Noro virus ????

[MR NW GUY]

If you know someone has the noro virus while you are sailing, should you tell anyone?

[nascarcruiser]

If you know someone has the noro virus while you are sailing, should you tell anyone?

 

Yes

[Cruisegirl6]

Now how you know a person has the noro virus exactly?

[chengkp75]

As a former cruise ship officer, I would say definitely yes. Believe it or not, when you go to the ship's infirmary with gastro-intestinal complaints, they will fill out a form from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) that will help them track it back to patient #0 (the original carrier). This is successful in about 90% of noro virus outbreaks.

 

While it will inconvenience the person with the virus for a couple of days, they probably feel like hell anyway. This will allow the crew to isolate the patient, and not have it spread to other guests, and interfere with their vacations. It will also prevent having to go through all the sterilization procedures the crew will need to do if the disease spreads, and the hassles of restricted service in buffets caused by reportable outbreaks.

[ShanZro]

If they are sick before the cruise than they should not go. It's not fair to expose everyone else on the ship. If they get sick while on the ship than the ships doc should be notified and the person should remain in their cabin.

[MrPete]

I beleive the only way you can accomplish knowing if someone else has norovirus is to examine their stool.

 

Even if you are successful in obtaining that, do you know what to look for?

[Cruizinman]

Thats about it, I had something hit me on my last cruise.

I was standing in line felt fine, then it hit me like a ton of bricks .

 

High fever, and my best friend was the John.

 

Took four Ibuprofens and hit the bed, next day debarked and felt fine.

Don't know what it was but it was strange and didn't last 24 hours .

[Cruisegirl6]

I took it as the OP meant knowing somebody had the noro virus prior to boarding the ship....again, there is no real proof just like MrPete said examine the stool.

[chengkp75]

MrPete is correct. A microscopic analysis of stool is required to determine noro virus.

 

CruisinMan: Don't know what you had, but probably not noro virus. There are any number of gastro-intestinal viruses out there, and any one of them can trigger a reportable outbreak, and require the abatement procedures to be started. Noro virus is a handy catch-all label for these diseases, and is by far the most contagious and severs.

 

Noro virus is usually identified by both vomiting and uncontrollable diarreah, lasting for 2-3 days. You will not die from it, but during those days, you will wish you had.

 

It really gets to me that 95% of all noro virus problems can be solved by listening to what your mother told you all those years ago: "wash your hands"!

[gelo7]

Yes, and they should stay in their cabin.

[Roscoe13]

MrPete is correct. A microscopic analysis of stool is required to determine noro virus.

 

CruisinMan: Don't know what you had, but probably not noro virus. There are any number of gastro-intestinal viruses out there, and any one of them can trigger a reportable outbreak, and require the abatement procedures to be started. Noro virus is a handy catch-all label for these diseases, and is by far the most contagious and severs.

 

Noro virus is usually identified by both vomiting and uncontrollable diarreah, lasting for 2-3 days. You will not die from it, but during those days, you will wish you had.

 

It really gets to me that 95% of all noro virus problems can be solved by listening to what your mother told you all those years ago: "wash your hands"!

 

Having had a certifiable case of Noro virus I can give you an AMEN. I was quarantined to my room for 36 hours and registered with the CDC. I have never, repeat, NEVER been sicker in my life. I can't even imagine embarking on a cruise if I already had it, I was so sick I physically could not have walked the gang plank to board, let alone stood in any line(s). They had to send a wheelchair to my cabin to take me down to the infirmary.

 

If your friend is already on a cruise and not telling anybody then they need to report to the infirmary immediately. They need to be registered and given medication to begin recovery.

 

BTW, my stool was not examined. Perhaps there are different levels of the virus, the one I had was the worst.

[oreomaximus]

I beleive the only way you can accomplish knowing if someone else has norovirus is to examine their stool.

 

Even if you are successful in obtaining that, do you know what to look for?

 

LOL, LOL!!!!!!! Good one!

[tiff123]

If you know someone has the noro virus while you are sailing, should you tell anyone?

 

 

I guess if you've taken a stool specimen and confirmed via laboratory testing that it is the Norovirus, yes. Otherwise, no.

[RuthlessBoss]

Yes, and they should stay in their cabin.

