Staying Healthy while Cruising - How to beat the bugs

[shanty]

While the commonest method of transmission of Norovirus is from contaminated surfaces, it is still airborne. Some viruses are airborne, some aren't, some change their method of transmission over time.

 

While hand washing is vitally important, there are many reasons to avoid public washrooms, not least because some people don't wash their hands after leaving the cubical.

 

You will be Ok if you have a healthy immune system.

 

Happy cruising!

[Sandy Sails]

Hey....at least you gave it a shot! Airborne is great for us and many others before and during travel. Just like Doctors recommend multi vitamins....but it's your choice. People typically do not eat balanced so the vitamin takes up the slack......including vitamin C. Some disagree but my personal experience is mine.

Yes viruses are airborne and passed that way and into mucous membranes. Viruses live on surfaces too.

 

Oh yeah, Airborne is amazing! I've been using it for years for traveling, before and during. I figure the extra vitamins it provides doesn't hurt. Unfortunately for me, I still get sick. But I'll still use it if I ever cruise again.

[mlgb]

Only so much you can do about viruses (the flu-like type) when people all around you are coughing and sneezing without covering.

 

My cabin mate (a teacher for 40 years plus who rarely gets sick) was hit by a bug which was probably from the plane, but flu was spreading around our ship as well.

 

So at a minimum I would recommend a flu shot!

[brillohead]

While the commonest method of transmission of Norovirus is from contaminated surfaces, it is still airborne. Some viruses are airborne, some aren't, some change their method of transmission over time.

 

You asked me for proof that norovirus isn't airborne from people who have previously vomited in a room. I provided that proof, and yet you still declare that norovirus is airborne.

 

Norovirus is NOT an airborne virus -- it is mainly transmitted from contact with contaminated surfaces (and then placing that contamination in one's mouth), but also can be transmitted via droplet contamination. Droplet transmission is NOT the same as airborne transmission. In order for someone to get noro in your mouth via air, you would need to have them cough or sneeze directly onto your face so you get sprayed with it.

 

I've provided proof that noro is not airborne, yet you continue to say otherwise. Where is your proof???

[Esahuma]

Like I previously stated - we ARE relatively healthy - We DO go outside and 'expose' ourselves to 'bugs' - we watch 4 of of our 7 grandchildren before and after school and they bring home all types of 'bugs' - We intermingle with friends and family while home and do the normal - shopping malls - grocery stores - movies - church - MANY place with LOTS of people!

 

DH just went to check back in with clinic yesterday and the last time we needed antibiotics after 'cruising' was 2014 - We have done over 12 cruises since then so I guess I over stated the "50%" coming home sick -

 

Thank you all for the input - just try to stay healthy!

[dancermom09]

We are another couple who rarely gets sick, and I am not sure this is a good thing. I've just read that having a cold actually helps "tune up" your immune system and I haven't had one in several years. Definitely got a stomach virus while visiting our daughter last October after two flights a week apart, so hoping that has the same effect! Not that I want to get either on a cruise.

 

Shanty, I have read a recent European study that agrees with you, but now I can't find it. It was about bathroom design in hospitals being to blame for the infections they can't seem to get rid of. The toilet being in the same room as the sink etc, no lid to the toilet, big flush throwing stuff all over the room. Then the next person in is covered in bugs. Not a pleasant thought, and has me thinking about avoiding public restrooms. But can't do that on an 8+ hour flight as our next cruise is from Italy. Thinking about not only avoiding touching anything in rest rooms, but not breathing as well! Need to practice. I agree that they weren't talking about Noro, more along the lines of staff infections etc but it's still down to toilets.

 

The thing that helps your immunity the most is the amount of good bacteria you have in your own gut. Constant disinfection in every day life, and antibiotic use, lowers your good bacteria or even kills it off.

 

Hand washing, absolutely! And I will take along some Olive Leaf, turmeric, elderberry, and Liposomal C. Also a cancer survivor, so I take most of these anyway. I do not use hand sanitizer, and this explains why:

 

http://www.caryinstitute.org/newsroom/why-you-shouldnt-use-hand-sanitizers

 

Our trip is a long one, hoping for the best.

[shanty]

You asked me for proof that norovirus isn't airborne from people who have previously vomited in a room. I provided that proof, and yet you still declare that norovirus is airborne.

