Don't touch that!

[chengkp75]

If the illness is airborne, and not as a result of physically touching something, washing your hands won't be much help (although it can't hurt). Does anyone remember a nasty bug dubbed "Legionnaire's Disease"? It was passed through a hotel's air-conditioning system, and lots of people got sick. Maybe, just maybe, the air-conditioner (at work, on the ship, wherever) is the source.

 

Legionella is still around, NYC has recently fought a couple of rounds with it in high rise buildings. This is one area that USPH takes seriously, and the ships are required to have disinfectant pads placed in all A/C drain pans for just this reason. One of the most common problems is that the A/C tends to lower the humidity in the air, and then your mucus membranes dry out, and this becomes the "way in" for viruses and bacteria.

 

Legionella is also common in hot tubs, which is why most, if not all, ships have disconnected the air jets in the hot tubs. Hot water breeds the legionella, and then you aerosolize it with the air jets.

 

The last area of concern for legionella on ships is the shower head. Yes, the shower head. The shower head holds a small amount of water, which can breed the bacteria, and then when the water is turned on, it aerosolizes through the holes in the head. Ships are required to remove all shower heads monthly and sanitize them in bleach.

[RuthlessBoss]

Legionella is still around, NYC has recently fought a couple of rounds with it in high rise buildings. This is one area that USPH takes seriously, and the ships are required to have disinfectant pads placed in all A/C drain pans for just this reason. One of the most common problems is that the A/C tends to lower the humidity in the air, and then your mucus membranes dry out, and this becomes the "way in" for viruses and bacteria.

 

Legionella is also common in hot tubs, which is why most, if not all, ships have disconnected the air jets in the hot tubs. Hot water breeds the legionella, and then you aerosolize it with the air jets.

 

The last area of concern for legionella on ships is the shower head. Yes, the shower head. The shower head holds a small amount of water, which can breed the bacteria, and then when the water is turned on, it aerosolizes through the holes in the head. Ships are required to remove all shower heads monthly and sanitize them in bleach.

Well, that blows the "don't touch anything, use sanitizers, elbows on elevator buttons, don't touch the stair rails "theory all to hell, doesn't it?

[chengkp75]

Well, that blows the "don't touch anything, use sanitizers, elbows on elevator buttons, don't touch the stair rails "theory all to hell, doesn't it?

 

Different transmission vectors for different bugs. Legionella is an aerosol bacteria, noro is fecal/oral cross-contamination, requiring touch. But, yes, thinking that by hand washing and avoiding touch you can avoid illness just won't work. Even the common cold or flu can be spread without contact.

[champagne123]

All of you Airborne users....keep making Victoria Knight, richer and richer.

 

Airborne does NOT do what it claims. Many law suits of which Victoria keeps paying out in settlement. As long you keep buying it, she will continue to pay the lawsuits out of court.

 

Does no one watch the news? Not approved by the FDA. She was even told to change her advertising by the courts. She now no longer makes the claims of her product the same way.

 

This product DOES NOT do anything. Do your research.

 

Wash your hands....don't touch your face. PERIOD.

[RuthlessBoss]

All of you Airborne users....keep making Victoria Knight, richer and richer.

 

Airborne does NOT do what it claims. Many law suits of which Victoria keeps paying out in settlement. As long you keep buying it, she will continue to pay the lawsuits out of court.

 

Does no one watch the news? Not approved by the FDA. She was even told to change her advertising by the courts. She now no longer makes the claims of her product the same way.

 

This product DOES NOT do anything. Do your research.

 

Wash your hands....don't touch your face. PERIOD.

 

Better add "do not breathe near anyone".

 

Any how, some ingredients in it must be good. It clearly works for me:D I pay no heed to fda approved drugs. Look at all those drugs approved, given to the public and people died, some caused new diseases.

[champagne123]

Better add "do not breathe near anyone".

