of virus particles for norovirus to spread, which is why norovirus causes so many explosive outbreaks, Ko previously told TODAY.com.
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. Norovirus is an illness that tends to have a wintertime seasonality with an uptake usually around February. Data on this page are from ship surveillance reports and from CDC-led investigations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 13 norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships so far in 2023. The last time the industry's yearly gastrointestinal illness outbreak total was that high was back in 2016 — and it's only July. Because norovirus can linger on surfaces and resists many common disinfectants, it can result in outbreaks on back-to-back cruises. Still, the agency says that norovirus on cruise ships only account for 1 percent of reported outbreaks of the illness and notes that “acute gastrointestinal illness is relatively infrequent” on ships.
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