2 possible EBOLA patients on MAGIC

[Underwatr]

I cruise at the end of the month and have stocked up on chlorine wipes and Lysol spray for my cabin, and will be washing my hands a little more. I refuse to let this ruin my cruise.

Check the label on the wipes. Many (most? all?) of the Clorox wipes don't actually contain bleach and may not be effective against viruses.

 

Do Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes contain bleach?

 

No. Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes are made with a bleach-free formula that’s available in different scents so they leave a light, clean smell every time you wipe down a surface.

 

https://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-disinfecting-wipes/

[andy.capitan]

 

Why will customs take hours?

 

 

If they believe some of the media reports, they might not even show up. Aren't some reporting that nobody left the ship, ever? :D

[flacousa]

Has anybody heard from anyone on this cruise or has the ships internet service mysteriously shut down.

 

@EricLupher7News is twitting from the ship

[Salacia]

Check the label on the wipes. Many (most? all?) of the Clorox wipes don't actually contain bleach and may not be effective against viruses.

 

 

 

https://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-disinfecting-wipes/

 

Thanks for that heads-up Underwatr. I just bought a several containers of those wipes to disinfect my house after having a really nasty cold. I think I'll go with my mom's recipe: one teaspoon of bleach to one gallon of water to sanitize surfaces after they have been cleaned with hot soapy water.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Salacia

[pjhootch]

This hysteria is needless. But if you all must continue to freak out, perhaps it will reduce the number of people in St. Thomas during November. I like it when the beaches aren't very crowded.

Edited October 18, 2014 by pjhootch

[Salacia]

Partial quote

 

...It has already been said she is not showing symptoms. .

 

Yes, I have read statements from Carnival that the ships doctor has determined that the passenger in question is in good health and exhibiting no symptoms, and has no elevated temperature.

[ATHENA3]

Alot of people are praising Carnival for a job well done. For what giving $200 OBC and a discounted cruise for missing ONE port.

Let’s see what happens on another ship that misses a port due to weather or other ship issues what will be given NOT MUCH. This was just damage control to keep people calm and happy on the ship with the Carnival name AGAIN in the news for a problem cruise and possible Ebola scare.

Hope all is well for the person involved with this and all else on the ship.

[em-sk]

Do people realize that the government cannot stop all the people from leaving the ship.

 

There is no law that allows a government entity to kidnap someone and hold them even if they have Ebola.

 

The government cannot stop a citizen from moving around freely.

 

The government cannot force anyone to give a blood sample.

 

The government cannot release any medical records nor name anyone that has or might have Ebola.

 

Also, it appears that there is a 50% rate people that have no symptoms but did/do have the Ebola virus. So, 50% of the people that get Ebola don't show and symptoms and do not die.

 

I think the Mexican government just demonstrated that they can stop everyone from leaving the ship by turning it away.

 

Being a Canadian I am not up on American laws. But I think the government on both sides of the boarder is more likely to take what action is required to protect public safety and deal with legality of it after the fact.

 

All said, this does sound like a lot of people worried over what hopefully turns out to be a non-issue. With each passing day the likelihood that this person is a risk to public heath diminishes.

 

There was a video floating around of a US Airways flight where someone made a joke about having Ebola and when the aircraft arrived in the Caribbean it was meet with a local response team in Hazmat suites. Some of there Caribbean islands do appear to have plans in place.

 

From the media reports it sounds like this time it is a non-issue. However in some way its probably good for the industry as whole that it has occurred. I suspect because of this there is probably someone at the head office of every cruise line reviewing the response procedures and more consideration on ship being given to response procedures and plans.

Edited October 18, 2014 by em-sk

[kingoftheicedragons]

Yes I too am interested in this being a daily fact if life here

 

 

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Have you heard of something called the CDC? They store all sorts of potentially hazardous biological materials. They deal with them on a daily basis--thus potentially being exposed to them. They handle them, I'm assuming trying to come up with vaccines and treatments for them. It's not something that just started happening in September when an ebola patient showed up in the US.

[kingoftheicedragons]

As a Dr. demonstrated on the news yesterday with paint and a hazmat suit, even saliva think sneeze, can contaminate a hazmat and it can then spread this virus for a number of hours. That's a fact, not political clap trap.

