New Norovirus Facts

[cbr663]

For me, the real advantage to reports such as this is it allows me to be even more vigilant when I am on a ship. For instance, instead of simply grabbing a banana with my bare hands, I will now use a napkin to pick up the banana. Or, I may just take the banana back to my cabin and wash it throughly first. I won't take the risk of selecting an orange, peeling it and eating the sections with my hands without throughly washing the orange first and then my hands.

 

Cross contamination can happen so easily though. On our last cruise I watched in the Lido as a passenger with a plate of food requested her food item and then passed the plate of food that she had in front of her over to the Lido server. The passenger casually said that there was no need for another plate and to just place the item on the plate that she had. The server took the plate and did as requested. The server had no idea where that plate had been or how it had been handled up to that point, and by accepting the plate and then passing it back to the passenger, the server just possibly exposed herself, the entire food line and everyone else that she served to potential germs and bacteria.

Edited June 5, 2014 by cbr663

[POA1]

My favorite is the fact that there are about 6 to 12 pens that all embarking passengers share to fill out the CDC health questionnaire. What could go wrong there? :eek:

[sail7seas]

My favorite is the fact that there are about 6 to 12 pens that all embarking passengers share to fill out the CDC health questionnaire. What could go wrong there? :eek:

 

 

Funny you mention that as I often get a 'hairy eyeball' when I use my own pen when signing a sales slip in a store, writing a check in a store, and when filling out the health questionaire. I try to anticpate those sort of traps where we unwhitting expose ourselves.

 

[CowPrincess]

My favorite is the fact that there are about 6 to 12 pens that all embarking passengers share to fill out the CDC health questionnaire. What could go wrong there? :eek:

 

Funny you mention that as I often get a 'hairy eyeball' when I use my own pen when signing a sales slip in a store, writing a check in a store, and when filling out the health questionaire. I try to anticpate those sort of traps where we unwhitting expose ourselves.

 

 

I carry my own pen, always. I never use a "public" pen, except those nasty stylus-things at the post office that have to be used to sign for packages.

 

I'm good with the "hairy eyeball" ;)

[CowPrincess]

For me, the real advantage to reports such as this is it allows me to be even more vigilant when I am on a ship. For instance, instead of simply grabbing a banana with my bare hands, I will now use a napkin to pick up the banana. Or, I may just take the banana back to my cabin and wash it throughly first. I won't take the risk of selecting an orange, peeling it and eating the sections with my hands without throughly washing the orange first and then my hands.

 

>SNIP<

 

Do you do this kind of washing of fruit you buy at the grocery store? Certainly that stuff can be handled by many, many hands of varying degrees of cleanliness before you buy it. (Not arguing, just wondering....)

[Cruising-along]

I carry my own pen, always. I never use a "public" pen, except those nasty stylus-things at the post office that have to be used to sign for packages.

 

I'm good with the "hairy eyeball" ;)

 

DH and I always carry our own pens too. Never gotten the "hairy eyeball"! In fact many times we've been complimented on our smarts. :D

 

Last month we were on a road trip and watched as a man at the hotel buffet ignored the tongs set out, and grabbed a handful of potato chips out of the bowl. I let the server know what happened, and was thinking to myself how glad I was I hadn't wanted chips. :rolleyes: I know it happens on cruise ships too, but I also know it's much more likely to be caught by the server there.

[CowPrincess]

DH and I always carry our own pens too. Never gotten the "hairy eyeball"! In fact many times we've been complimented on our smarts. :D

 

Last month we were on a road trip and watched as a man at the hotel buffet ignored the tongs set out, and grabbed a handful of potato chips out of the bowl. I let the server know what happened, and was thinking to myself how glad I was I hadn't wanted chips. :rolleyes: I know it happens on cruise ships too, but I also know it's much more likely to be caught by the server there.

 

As Sail mentioned, it does happen. Some people don't "get" why I need to use my own pen, and I've heard sighs from people in lines behind me. I totally do not care, and if/when I get the hairy eyeball, I just feel sorry for those poor, uninformed people ;)

 

GACK about the bowl of chips. DH and I are completely grossed about with stuff like that. DH saw some guy pawing all the breakfast pastries one time on a cruise. Ugh :eek:

[cbr663]

Do you do this kind of washing of fruit you buy at the grocery store? Certainly that stuff can be handled by many, many hands of varying degrees of cleanliness before you buy it. (Not arguing, just wondering....)

 

Yes we do.

[Martezz]

I have always thought that especially when the ship is in code red and they take the breadbasket, salt and pepper off the table, they should not use the same menus...another source of contamination.

[mamaofami]

I have always thought that especially when the ship is in code red and they take the breadbasket, salt and pepper off the table, they should not use the same menus...another source of contamination.

 

 

Correct. I agree.

[CowPrincess]

Yes we do.

 

Thanks for the reply. I think we'll be more vigilant about that around here, too.

[Viesczy]

By golly it is a good thing that we all were born on this planet and have evolved to handle such things!!

 

If this was our species' first day on Earth it is then we'd have a problem, but as I'm sure that all of us aren't a new species to Earth you got nothing to worry about.

 

Folks need to being afraid of everything.

 

Derek

[igraf]

Disposable paper menus are used on HAL ships during code red. I wish that they would use them all the time. I wonder if paper menus could be special requested?