 

Any how, some ingredients in it must be good. It clearly works for me:D I pay no heed to fda approved drugs. Look at all those drugs approved, given to the public and people died, some caused new diseases.

 

 

Allow me to reiterate, Airborne does nothing. Do your research. Just because you have not gotten sick, does not mean it works. I have never become ill on a cruise, so your statement "It clearly works for me" means absolutely nothing. Keep making Victoria richer and richer. Your money, not mine.:eek:

[carol louise]

Hand-washing and sanitizing can't hurt (I eat mostly in the buffet and carry my own little bottle to sanitize just before eating after having handled all those serving utensils).

 

But the most important preventative for me, on land or at sea, is adequate sleep. When I do get a cold or something, I can almost always track back three days (the time it takes a virus to incubate) and sure enough there was a lack of sleep for some reason. So on a cruise maybe one just has to choose between being a night owl or an early bird, or get in some serious naps.

 

Happy, healthy cruising to all.

[RuthlessBoss]

Allow me to reiterate, Airborne does nothing. Do your research. Just because you have not gotten sick, does not mean it works. I have never become ill on a cruise, so your statement "It clearly works for me" means absolutely nothing. Keep making Victoria richer and richer. Your money, not mine.:eek:

 

You believe it doesn't help. I believe it does.

[champagne123]

You believe it doesn't help. I believe it does.

 

Hahahahah. Funniest statement ever!!!! I don't BELIEVE anything. Read that FACTS.... you don't even know what you are putting in your body, do you?. Holy cow.

[beachbum53]

If you really want to help your immune system, drink a couple of shots of Jagermeister. If it doesn't cure you, it will at least make you forget you're sick. :D:D

[RuthlessBoss]

Hahahahah. Funniest statement ever!!!! I don't BELIEVE anything. Read that FACTS.... you don't even know what you are putting in your body, do you?. Holy cow.

 

You are being quite RUDE! :mad:

[summersigh]

Soft Soap has an antibacterial liquid soap in a pump bottle that I pack for trips to keep in the bathroom. It smells good :) and it certainly can't hurt anything.

 

We always use hand sanitizer on the ships, when leaving public restrooms we use paper towels to open doors after washing hands, and avoid anything at the buffet others might have touched (like open cheese and fruit trays)

 

So far out only problem has been a respiratory mess DH contracted half way through our Belize cruise. :( He spent the last 4 days in the cabin's bed coughing and hacking.

[hockeyluver]

ugggggg try being a school bus driver ~~ !! ~~ I load up on everything the month leading up to our cruises ~~ Knock on wood I have survived with only the sniffles just once !!

[firemanbobswife]

Don't forget food poisoning. First and only time I ever had it was on the Conquest. Now I carry Zofran with me just in case. They gave me some in the infirmary on the ship and let me tell you, it settled my stomach down right away. Well, by that time I didn't have anything left, but it made it feel a lot better and made me stop dry heaving.

[elliair]

I never get sick! And yet......we were on the Splendor 10/17, and the last day I woke up with a scratchy throat. 10 days later I'm finally feeling human again after a hacking cough and sinus issues.

 

I'm only sharing this to say, be vigilant with hand washing and watch where you put your hands before dinner (staircases), and hold your breath in the elevators (Ok just kidding).

 

It's very difficult to keep your hands away from your face. Sitting in the Lido buffet look around you and see how many people lick their fingers, then they go serve themselves at the buffet. Then touch the table, arms of chairs, S&P shakers. I've witnessed enough on a ship to make a concerted effort to be vigilant at where I put my fingers.

 

We never take the elevator except on the day of debarkation since we self debark. It's almost impossible not to touch the handrails, but we use the sanitizer soap when we get to the Lido. So far, we've dodged the sickness. I did get sick from an airline flight though. The woman sitting behind me hacked and coughed the whole flight.:eek:

[zqvol]

I never get sick! And yet......we were on the Splendor 10/17, and the last day I woke up with a scratchy throat. 10 days later I'm finally feeling human again after a hacking cough and sinus issues.

