Hand Sanitizer

Does Oasis of the Seas use hand sanitizer that is effective against the norovirus. The reason I ask is I recall going on a cruise on another non-RCI ship that used Purell. I understand that Purell is not effective against the norovirus. Can someone inform me. I would think that if they were going to go through the trouble of having hand sanitizer available, it would be a type that is effective on killing the norovirus. Please no lectures on hand washing. That is a given....

I would ask on the RCI board, here:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

As I understand it, most of the hand cleaners are not antiviral, and Noro is a virus. So there isn't a lot of success out there, with hand washes.

Just wash your hands well before you touch your face...nose, mouth and eyes are all entry points for viruses. Just having germs on your hands won't make you sick, unless you give them entry into your system! Just be very mindful NOT to touch your face without washing hands 1st!

Soap and water is the best way to rid your hands of germs.

Does Oasis of the Seas use hand sanitizer that is effective against the norovirus. The reason I ask is I recall going on a cruise on another non-RCI ship that used Purell. I understand that Purell is not effective against the norovirus. Can someone inform me. I would think that if they were going to go through the trouble of having hand sanitizer available, it would be a type that is effective on killing the norovirus. Please no lectures on hand washing. That is a given....

Short answer is no. The are not any hand sanitizes that are effective against the noro virus. They are usually effective against bacterial infections, not so good with viral infections. If one was effective you can be sure that every cruise ship afloat would use it.

NO. Noro is so nasty and hand sanitizers so weak, you would have to put your hands in a bucket of the stuff for 15 minutes to have any effect.

Wash your hands OFTEN with soap. Keep your fingers away from your eyes, nose and throat.

There is no hand sanitizer that's effective against Norovirus.

Also, after going through the buffet wash your hands again, if possible. Or just do what I do and do not eat with your hands (fries, sandwiches, burgers, rolls, etc.). Use the cutlery.

The dirty truth (pun intended) is that that the alcohol-based sanitizers used by most cruise lines are not very effective against Noro...although they do work against many other bacterias and some viruses. Washing your hands with warm water and soap is one of the most effective methods to prevent Noro. You can purchase a hand sanitizer that is supposed to be effective against Norovirus...because it contains a chemical called Benzalkonium Chloride. The product was formulated by a New Zealand Company called "Zoono" Limited. Its approved throughout most of Europe, but our FDA has been dragging their feet pending some longer term studies. But the product is available in CVS under the name "CVS Health Advanced Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer and its relatively inexpensive. According the the literature it is effective for up to 24 hours against Noro and other nasty things. We like the product because it has only a small amount of alcohol, comes out as a nice foam, and smells OK. Whether its truly effective is a question, but that active chemical has been proved to one of the few safe chemicals that is very effective against Noro. Otherwise, clorox or other bleaches seem to be effective, but they are not something you want to put on your hands. The cruise lines use very strong chemicals to clean railings and other surfaces, but the staff usually wears gloves while applying these chemicals.

Hank

.... But the product is available in CVS under the name "CVS Health Advanced Antiseptic Hand Sanitizer and its relatively inexpensive. According the the literature it is effective for up to 24 hours against Noro and other nasty things.

What literature is that? I didn't see anything on their website that says anything about killing even the Feline Coronavirus, let alone Norovirus itself. Non-enveloped viruses like Noro are resistant to ethanol/alcohol, and even though benzalkonium chloride has been shown to be partially effective in killing Noro surrogates (like FeCo virus) on surfaces (not skin), it took several hours to do so.

And the CVS product doesn't even contain it!