 

There is no doubt that hazmat suits need to be put on and taken off properly.

 

However, with the issue about the sneeze...if someone sneezed on your hand, and you inadvertantly wiped your eye before washing your hand with chlorine or bleach (soap and water will not kill ebola), then yes, in theory, you could get ebola. But there has also been no known, documented cases of ebola being transmitted through sneezes.

[Moltar]

I've come to the conclusion CCL is cursed. Seems they always get the short end of the stick over the last 5 years.

[vols159]

How many law suits will be filled in the coming weeks ?

 

 

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[jimbo5544]

How many law suits will be filled in the coming weeks ?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Not sure but I can tell you ow many will win....

[Trevor Fountain]

Talk about Hysteria, my goodness. I hope someone from CCL is reading this.

Please give me the next cruise in the cabin used by the Lab worker. Don't bother fumigating it, I'm happy to take it with it's normal preparation.

There are thousands of people on board most ships. If you're worried about contracting potential deadly infections, with the same likelihood of catching one as Ebola, then you shouldn't be cruising.

Way back in the early 90's, my wife was on Kidney Dialysis. The only ships then that had facilities on board were certain cruise ships based in USA. The problem being that they willingly allowed patients infected with Hepatitis B, dialyse alongside non infected patients. We were told in no uncertain terms that if we travelled on one of these cruises, my wife needn't bother returning to her dialysis unit in England, as she could be a potential threat to the other patients.

I haven't checked recently, but I would bet there is still no restriction on dialysis patients infected with Hepatitis, from cruising.

Those of you concerned over Ebola, are you going to check if any passenger has Hepatitis, HIV, or any other infectious disease?

[sailincajunns]

Talk about Hysteria, my goodness. I hope someone from CCL is reading this.

Please give me the next cruise in the cabin used by the Lab worker. Don't bother fumigating it, I'm happy to take it with it's normal preparation.

There are thousands of people on board most ships. If you're worried about contracting potential deadly infections, with the same likelihood of catching one as Ebola, then you shouldn't be cruising.

Way back in the early 90's, my wife was on Kidney Dialysis. The only ships then that had facilities on board were certain cruise ships based in USA. The problem being that they willingly allowed patients infected with Hepatitis B, dialyse alongside non infected patients. We were told in no uncertain terms that if we travelled on one of these cruises, my wife needn't bother returning to her dialysis unit in England, as she could be a potential threat to the other patients.

I haven't checked recently, but I would bet there is still no restriction on dialysis patients infected with Hepatitis, from cruising.

Those of you concerned over Ebola, are you going to check if any passenger has Hepatitis, HIV, or any other infectious disease?

 

Just a word of caution............ an attempt to interject fact-based logic related to a topic in the midst of hysteria is grounds for a total ban from all future posts. Thanks for the refreshing 'real' perspective. MUCH needed and much appreciated (at least by me)

[MSN-Travelers]

How many law suits will be filled in the coming weeks ?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

And who would somebody sue?

[Tutankhamen]

Talk about Hysteria, my goodness. I hope someone from CCL is reading this.

Please give me the next cruise in the cabin used by the Lab worker. Don't bother fumigating it, I'm happy to take it with it's normal preparation.

There are thousands of people on board most ships. If you're worried about contracting potential deadly infections, with the same likelihood of catching one as Ebola, then you shouldn't be cruising.

Way back in the early 90's, my wife was on Kidney Dialysis. The only ships then that had facilities on board were certain cruise ships based in USA. The problem being that they willingly allowed patients infected with Hepatitis B, dialyse alongside non infected patients. We were told in no uncertain terms that if we travelled on one of these cruises, my wife needn't bother returning to her dialysis unit in England, as she could be a potential threat to the other patients.

I haven't checked recently, but I would bet there is still no restriction on dialysis patients infected with Hepatitis, from cruising.

Those of you concerned over Ebola, are you going to check if any passenger has Hepatitis, HIV, or any other infectious disease?

 

I agree with most of what you posted. The Ebola scare is way overblown.

 

However, comparing Ebola to HIV and the like is a bit over the top. HIV is treated daily all over the world. Hazmat gear is not used. Ebola has spread from patient to healthcare worker even using extreme caution. Even tho Ebola is not airborne just like HIV, Ebola is still highly contagious.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Tutankhamen

[Orison]

I've come to the conclusion CCL is cursed. Seems they always get the short end of the stick over the last 5 years.