 

Norovirus is NOT an airborne virus -- it is mainly transmitted from contact with contaminated surfaces (and then placing that contamination in one's mouth), but also can be transmitted via droplet contamination. Droplet transmission is NOT the same as airborne transmission. In order for someone to get noro in your mouth via air, you would need to have them cough or sneeze directly onto your face so you get sprayed with it.

 

I've provided proof that noro is not airborne, yet you continue to say otherwise. Where is your proof???

 

Back in 2002 I read about a study which involved hotel bathroms and recurrent outbreaks of Norovirus. It was in a book called Foodborne Pathogens (Bradley 2002). I get paid to read this stuff. The study concluded that when someone vomits, an aerosol (colloidal particals dispersed in a gas) containing the virus, is produced . I can’t remember the exact details but it was a British study. It stuck in my mind because I was surprised at the length of time the virus can survive outside the body – weeks rather than days. There have been more recent papers on this subject

 

 

As for whether the virus can be caught by inhalation I’m not so sure. There is a Washington Department of Health document which states that it can. But how could you tell whether a person has been infected by inhalation or from contaminated surfaces because whenever you get the aerosol you are also going to get surface contamination.

[brillohead]

As for whether the virus can be caught by inhalation I’m not so sure. There is a Washington Department of Health document which states that it can. But how could you tell whether a person has been infected by inhalation or from contaminated surfaces because whenever you get the aerosol you are also going to get surface contamination.

 

NOT IF YOU WASH YOUR HANDS!!!

 

That's the whole point... even with contaminated surfaces, if you wash your hands before touching your mouth (or anything you put in your mouth -- your food, dental floss, etc.), you will wash away the virus and not get sick.

 

But I don't know why I even bother trying to explain this to you. Since you don't believe the friggin' CDC, you're not going to believe me or any other intelligent person... :rolleyes:

[Esahuma]

Our doctor confirmed that the 'bugs' we both caught are airborne so no amount of sanitizing the cabin - or washing our hands - or not touching the tongs in MDR would have prevented this type of BUG -

 

Although we do all of the above - sometimes bugs just happen! :)

[MTdreaming]

If your doctor does this, she's an idiot who deserves to have her license revoked!

 

Seriously, this is the STUPIDEST thing you can do. SERIOUSLY, SERIOUSLY STUPID.

 

Go to any hospital and ask any nurse.... every single one will tell you how stupid your idea is.

 

(Note that I'm not saying YOU are stupid... just that this particular idea (a "just in case" prescription and a "precautionary" prescription) is COMPLETELY, insanely stupid.)

 

My husband has several medical conditions..if you get sick while traveling you can't always get antibiotics compatible with your other medicines...I am allergic to most antibiotics and likewise would not always be able to get an antibiotic. We don't take them unless absolutely necessary but on trips of more than 10 days or so find it to be a wise precaution.. and so have our doctors. We very seldom have had to use them.. actually each of us only once in our many years of travel.. but it could have been very bad if we did not have medicines we need. I think wise and cautious physicians can be trusted in this matter.

[Sam.Seattle]

My husband has several medical conditions..if you get sick while traveling you can't always get antibiotics compatible with your other medicines...I am allergic to most antibiotics and likewise would not always be able to get an antibiotic. We don't take them unless absolutely necessary but on trips of more than 10 days or so find it to be a wise precaution.. and so have our doctors. We very seldom have had to use them.. actually each of us only once in our many years of travel.. but it could have been very bad if we did not have medicines we need. I think wise and cautious physicians can be trusted in this matter.

You can buy most antibiotics over the counter in Mexico, Jamica, Spain & most of the Cabbibean.

 

I carry some all the time, but also agree with you that checking with your physican is good adivse.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Sam.Seattle

[Esahuma]

My husband has several medical conditions..if you get sick while traveling you can't always get antibiotics compatible with your other medicines...I am allergic to most antibiotics and likewise would not always be able to get an antibiotic. We don't take them unless absolutely necessary but on trips of more than 10 days or so find it to be a wise precaution.. and so have our doctors. We very seldom have had to use them.. actually each of us only once in our many years of travel.. but it could have been very bad if we did not have medicines we need. I think wise and cautious physicians can be trusted in this matter.