Well, what I learned from the replies is what I have read on the internet. Differing opinions. I had already did some research and learned that the few hand sanitizers that were known to be somewhat effective against the norovirus contained benzethonium chloride. Clorox Bleach Free Hand Sanitizer has benzethonium chloride as it active ingredient and it claims to kill the norovirus. There are other hand sanitizers that have that ingredient. However, my question was, "Does Oasis of the Seas use a hand sanitizer that is effective against the norovirus? The reason I ask is that if they did, I would not need to purchase a type that was know to kill the norovirus. I think I'll just order some and be done with it. I have been on 8 ships in my 70 years and have never gotten the norovirus. I never really thought about it much, but I am older now. I did actually come down with the real influenza on one cruise and that pretty much wrecked the cruise for me. That made me aware that sihte happens. So, now I wash my hands more frequently (always after using the restroom) and avoid touching anything in the wash room after I wash my hands. I will also be using the Clorox. Sounds as if I am worried about this and I am not. If I do contract the norovirus it won't be becasue I didn't practice hygiene. I will be because sheet happens.

It was here on CC that I learned about the spray on product that is claimed to kill norovirus. I purchased two purse sized spray bottles from Amazon. What I like about it is the claim it is good for 24 hours. Spray it once a day on hands and let dry. No need to reapply more than once a day. I figured with frequent hand washing and the hand sanitizer the ship provides i would be protected about as much as I can be protected. So far so good.

One thing I noticed about the hand sanitizer used on the ships is that on Royal Carribean's Vision of the Seas there were portable hand sanitizer dispensers outside every elevator door as well as every door to public rooms. Not so on Celebrity's Silhouette. The hand sanitizer dispensers were only outside the restaurants, casino, and guest services. I really appreciated being able to put sanitizer on my hands every time I handled the hand rails going up and down the stairs on board Vision of the Seas. That is where a lot of the germs are going to be found using the hand rails. Some people may say they just don't hold the hand rails but I don't want to chance a fall. I had my own personal hand sanitizer that I carry with me all the time, but I ended up using it all completely on Silhouette but not on Vision of the Seas. Make sure you pack a spare bottle of sanitizer with you or risk running out!

The ideal solution is to wash your hands thoroughly and frequently with soap and hot water. Say the alphabet to yourself twice while washing to make sure it is being done thoroughly. We do supplement this when we do not have a choice with sanitizer. We bring our own.

Keith

Well, what I learned from the replies is what I have read on the internet. Differing opinions. I had already did some research and learned that the few hand sanitizers that were known to be somewhat effective against the norovirus contained benzethonium chloride. Clorox Bleach Free Hand Sanitizer has benzethonium chloride as it active ingredient and it claims to kill the norovirus. .

No it doesn't. Here's the Clorox web page that lists the ingredients of the Clorox Bleach Free Hand Sanitizer: https://www.thecloroxcompany.com/?ii_product=clorox-commercial-solutions-clorox-bleach-free-hand-sanitizer-44600021744 that lists the ingredients of ethyl alcohol, water, Isopropyl alcohol, glycerin, and glycerol monolaurate.

Although benzethonium chloride has shown some positive effect in killing noro-type viruses on solid surfaces in some studies, I couldn't find any studies showing it has positive effect in hand sanitizers

What literature is that? I didn't see anything on their website that says anything about killing even the Feline Coronavirus, let alone Norovirus itself. Non-enveloped viruses like Noro are resistant to ethanol/alcohol, and even though benzalkonium chloride has been shown to be partially effective in killing Noro surrogates (like FeCo virus) on surfaces (not skin), it took several hours to do so.

 

And the CVS product doesn't even contain it!

The CVS product I referenced (which is in my hand at the moment) says it contains .13% Benzalkonium Chloride! As to its effectiveness against Noro, it is certainly an issue that is still under investigation (by the FDA). Like all of us, you are free to make your own decisions whether or not you want to use a product containing this chemical.

The US distributed product I referenced was actually formulated by Zoono (a New Zealand firm). You can take a look at their web site for info on the product formula here:

http://zoono.com/product/hand-sanitiser/

Hnak

Well, here's what I read: Does Alcohol kill norovirus?

