Mercury still hot

[Joe Beach]

The latest from CDC is there is still some trouble, those going soon, wash, wash, wash your hands!!

 

The ship is providing daily updates to CDC throughout the current voyage (sailing dates 3/17/2006-3/27/2006). The medical staff has reported a higher number of ill passenger and crew than expected. On March 24, VSP staff will board the ship in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and will sail for the remainder of the voyage to conduct an environmental and an epidemiological investigation. VSP staff will consult with onboard medical staff, observe cleaning and disinfection procedures, distribute a survey to determine the cause of illness, and make recommendations.

[cruznduo]

here's hoping not too many cruisers are sick on the current voyage and that it gets better very, very soon! We are booked for the April 28 sailing and I am sooooooooooooooooo hoping the ship is CLEAN by then. We sure would hate to be sick for 10 days. Linda

[C 2 C]

When we sailed on HAL's Veendam last year the ship, having been denied landing in Cayman Islands, returned early to Tampa to disembark half the passengers. They removed all the bedding, whether for replacement or professional off-site cleaning prior ot new arrivals. The following week some pax were still getting sick. It seems that sick passengers getting off the ship touch areas in the terminal that will carry the virus to other ships and other sailings.

We sailed for 4 weeks in Jan (Veendam) and Feb (Zenith) on two different sick ships and were not affected ourselves.

 

If you sail, wash often, walk, don't ride the elevators, don't touch the railings w/o washing again, don't move the chairs with your hands, the part you touch is never cleaned.... and despite all that.. think.. wipe the cutlery and everything touched by waiters.. they just helped someone at another table who might be carrying.. be paranoid.

 

80% of pax will not get sick, 95% of the crew will not get sick.

[excitedofharpenden]

Not sure if this is done, but they should post a member of staff in the washrooms and make sure people splash after they have, well, splashed. I have witnessed people ignoring this basic hygiene function a number of times and I find it pretty disgusting. Of course it wouldn't account for those in their staterooms doing the same thing, but I'm sure it would help with all the other precautions.

 

Phil

[Danno]

If you sail, wash often, walk, don't ride the elevators, don't touch the railings w/o washing again, don't move the chairs with your hands, the part you touch is never cleaned.... and despite all that.. think.. wipe the cutlery and everything touched by waiters.. they just helped someone at another table who might be carrying.. be paranoid.

.

 

I'd rather stay at home...makes you wonder if our immune systems are so lazy and tired after years of being ultra-clean...that we can't cope with even minor bugs anymore.

 

I have made an effort to quit being "cleanliness crazy"...24 months, no colds, no flu, less allergy issues...one can be clean with out being germ-o-phobic!!

[excitedofharpenden]

Dan, I am the same. I must say that most of the personal preventatives, like not touching things doesn't even come into my mind although I do follow the basic precautions of not spreading it like using the hand sanitizers where provided and following the basic hygiene stuff as I mentioned above. Maybe if I got a dose of the pods, that may make more more wary, but I am lucky in that I seem to have a cast iron constitution and have rarely suffered the Montezuma's Revenge or any other tummy upset. Some are less fortunate.

 

Truth is it happens and everyone has a part to play in preventing it on their cruise. Wash your hands properly with a vigarous rub and that will greatly reduce the chance of it spreading around the ship.

 

Phil

[ras]

I was on the Mercury March 6-17, 2006 and alot of people was also getting sick of that cruise. They had hand santizining everywhere at every food station, into all show I mean everywhere. I used very often and did not get sick. Hope everyone traveling stays well

[C 2 C]

makes you wonder if our immune systems are so lazy and tired after years of being ultra-clean...that we can't cope with even minor bugs anymore.

 

I agree.. being ultra-clean is counterproductive... the body has to practice fighting the little buggers... While on board the two "sick" ships we were just careful not to touch surfaces that were not regularly cleaned. Oversanitizing your own cabin won't help, watching people leave the rest rooms w/o washing is enough to make me scream... I always practice basketball after using paper or cloth towels to open public restrooms on board...

As I have posted before.. people with pets and stuff at home have a lower probability of catching the Norwalk... just like the staff on board.

[gracecarmo]

I think that one thing that many overlook in spreading germs are the salt and pepper shakers. Just think: if you practice good hygeine everywhere else, and then sit down to a meal, use the salt and pepper (that someone has used without the good hygeine habit)...then proceed to eat. Well....enough said. Salt and pepper shakers could be real germ spreaders IMO, just as railings, elevator buttons, casino machines, internet, etc. On occasion, I have seen really nasty salts and peppers. ugh.

[trcori]

I think there's a difference between good hygiene and total overkill, and the latter actually leaves you more susceptible to things. And coincidence or not, I am blessed with exceptional health. Folks come to work coughing and hacking, I say, hey, it's OK to sit by me, I'm immune. I haven't taken a sick day in two years (and the last one was "mental health") ...and I have a 10-year-old kid who is so healthy (again, THANK YOU, GOD), his pediatrician only sees him for those routine every-2-year checkups, while so many parents I know practically LIVE at their kids' doctors' offices ... TR, thankful

[C 2 C]

I think that one thing that many overlook in spreading germs are the salt and pepper shakers.

 

On Veendam these were replaced with individual packages. I found HAL was much better in handling the situation than X on Zenith.

HAL was totally open with daily updates by the captain.

X was in denial. No-one would acknowledge or explain the severity of the problem. There were just bleach stains everywhere.

[Mercruiser]

Please see my post on this other thread about the update from Celebrity on the Mercury GI Illness.

 

Message from Celebrity on Mercury GI Illness

[hardingk]

How do you get the updates from the CDC? We leave on the next sailing....I am starting to worry.

[C 2 C]

How do you get the updates from the CDC? We leave on the next sailing....I am starting to worry.

 

Here is one site:

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/outbreak/2006/update_march16mercury.htm