 

We agree with you on any cruise over 10 days mainly outside the US our doctor gives us antibiotics (he does know that we can buy them in Mexico and he would rather us have US made) He knows that we will use them ONLY if absolutely needed - we do not want to jeopardize our immunity to these drugs

 

Next year we are doing 50+ days cruising PLUS travel and pre-cruise - all will be in Australia so we need something- just in case!

[lahlah57]

Antibiotic overuse has gone way overboard....even doctors agree!

Some bugs we contract....needs to he worked thru to build our own immunities and if used antibiotics for every little thing will mean resistance to these very same and much needed antibiotics when we REALLY need them.

Our patients ask for them after every simple procedure and we dutifully tell them "no" that their bodies will heal itself just fine....unless.....they have other standing diseases that leave their immunities lowered....that is an exception.

I know I want antibiotics to work when the need is great not when I have a tickle in my throat!:rolleyes:

[jbuch02]

I've worked in infectious diseas for a decade or more in various capacities. I find this thread interesting. A few thoughts:

 

Droplet versus Airborn transmission: it's an academic argument. Norovirus, the most common virus transmitted in shipboard situations, while not a disease transmitted via air, is transmitted via droplets in the air. Example: a passenger infected with Norovirus, vomits in a public space and you pass through or try to assist the sick passenger immediately after the vomitus is passed. You are at risk to inhale Airborn droplets and get the virus. Flush a toilet full of feces from and infected person with the lid up and you've just filled the immediate area with contaminated droplets. Those droplets won't remain airborne for long but they will land on surfaces contaminating them.

 

The most common mechanism of transmission of Norovirus is by contact. Sadly, scientists have concluded that the Norovirus on a surface can remain infective for up to two weeks. High risk places where you can come in contact with Norovirus are in spaces where sickened passengers use toilets, washrooms, all the surfaces in those washrooms or anywhere in a cabin where a person sick with Norovirus has resided. Yes, buffets are transmission vehicles for all the reasons already stated. There are common sense ways to decrease the likelihood of disease transmission from buffets and dining areas. Most of you reading this know them. If you see a passenger disregarding his rsponsibility to prevent the spread of disease at the buffet, tell a uniformed staff member, preferably a manager. Be polite and ask them to speak to the passenger. What happens after that is not your concern.

 

It is very difficult to avoid becoming sicked after contacting Norovirus if people sick with it board a ship or airplane. The efforts by entities asking you to attest that you have not had fever, vomiting or diarrhea before boarding while laudable, do little good. People lie. If you become sick while onboard a cruise and present with symtoms suggestive of Norovirus, the best thing you can do is admit you have it, report it to sick call (don't go to the medical department just call) and do what they instruct you to do. You'll be quarantined until your symtoms resolve and this can involve 24 hours or more. Rarely more than 72 to 96h. When you are well, you will be asked to vacate your cabin and it will be decontaminated.

 

If there is an outbreak on a cruise ship, cooperate with everything the ship's staff implements to prevent transmission. This includes pre-boarding efforts that a ship's staff will undertake if there was an outbreak on the cruise before yours that will delay you from boarding. Don't be an ass about it. This is serious stuff as passengers who are elderly, have comorbid medical conditions or who have depressed immune systems from chronic diseases can die from this disease through dehydration or exacerbation of conditions they have that are usually controlled through medical management and prescribed drugs.

 

As far as doing things to prevent getting sick, most of these have already been mentioned. All of them play a roll some greater than others.

Edited February 28, 2016 by jbuch02

[ShakyBeef]

I've worked in infectious diseas for a decade or more in various capacities. I find this thread interesting. A few thoughts:

 

Droplet versus Airborn transmission: it's an academic argument. Norovirus, the most common virus transmitted in shipboard situations, while not a disease transmitted via air, is transmitted via droplets in the air. Example: a passenger infected with Norovirus, vomits in a public space and you pass through or try to assist the sick passenger immediately after the vomitus is passed. You are at risk to inhale Airborn droplets and get the virus. Flush a toilet full of feces from and infected person with the lid up and you've just filled the immediate area with contaminated droplets. Those droplets won't remain airborne for long but they will land on surfaces contaminating them.

