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

Table Of Content

• Using a Smartphone to Detect Norovirus (Winter Vomiting Bug)
• Nearly 30 Silverseas cruise passengers fall ill with diarrhea at sea
• Healthcare Facilities
• Health5 Things You Didn't Know About Nasty Norovirus
• Cruise ship hospital (medical care)
• Environments Where Norovirus Spreads Quickly
• Norovirus outbreaks 2023 reports

Therefore, the CDC has reports from every cruise vessel, on just about every cruise, even if there was no illness. If at any time during the cruise the number of ill passengers or crew exceeds 2 percent, the vessel must file a special report notifying CDC of the illness. According to the CDC, the most common settings for norovirus outbreaks are health care facilities, restaurants or catered events, schools, day cares and, of course, cruise ships. It's a very common, highly contagious, ruthlessly efficient and uncomfortably bad virus affecting the stomach and large intestines.

Using a Smartphone to Detect Norovirus (Winter Vomiting Bug)

The CDC regularly inspects cruise ships and monitors the number of outbreaks. This year, norovirus also has been reported on cruises operated by Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Holland America and P&O Cruises. The worst year for norovirus was 2006, when 32 ships reported infections, according to the CDC. The most recent norovirus outbreak was reported on the Viking Neptune cruise ship. During its June 6 to June 20 voyage, 110 of the ship’s 838 passengers, or 13.1 percent, were infected.

Nearly 30 Silverseas cruise passengers fall ill with diarrhea at sea

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. VSP may also post information on gastrointestinal illness outbreaks of public health significance that do not necessarily meet the above criteria. To quell the spread of the stomach bug, Silversea Cruises reportedly quarantined its impacted passengers and crew member and “increased cleaning and disinfection procedures,” the CDC said.

Nearly 100 Holland America cruise passengers become ill in norovirus outbreak - USA TODAY

Nearly 100 Holland America cruise passengers become ill in norovirus outbreak.

Posted: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Healthcare Facilities

If seasickness symptoms are accompanied by diarrhea or fever, passengers should immediately seek medical treatment for Norovirus and avoid spreading the illness to others. So it comes as no surprise that when CDC reports an illness outbreak on some vessel, big media sources do not immediately (or ever) respond to the news. You may hear about it on your local radio station, or on your local cable operator, but not necessarily on ABC, CNN, and often not even on Yahoo and MSN news online.

In March, Celebrity Cruises reported two norovirus outbreaks, as did Royal Caribbean International and Princess Cruises. 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. What’s more, the CDC has established a rigorous Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) to help prevent the overall spread of illnesses on cruise ships. Not only do they inspect a cruise ship’s medical center, but they also monitor their portable water systems, dining rooms, housekeeping procedures, heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and more. 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.

Cruise ship hospital (medical care)

This may explain why so many people of all ages get infected during norovirus outbreaks. Your travel insurance will not cover cancellations due to the fear of illness, but it will cover you if you cancel because you got sick before you went or are stricken onboard. Specifically, it could also pick up medical expenses and/or compensate you for days you missed if you left the ship before the end of the cruise. Since policies vary between travel insurers, read the fine print before you go.

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. Norovirus — a common and contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea — is on the rise throughout the United States, especially on cruise ships. However, unlike on land, most basic travel insurance policies don't cover medical treatments on cruise ships as they are not from the patient's primary caregiver. Purchasing cruise travel insurance with health coverage (medical clauses) is highly recommended. A cruise ship's medical facility can treat only passengers experiencing minor health issues - seasickness, scrapes, sunburns, etc. More severe medical emergencies can't be handled on the ship and usually require medevacs.

Outbreaks happen mostly during winter months and mainly in more crowded places with close quarters. Among those are schools, hospitals, nursing homes, dormitories, prisons, big resorts, bigger passenger ships (including cruise ferries). Norovirus is often branded as "cruise ship virus" simply because on ships health officials are required to report every gastrointestinal illness incident. This means Norovirus outbreaks are reported more quickly on ships than on land. 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.

Yes, Cruise Ships Have Strategies to Prevent Outbreaks

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. Norovirus can spread year-round, but it tends to have a wintertime seasonality and peak during the colder months. Outbreaks are most common between November and April, TODAY.com previously reported. The crew serves with short-term (2 weeks to 2 years) and long-term (min 2 years) contracts. Volunteer crew members occupy both medical (surgeons, dentists, nurses) and general jobs (deckhands, seamen, engineers, machinists, electricians, teachers, cooks, welders, plumbers, agriculturalists.

Norovirus outbreaks have hit ships from a range of different cruise ship companies including Viking Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, and P&O Cruises. Yeah, even though norovirus is known as the “Winter vomiting bug,” it’s activity is not necessarily confined to the colder months. There have already been an unlucky 13 recorded norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships under U.S. jurisdiction so far in 2023. That’s the highest tally in 10-years, ever since 16 such outbreaks occurred in 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vessel Sanitation Program.

The spray is chemical-free, odourless, transparent and can be applied to all surfaces. VSP doesn't charge fees for consultations related to shipping facilities renovations or new ships. Quarantining the ill passengers and crew to their cabins is mandatory (at least for 48 hours) to slow the outbreak's spread. Failing to comply with the crew's orders results in fines or even discharge from the ship. “Infected people spread the virus widely and make it difficult for public health officials to contain the virus,” Boden-Albala said.

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. On top of that, cruise ships returned to full operations for the entire calendar for the first time since early 2020. Throw in the whole idea of “revenge travel” with people scrambling to catch up on travel delayed by the pandemic, and you’ve got a bunch of set ups for norovirus outbreaks. 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.