There are many different norovirus strains and some are more resistant to alcohol than others. Here is a research paper that tested many strains of human norovirus against ethanol and isopropanol. Ethanol worked better than isopropanol. Some strains of norovirus seemed sensitive to ethanol and some strains seemed resistant. These tests did NOT show that after treatment with ethanol, the norovirus could or could not infect a human cell. They were just looking at whether the viral capsid proteins were damaged. Companies that sell alcohol based hand sanitizers usually say that they add other ingredients to make the ethanol more effective. We hope that is true and not just a marketing gimmick. The norovirus surrogate Feline Calicivirus is more resistant to ethanol than the other commonly used surrogate, murine norovirus.

Clorox Hand Sanitizing Spray

Clorox Hand Sanitizer Spray was tested and shown to kill 99.3% of the norovirus surrogate Feline Calicivirus. That is pretty good since Feline Calicivirus is very resistant to alcohol. Here is a link to the test data that I received from Clorox about it. This is a liquid spray hand sanitizer with 71% ethanol. It does not contain bleach. It is not available in most stores. You can order it on amazon. I don't know if it kills the norovirus or not but I have read that it does. I also read this: " www.emetophobia.org › ... › General Discussion

"Nov 1, 2012 - Clorox Hand Sanitizing Spray kills norovirus. This is a liquid spray hand sanitizer with 71% ethanol. It does not contain bleach. It is not available in most stores. You may be able to find it at Staples and Office Depot. You can also order it on amazon. I'd suggest getting a this 3 pack of little 2 ounce bottles to ." .....................Whatever. I am going to use it and practice good hygiene. That along with mass quantities of consumable alcohol and FORGETABOUTIT !

Well, here's what I read: Does Alcohol kill norovirus?

There are many different norovirus strains and some are more resistant to alcohol than others. Here is a research paper that tested many strains of human norovirus against ethanol and isopropanol. Ethanol worked better than isopropanol. Some strains of norovirus seemed sensitive to ethanol and some strains seemed resistant. These tests did NOT show that after treatment with ethanol, the norovirus could or could not infect a human cell. They were just looking at whether the viral capsid proteins were damaged. Companies that sell alcohol based hand sanitizers usually say that they add other ingredients to make the ethanol more effective. We hope that is true and not just a marketing gimmick. The norovirus surrogate Feline Calicivirus is more resistant to ethanol than the other commonly used surrogate, murine norovirus.

Clorox Hand Sanitizing Spray

Clorox Hand Sanitizer Spray was tested and shown to kill 99.3% of the norovirus surrogate Feline Calicivirus. That is pretty good since Feline Calicivirus is very resistant to alcohol. Here is a link to the test data that I received from Clorox about it. This is a liquid spray hand sanitizer with 71% ethanol. It does not contain bleach. It is not available in most stores. You can order it on amazon. I don't know if it kills the norovirus or not but I have read that it does. I also read this: " www.emetophobia.org › ... › General Discussion

"Nov 1, 2012 - CloroxHand Sanitizing Spraykills norovirus. This is a liquid sprayhand sanitizerwith 71% ethanol. Itdoesnot contain bleach. It is not available in most stores. You may be able to find it at Staples and Office Depot. You can also order it on amazon. I'd suggest getting a this 3 pack of little 2 ounce bottles to ." .....................Whatever. I am going to use it and practice good hygiene. That along with mass quantities of consumable alcohol and FORGETABOUTIT !

Thanks for the PLOS link; I haven't read it yet. You did read the ingredients on that product that does say it doesn't contain the benzalkonium chloride you said it did, right? Hey, I'm happy if there really is something that works, but from everything I've read, benzalkonium chloride works is a disinfectant that kills noro on solid surfaces, but not living tissue. I look forward to reading the PLOS article.

Well, I am now convinced that there is no hand sanitizer that kills the norovirus, although I will still us hand sanitizer as well as frequent washing. I will not sing all those idiotic songs while I wash, because I still have the ability to count. Alcohol based hand sanitizer is effective in killing germs responsible for colds and seasonal flu....I think.

http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2015/ucm453717.htm