 

The most common mechanism of transmission of Norovirus is by contact. Sadly, scientists have concluded that the Norovirus on a surface can remain infective for up to two weeks. High risk places where you can come in contact with Norovirus are in spaces where sickened passengers use toilets, washrooms, all the surfaces in those washrooms or anywhere in a cabin where a person sick with Norovirus has resided. Yes, buffets are transmission vehicles for all the reasons already stated. There are common sense ways to decrease the likelihood of disease transmission from buffets and dining areas. Most of you reading this know them. If you see a passenger disregarding his rsponsibility to prevent the spread of disease at the buffet, tell a uniformed staff member, preferably a manager. Be polite and ask them to speak to the passenger. What happens after that is not your concern.

 

It is very difficult to avoid becoming sicked after contacting Norovirus if people sick with it board a ship or airplane. The efforts by entities asking you to attest that you have not had fever, vomiting or diarrhea before boarding while laudable, do little good. People lie. If you become sick while onboard a cruise and present with symtoms suggestive of Norovirus, the best thing you can do is admit you have it, report it to sick call (don't go to the medical department just call) and do what they instruct you to do. You'll be quarantined until your symtoms resolve and this can involve 24 hours or more. Rarely more than 72 to 96h. When you are well, you will be asked to vacate your cabin and it will be decontaminated.

 

If there is an outbreak on a cruise ship, cooperate with everything the ship's staff implements to prevent transmission. This includes pre-boarding efforts that a ship's staff will undertake if there was an outbreak on the cruise before yours that will delay you from boarding. Don't be an ass about it. This is serious stuff as passengers who are elderly, have comorbid medical conditions or who have depressed immune systems from chronic diseases can die from this disease through dehydration or exacerbation of conditions they have that are usually controlled through medical management and prescribed drugs.

 

As far as doing things to prevent getting sick, most of these have already been mentioned. All of them play a roll some greater than others.

 

Excellent post! I wish the woman on the Carnival boards that proudly proclaimed she doesn't wash her hands after using a public toilet would read it, and comprehend it. But that's too much to hope for. Some people are disgusting:mad: and will actually try to justify their nasty habits on public message boards.:rolleyes: And they cruise with the rest of us. Beware.

[Langley Cruisers]

...Room steward meet, greet and pay to change the bedding again, including the top covers. We also inquire if the party prior to ours was healthy or if they have been ill....

 

Uhh, you do know the bedding WAS just changed only a few mere hours before you boarded, right? Why you would have your cabin steward change the bedding again is beyond me. They are extremely busy and it's like saying the first time wasn't good enough... *shrug*

[TruckerDave]

man o man....some of you folks go way overboard (in my opinion) to try and avoid getting sick. I just live my life and if I get sick, i get sick. Of course I am out and about all the time and have probably been exposed to most of this stuff anyway and have gotten some immunity to the various illnesses. Just in the last week I have been in from Houston-Lima OH-Cincinnatti-back to Lima OH-Edison NJ-Paulasboro NJ-Sufolk VA and will be in Tampa tomorrow then Jacksonville on Tuesday. I interact with people all day, my sleep pattern is not the best and I don't eat as well as I should and yet I haven't been sick in probably 10 years. :rolleyes: I have been drunk the water in Mexico. :p

[runawaysoul]

80% of your immune system resides in your gut. I take immunity version of Hyperbiotics, which are probiotics with the addition of Vitamin C, zinc, and echinacea. You can also get a box of emergenC 1000mg vitamin C single serve packets that I can keep in my pocket or something. For potential SHTF, I take charcoal tablets. I also tend to avoid buffet lines. I'm not paranoid nor have I been sick on a cruise (knock on wood), but it only takes 1 person who didn't wash their hands to wreck your cruise...

Edited February 29, 2016 by runawaysoul

[idlivru]

Yes!:) I hate it when a bathroom only has hand-blow-dryers and a door that one must pull to exit.:(

 

Use toilet paper to open the door or a tissue.

 

NEver ever use the hand santitizing crap they push on you. Decreases your immunity and doesnt protect you at all. Those are not allowed in medical places any more. and the more you use them the more you decrease your immunity--which is why more and more people get sick on cruises. Most viruses have an incubation period of 7-14 days so most of the time you will have come in contact with the virus before getting on the ship.