That would have been interesting if there had been an outbreak on Triumph:eek: It was a blessing there were no illnesses out of 4,000 people and not having full access to sanitation equipment.

[Wildgrits]

If you know someone has the noro virus while you are sailing, should you tell anyone?

 

Does this mean someone not on the ship or someone with you on the ship?

 

My youngest cause it and what other people have said, the sickest she has ever been. Sick to the point that even if she wasn't being quarantined, she was able to leave the room anyways.

 

But no one else in the family ever caught it. We chalked it up to that fact that the rest of us ate in the MDR and she was at the buffet nightly. Obviously that is just a guess.

 

I wouldn't say anything. Just continue to use the same standards of sanitation as any reasonable person would.

[MR NW GUY]

As a former cruise ship officer, I would say definitely yes. Believe it or not, when you go to the ship's infirmary with gastro-intestinal complaints, they will fill out a form from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) that will help them track it back to patient #0 (the original carrier). This is successful in about 90% of noro virus outbreaks.

 

While it will inconvenience the person with the virus for a couple of days, they probably feel like hell anyway. This will allow the crew to isolate the patient, and not have it spread to other guests, and interfere with their vacations. It will also prevent having to go through all the sterilization procedures the crew will need to do if the disease spreads, and the hassles of restricted service in buffets caused by reportable outbreaks.

Thank you for your insight. I appreciate you taking the time to write a quality and appropiate response. Some of the other responses are just not even worthy of a comment.

 

And... yes I am currently on the Pride which is why I asked the question.

[Razorbackfan2010]

I just got over having what I think was the Noro Viris. No I was not tested, but I had symptoms lasting 6 days!! For the first three days I could cover the symptoms up and if I had been on a ship I would have been able to be in the general population, but the 4th, 5th, and 6th days I couldn't have been in the public if I had wanted to I was SICK!! Would I have gone to the infirmary if I had been on the ship??? Maybe, but I would not want to ruin any of the other people in my cabins cruise. In this instance do they just make the sick person stay in the cabin or everyone in the cabin?? We cruise in 3 weeks and I am praying that everyone stays healthy.

 

PS: I wash my hands like crazy!! I think I got this from a salad bar!

[chengkp75]

If the other people in the cabin are not symtomatic, they will not normally be quarantined, but will be asked to limit themselves in public areas, or do extra sanitary measures.

 

The main problem is not with YOUR hands being clean, but with the other guests. If their hands are contaminated, and they touch the tongs in the buffet, and you then touch the tongs, and then touch your burger, you've got it! That's why they usually suspend self-service at the buffet during an outbreak.

[Roscoe13]

I just got over having what I think was the Noro Viris. No I was not tested, but I had symptoms lasting 6 days!! For the first three days I could cover the symptoms up and if I had been on a ship I would have been able to be in the general population, but the 4th, 5th, and 6th days I couldn't have been in the public if I had wanted to I was SICK!! Would I have gone to the infirmary if I had been on the ship??? Maybe, but I would not want to ruin any of the other people in my cabins cruise. In this instance do they just make the sick person stay in the cabin or everyone in the cabin?? We cruise in 3 weeks and I am praying that everyone stays healthy.

 

PS: I wash my hands like crazy!! I think I got this from a salad bar!

 

When I had it I was quarantined to my cabin but my wife was not.

 

I made the mistake of actually using the restroom on Saona Island in the Dominican Republic to urinate. When I finished I came out of the restroom and tried to use the wash sink outside the restroom and found out then that the faucet didn't work. My guess is that is how I contracted it, from touching the faucet the every other person who used the restroom and tried to wash up had touched(fecal matter).

 

While I'm certainly NOT an expert on NV, your symptoms are far different that mine. Mine hit at dinner that night after visiting the Dominican Republic and when it hit it was sudden and violent. I excused myself from dinner and made a bee line for my cabin and had to be wheelchaired to the infirmary later that night, was given an injection and some oral meds and quarantined for the next 36 hours. Couldn't have moved any sooner if I wanted to.

[flmommyto2]

Those of you that visited the infirmary, were you charged a fee on carnival? Just curious!

 

In 2007, we were one Disney cruise with our kids and my daughter who was 7 at the time started vomiting on the last full day. We took her to the infirmatory because she was deteriorating quickly. They were wonderful. They tried a few different things for her and were ready to start an IV but she was finally ale to keep the other medicine in. They didn't charge us a dime because it was intestinal. I didn't know if that was just Disney or all cruise lines. And yes she was quarantined!