 

Neptune has been relentless ever since CCL changed the name of the Destiny. That's a no no to the gods of the sea and maritime folklore.

[BeyondKen]

You must have a crystal ball to be able to look into the future to make such a claim!

 

Or some basic knowledge of science.

[Orison]

http://www.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/cruise-industry-adopts-stricter-ebola-screenings.html

[Badfinger]

ABC News is showing that Carnival is acknowledging the situation:

 

"Carnival Cruise Line released a statement today acknowledging the situation, stating that the hospital employee is deemed to be "very low risk" to contract the deadly virus."

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/hospital-worker-handled-ebola-samples-caribbean-cruise/story?id=26263642

 

So...there is a risk!

[ducklite]

It would be illegal not to.

 

Not true. The CDC or even TX Dept. of Health can order the ship quarantined, and anyone who tried to get off could be arrested and placed in quarantine in much less hospitable environs.

[ducklite]

Before the Magic arrives in Galveston, actually in about 5 1/2 hours, the lab supervisor will have reached the 21st day and will no longer be a 'potential' Ebola case.

 

In all 30 plus pages of this thread I have not seen anybody mention that the strain of Ebola in the Duncan/Pham/Vinson cases has presented in 8 or 9 days. The lab worker was well past that timeframe (13 days when she boarded). 8 or 9 days is also the most common reported incubation for all Ebola strains. The statistical probability of the woman on the cruise ship coming down with it at this point is so low as to be hardly significant. The 21 days is the 'magic' number tossed around everywhere, but it is just a statiistic probability number. If she HAD been exposed (and we don't even know that) her chances of becoming symptomatic have been decreasing every day.

 

By the time the Magic is at port this should be a non-issue. The cabin will not be in use for a week (really only needs two-three hours if there HAD been active virus, but fine). The infirmary will be swabbed with bleach. There will, however, be continued hysteria and assumptions on the part of the pitchfork and torch crowd.

 

This is exactly what I was thinking, although I believe it would take longer to disinfect the cabin and infirmary. All soft good and porous surfaces would need to be removed in a manner that they wouldn't touch anything else on the way out and burned, and all non-porous surfaces would need to be sprayed with chlorine bleach. The fumes from the amount of bleach needed alone would not dissipate that quickly and would render the cabin uninhabitable for at least 24 hours--that's if there was a balcony door to open. It would probably take a week before the bleach fumes were not at toxic/caustic levels with no fresh air source--and you can't just vent them into the hallway.

Edited October 18, 2014 by ducklite

[Cindy]

http://www.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/cruise-industry-adopts-stricter-ebola-screenings.html

 

Reading that, I'm not sure the new recommendations would have prevented the lab worker from boarding the ship. Technically, she didn't help care for the Ebola patient, and it hasn't even been definitively stated that she handled vials containing the patient's body fluids.

 

When the story broke, I was quite critical of the lab worker's decision to go forward with her cruise. I still lean towards thinking she should have been more cautious and stayed home, but in trying to look at it from the perspective of someone who handles bio-hazards on a daily basis, I can see how they might view this as no different than any of the other nastiness they see on a daily basis.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Cindy

[elliair]

Another cruise line's statement

 

http://www.princess.com/news/press_releases/2014/10/PR-Princess-Cruises-Statement-on-Ebola.html#.VEHfi8mwTKc

 

 

We are also monitoring bookings for any guests coming from these countries.

 

Currently all embarking guests and ship visitors must complete a mandatory general health screening questionnaire upon embarkation and, if deemed necessary, will be asked to submit to further medical screening prior to being allowed to board. Additionally we will deny boarding to any guest who has had physical contact with or helped care for a person suspected of having Ebola or diagnosed as having Ebola within a minimum of 21 days before embarkation until further notice. We have robust medical protocols that are consistent with public health recommendations. Our medical staff is fully engaged and monitoring the situation.

 

Well that makes me feel more confident that Princess is on the look out. BTW, we all can catch any nasty disease any where. A student at San Diego State died with bacterial meningitis. Now health officials are trying to track down thousands of students/people she came into contact with. I refuse to live my life in a bubble - stuff happens.