[Langley Cruisers]

NEver ever use the hand santitizing crap they push on you.... Those are not allowed in medical places any more...

 

Excuse me but that is a sweeping, incorrect generalization. They are still all over the place, including all our hospitals and medical offices.

[ShakyBeef]

Use toilet paper to open the door or a tissue.

 

NEver ever use the hand santitizing crap they push on you. Decreases your immunity and doesnt protect you at all. Those are not allowed in medical places any more. and the more you use them the more you decrease your immunity--which is why more and more people get sick on cruises. Most viruses have an incubation period of 7-14 days so most of the time you will have come in contact with the virus before getting on the ship.

 

Yeah, I know about tissues. I said that I use paper towels or tissue from my purse if paper towels or those wonderful door-opening tissues aren't provided, or have to resort to my shirt tail, in the extreme case. Did you miss that? I would never go back into the toilet stall to get toilet paper to use on the door - ewww. I don't understand why you chose to quote me for this comment?:confused:

 

And the part about the hand sanitizer? Are you saying that to me? Or just to everyone here in general, while quoting me for no apparent reason? I'm no proponent of sanitizer. But you got some of your "facts" wrong. Maybe you are confusing ethyl alcohol with Triclosan, et al.? Either way, you seem to be mistaken on a few points here.

[rainyLady]

While on board use ONLY your stateroom bathroom. Never use the public facilities. Wash and sanitize hands way more often than you would at home. Try not to touch your hands to your face. Happy, healthy cruising to all!

[dsrdsrdsr]

Yeah, I know about tissues. I said that I use paper towels or tissue from my purse if paper towels or those wonderful door-opening tissues aren't provided, or have to resort to my shirt tail, in the extreme case.

 

Shirt tail? Let's see - you visit the toilet, you sit down, you stand up, you clean up, your hands are covered with germs, you fasten your trousers with your germy hands, you tuck in your shirt tail with your germy hands, you wash your germy hands and make them fit to take outside, and then you pick up your shirt tail to open the door?

 

Methinks there's a flaw in your practices. Sorry.

[ShakyBeef]

Shirt tail? Let's see - you visit the toilet, you sit down, you stand up, you clean up, your hands are covered with germs, you fasten your trousers with your germy hands, you tuck in your shirt tail with your germy hands, you wash your germy hands and make them fit to take outside, and then you pick up your shirt tail to open the door?

 

Methinks there's a flaw in your practices. Sorry.

 

Methinks there's a flaw in your criticism - and it's called assumption.:mad::rolleyes:

 

Let me help clear things up for you, and add more detail since you seem so concerned...

 

I am a lady, not a man. I rarely wear trousers, and I rarely wear a tucked-in shirt. The type of shirt tail I would use would be that of a blouse, peasant top, shell top, or similar shirt, always worn untucked, on the outside of my skirt. And the shirt would not have been touched in the toilet stall;):rolleyes:, or for that matter, probably not at all since I took the shirt out of my closet and donned it.

 

Furthermore, I would use said shirt tail only in the worst case scenario: only if no paper towels or tissues are provided in the restroom, I don't have any tissues in my purse, the door is the pull-to-exit type, and no one comes through the door while I'm in the vicinity (in that case, I would slip through after them, without touching the door).

 

And even furthermore, I immediately use an alcohol hand-sanitizing wipe after having to resort to using my shirt tail as a barrier between my hand and the door, every time.

 

You don't have to counsel me on proper hygiene. I am a former veterinary surgical assistant with mild germaphobic tendencies. I know proper hand-washing protocol and always practice it, along with precautions to keep my clean hands from getting recontaminated from all the filthy pigs that don't wash their hands in the public restroom.

 

So, good job on assuming and getting it completely, utterly wrong.:cool:

 

But tell me, O Wise One, what would you do in the same situation to get out of the restroom?

[BeagleOne]

Taking excessive doses of Vitamin C doesn't do anything except increase the amount of vitamin C in your urine and feces. Your body can't store vitamin C so any excess is excreted.

 

NEver ever use the hand santitizing crap...Those are not allowed in medical places any more.

 

That is absolutely, positively incorrect.