[zacc]

Perhaps another way of looking at the answer to your question goes something like this. For some reason someone in the cabin next to yours is pretty sure you have noro. Maybe that over heard something you said about noro and assumed you were talking about you or your spouse. They immediately went to the desk and reported you. For the next 36 -48 hours you were confined to your cabin as a result of their "turning you in." Problem is that in truth you really didn't have noro. Their "concern" cost you 1-2 days of your vacation. I have to quess you would be absolutely thrilled. Since you have no way of knowing for sure my honest suggestion is mind your own business and of course wash those hands!

[Roscoe13]

Those of you that visited the infirmary, were you charged a fee on carnival? Just curious!

 

In 2007, we were one Disney cruise with our kids and my daughter who was 7 at the time started vomiting on the last full day. We took her to the infirmatory because she was deteriorating quickly. They were wonderful. They tried a few different things for her and were ready to start an IV but she was finally ale to keep the other medicine in. They didn't charge us a dime because it was intestinal. I didn't know if that was just Disney or all cruise lines. And yes she was quarantined!

 

 

Thank you for asking about being charged. I forgot to add that to my situation, it turned out to be the best part of my story.

 

My wife and I were very prepared for a hefty infirmary and medication bill but much to our surprise, as we never asked ahead of time, Carnival didn't bill us a dime, nada.

[bubbasqueen]

Once again we have the diseased passengers. I am amazed by the lack of suppositions that the cruise ship crews are passing the bug onto the guests. I have been on many cruises that had the norovirus. Fortunately, I did not get it. The common denominator is the crew. Why wait a few days into the sail to serve the passengers in the buffet with gloves when the virus was on the last voyage? Of course you don't know this until after your cruise when you come to cruisecritic and read the reviews posted while you were on vacation.

I would like to see the serving done with gloves be a common practice. But, I saw some unsanitary practices by the servers. They have on gloves that protect them but when they sneeze into their hands or wipe their noses how does that help the customer?

Do you think a crew member will report he/she is ill with symptoms and lose income?

[cparkerkite]

You will know if it is a stomach bug or actual noro. I've had the flu before, and I thought that was the sickest I had ever been....ohhhhhh no. As bas as the flu was, it was a walk in the park compared to noro. It was so bad, I felt like I was dying. Literally, I didn't have the strength to walk from my bed to the bathroom. My husband took me to the hospital. I was admitted for 3 days because my fever kept spiking and none of the meds were working to subside the GI symptoms. I did have the stool sample and it was certifiable Noro.

 

TELL SOMEONE if you are on a cruise ship that you have it or a friend has it or whoever has it. I promise you, you don't wish it on your worst enemy. And I can't imagine anyone that actually has it would mind being quarintined to their room.... about the only strength you have is to turn your head so your puke will land in the pan.

[Roscoe13]

You will know if it is a stomach bug or actual noro. I've had the flu before, and I thought that was the sickest I had ever been....ohhhhhh no. As bas as the flu was, it was a walk in the park compared to noro. It was so bad, I felt like I was dying. Literally, I didn't have the strength to walk from my bed to the bathroom. My husband took me to the hospital. I was admitted for 3 days because my fever kept spiking and none of the meds were working to subside the GI symptoms. I did have the stool sample and it was certifiable Noro.

 

TELL SOMEONE if you are on a cruise ship that you have it or a friend has it or whoever has it. I promise you, you don't wish it on your worst enemy. And I can't imagine anyone that actually has it would mind being quarintined to their room.... about the only strength you have is to turn your head so your puke will land in the pan.

 

 

This

 

Exactly, we were docked at the pier in Curacao while I was sick and quarantined. All I had to do to at least look at the island around the pier area was to sit up in bed and walk from the bed to our wrap around balcony and I would have been able to have a looksie.

 

Never made it, never felt strong enough to make the effort. Had to save any energy and effort for dashing to the bathroom and always had to have the trash can at my side. Often employing both the trash can and the toilet simultaneously!!

 

I often wonder what would have happened if I came down with NV on disembarkation day, I guess they would have set me off in a wheel chair and then to a motel.