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

 

I have always thought that especially when the ship is in code red and they take the breadbasket, salt and pepper off the table, they should not use the same menus...another source of contamination.

[OCruisers]

Disposable paper menus are used on HAL ships during code red. I wish that they would use them all the time. I wonder if paper menus could be special requested? igraf

 

Good question!

It's not just a Noro thing! I sometimes wonder how many times someone has coughed or sneezed on mine ... both on ships and at restaurants elsewhere.

LuLu

[cruz chic]

Thanks for the reply. I think we'll be more vigilant about that around here, too.

 

So are you saying you don't usually wash fruit that you buy at the supermarket:eek:? I also wonder if people wash the fruit they get in the room on cruises. I always wash everything very well.

[CowPrincess]

So are you saying you don't usually wash fruit that you buy at the supermarket:eek:? I also wonder if people wash the fruit they get in the room on cruises. I always wash everything very well.

 

I seldom think to wash bananas or mandarin oranges, since the "wrapper" gets peeled off. A few times, when there's been a nasty respiratory outbreak around here I have washed them. It just doesn't occur to me on a regular basis that bananas and mandarins should be washed. I'm going to try to change that.

[cruz chic]

I seldom think to wash bananas or mandarin oranges, since the "wrapper" gets peeled off. A few times, when there's been a nasty respiratory outbreak around here I have washed them. It just doesn't occur to me on a regular basis that bananas and mandarins should be washed. I'm going to try to change that.

 

I'm totally uptight about germs. I'm beginning to wonder if it doesn't matter because I've been sick so much this year.

[CowPrincess]

I'm totally uptight about germs. I'm beginning to wonder if it doesn't matter because I've been sick so much this year.

 

I am so conscientious about hand-washing that I often manage to get dermatitis from over-washing. So I'm on the alert for germs,too. Except on bananas and mandarins, apparently :eek: :D

[cruz chic]

I am so conscientious about hand-washing that I often manage to get dermatitis from over-washing. So I'm on the alert for germs,too. Except on bananas and mandarins, apparently :eek: :D

 

I find a lot of people aren't picky about washing fruit. One of my colleagues thought I was nuts because I wash the outside of a melon. He said you don't eat the outside. I explained you cut thru the dirty peel so the germs will get inside. He still thought I was nuts.

[cruise47]

You need to wash your hands for at least 30 seconds according to Dr. OZ.

[sail7seas]

I find a lot of people aren't picky about washing fruit. One of my colleagues thought I was nuts because I wash the outside of a melon. He said you don't eat the outside. I explained you cut thru the dirty peel so the germs will get inside. He still thought I was nuts.

 

 

An Executive Chef on a HAL ship once told me they wash the outside of melons with a diluted chlorox mix. I asked if it didn't leech through the rind and he said no. On HAL ships, according to him, all the fresh cut up melons we enjoy have been washed so any germs on the rind will not carry through on the knife to the fruit when the melon is cut.

Edited June 5, 2014 by sail7seas

[cruz chic]

An Executive Chef on a HAL ship once told me they wash the outside of melons with a diluted chlorox mix. I asked if it didn't leech through the rind and he said no. On HAL ships, according to him, all the fresh cut up melons we enjoy have been washed so any germs on the rind will not carry through on the knife to the fruit when the melon is cut.

 

Thx for the info. I appreciate it.

[pv girl]

An Executive Chef on a HAL ship once told me they wash the outside of melons with a diluted chlorox mix. I asked if it didn't leech through the rind and he said no. On HAL ships, according to him, all the fresh cut up melons we enjoy have been washed so any germs on the rind will not carry through on the knife to the fruit when the melon is cut.

 

I wonder if they do that for lemons. I have read that the lemon wedges used for drinks in restaurants are big sources of contamination.

 

What really scares me is when you see someone in the buffet line eating off their plate as they move along. Then those fingers that just touched their mouths handle tongs, salad dressing bottles, etc. I think we are all lucky there isn't more sickness - maybe the salt air, or the extra alcohol we usually drink, immunizes us a little.

[cbr663]

It also bothers me when I see people eating off their plates while they are still in the line. I have chalked it up to human behavior and the fact that most people are not even aware that they do it. Just like folks who constantly lick their fingers and return to the food lines without washing their hands. Or how about the number of times that people touch their mouths and noses?

 

When I worked in a restaurant kitchen while attending university I use to be shocked to see wait staff eat off a diner's plate that the wait staff had just cleared from the table. And the worst part is most times, the wait staff didn't have any issues with it.

[sail7seas]

I wonder if they do that for lemons. I have read that the lemon wedges used for drinks in restaurants are big sources of contamination.

 

What really scares me is when you see someone in the buffet line eating off their plate as they move along. Then those fingers that just touched their mouths handle tongs, salad dressing bottles, etc. I think we are all lucky there isn't more sickness - maybe the salt air, or the extra alcohol we usually drink, immunizes us a little.

 

That is why I never touch the serving utensils provided at the buffet with my bare fingers. I either hold the tongs with a paper napkin I have retrieved prior to going to the buffet or I use a clean spoon/fork I bring to the service area. It's an easy enough precaution and hopefully goes a little way to keeping me NLV free.