 

I'm only sharing this to say, be vigilant with hand washing and watch where you put your hands before dinner (staircases), and hold your breath in the elevators (Ok just kidding).

 

Sounds like the common cold or some other upper respiratory virus. They are everywhere and you simply cannot avoid them. Glad that it has run its course and you are feeling better.

[sc4125]

Hahahahah. Funniest statement ever!!!! I don't BELIEVE anything. Read that FACTS.... you don't even know what you are putting in your body, do you?. Holy cow.

 

I know many people who swear by Airborne - I've never used it, but just because I googled it & read the FACTS, doesn't mean that my friends are delusional. I can find FACTS that support any position I want to take. But it is nice to know that if I have any questions about anything I know who to go to - you are blessed to know it all.

[Mary Ellen1]

Two things I do, that haven't been mentioned here:

1. Try not to eat anything with your hands. Use a knife & fork.
   
2. Try to avoid the public restrooms; use the one in your cabin (Princess listed this tip in the daily paper).
   

 

I also get an extra set of utensils, so I can use the 2nd napkin as a place-mat, to put my utensils on, rather than on the naked, germy table. :eek:

[brooklynfc]

I heard and have used Zinc as a preventive measure for the common cold. Studies have proven and dis-proven that it works. But it also says it cant really hurt you. So a few weeks ago, while working with my college students, when I started getting a stuffy nose and the students were hacking and coughing.......I started one tablet of zinc a day for about 4 days. I was good to go. Was it the zinc? I don't know, too many variables. But in my mind it worked, so I'll use again. Sometimes mind over matter needs a little boost from a product, fake or real.

[angiegal]

Two things I do, that haven't been mentioned here:

1. Try not to eat anything with your hands. Use a knife & fork.
   
2. Try to avoid the public restrooms; use the one in your cabin (Princess listed this tip in the daily paper).
   

 

I also get an extra set of utensils, so I can use the 2nd napkin as a place-mat, to put my utensils on, rather than on the naked, germy table. :eek:

 

I trust my own hand washing much more than the cleanliness of the utensils and napkins they were wrapped in. Do you know how many people touch each of those items!?

[chengkp75]

I trust my own hand washing much more than the cleanliness of the utensils and napkins they were wrapped in. Do you know how many people touch each of those items!?

 

The problem with eating with your hands is this. Lets say the guy in front of you in the buffet has noro on his hands. He touches the tongs to get a bun for his burger. You then touch the tongs and your hands are now contaminated. You pick up the bun with the tongs, and it stays clean, but when you pick up the burger to eat it, your hands have transferred the germs to the burger, which you now ingest. If you used a knife and fork to eat with, even after your hands had become contaminated (after your hand washing), your hands would never have touched the food, so it would not be contaminated.

 

And yes, I know pretty well how many people have touched the utensils, and its not that many, which is why they are wrapped in linen.

Edited November 3, 2015 by chengkp75

[cruise_girl2002]

there is something going around. 2 of my coworkers came down with a cold last week, this morning I woke up with sore throat and feeling like crap. Its becoming that time of year

[RuthlessBoss]

there is something going around. 2 of my coworkers came down with a cold last week, this morning I woke up with sore throat and feeling like crap. Its becoming that time of year

 

What did you touch?????????????????????????:D

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

How not to catch the common cold...

 

Never leave your house.

Don't invite anyone into your house.

Don't fly, vacation, cruise, eat at restaurants, visit your kid's school, have kids for that matter.

Don't go to sporting events, swim in community pools, use communal exercise equipment, eat the freebies at Costco.

Stay away from hospitals, clinics, and Drs. offices.

 

Hopefully you all get the picture.

[sandij]

I have to agree, this isn't necessarily a cruise ship only thing. We recently drove to PA for a family wedding and both got the sore thoat and chest congestion and we never get sick. Use your common sense, pack some medications with you and wash your hands frequently.