Health

[joron44]

YIKES

Just stepped off the QM2 yesterday (Sunday) from a wonderful TA. Monday mornings e-mails included a letter from Cunard headquarters informing me that three people are being treated for Legionnaires disease.  Whats up with that?

[BklynBoy8]

22 minutes ago, joron44 said:

YIKES

Just stepped off the QM2 yesterday (Sunday) from a wonderful TA. Monday mornings e-mails included a letter from Cunard headquarters informing me that three people are being treated for Legionnaires disease.  Whats up with that?

 

Please keep us informed...... thank you.....

 

Any hint sickness when you were on board.

 

Thank you.....

[DaisyUK]

Yikes indeed! Disturbing news, especially for those just off QM2 and those who have just boarded.

[*Miss G*]

Yikes is right!

[Jules.]

That’s not good at all, hope those poorly get well soon. 

[napria]

Legionnaires disease Can be contracted from air ducts and pools/spas. Hopefully Cunard has identified the cause and has remediated the situation.  I’m scheduled to board on Saturday 😳

[Germancruiser]

I do hope so, too. I am boarding in New York October 4th. Well I am pretty sure they have taken care of the problem.

[RK-NC]

On 9/23/2024 at 10:54 AM, joron44 said:

Just stepped off the QM2 yesterday (Sunday) from a wonderful TA. Monday mornings e-mails included a letter from Cunard headquarters informing me that three people are being treated for Legionnaires disease.

 

We also left QM2 on Sunday after 30 days onboard. @joron44 Could you post a copy of the letter? We have been diligently checking email and have not received anything from Cunard. Our thoughts are with those who are sick. I was sick Saturday night and Sunday with what I believe was food poisoning. We ate at Bamboo alternative dining on Saturday night. 

 

Info on Legionnaire's Disease: https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/about/index.html

[joron44]

I did get sick but after a trip to urgent care Monday, Covid test was negative so was treated with Medrol and Zithromax and I'm much better now. I did Verandah Friday night and started feeling punk on Saturday but can't say that had anything to do with it. My wife was OK. Interesting that I rarely ever get sick with anything?  I don't imagine that many people monitor CC after their cruise like they do before so we'll probably never know the extent of this.

Here is the letter...Cunard Letter 23-Sept-2024.pdf

[RK-NC]

Thank you for sharing the letter. We still haven't received anything from Cunard about Legionnaires Disease.

 

I've been doing some research: https://www.cdc.gov/control-legionella/php/wmp/common-wmp-questions.html#:~:text=Water main breaks,that use up available disinfectant. There was a water main break on Wednesday, September 18 around 3:30pm. Water was shut off for about 3 hours. 

[joron44]

Great sluthing, Columbo.  I'll bet there is quite a slew of sick people down river from that break. 

[RK-NC]

14 hours ago, RK-NC said:

There was a water main break on Wednesday, September 18 around 3:30pm. Water was shut off for about 3 hours. 

 

I now believe that this was most likely the reason I got sick on Saturday night. I'm still trying to recover. If a water main break happens, be cautious - drink only bottled water and be careful about food that may have come in contact with contaminated water. 

 

Water main breaks have happened in the past:

 

 

[D&N]

53 minutes ago, RK-NC said:

 

I now believe that this was most likely the reason I got sick on Saturday night. I'm still trying to recover. If a water main break happens, be cautious - drink only bottled water and be careful about food that may have come in contact with contaminated water. 

 

Water main breaks have happened in the past:

 

 

We don't drink anything else. Back in the late 1990s our local mains supply pipes were being cleaned and defurred. The things emerging from our taps at times were quite unpleasant. We haven't drunk tap water that we haven't filtered ourselves since.

 

If we find a restaurant that only serves filtered and possibly aerated chilled water that they have bottled we never return. Some venues try to make out they do this to be considered eco friendly.

 

My wife is virtually guaranteed to have an upset stomach if she drinks tap water and is very likely to be physically sick.

[exlondoner]

4 minutes ago, D&N said:

We don't drink anything else. Back in the late 1990s our local mains supply pipes were being cleaned and defurred. The things emerging from our taps at times were quite unpleasant. We haven't drunk tap water that we haven't filtered ourselves since.

 

If we find a restaurant that only serves filtered and possibly aerated chilled water that they have bottled we never return. Some venues try to make out they do this to be considered eco friendly.

 

My wife is virtually guaranteed to have an upset stomach if she drinks tap water and is very likely to be physically sick.

Don’t think bottled water is safer. The only time I have ever been ill from drinking water was a very unpleasant campylobacter infection almost certainly from drinking bottled water. And there are all those microplastics.

[D&N]

1 minute ago, exlondoner said:

Don’t think bottled water is safer. The only time I have ever been ill from drinking water was a very unpleasant campylobacter infection almost certainly from drinking bottled water. And there are all those microplastics.

As with many foodstuffs, bottled water can be contaminated if standards are not maintained at the bottling or processing plants. We'll take our chances with microplastics.

In the case of my wife, the risks of illness are much lower with bottled against the close to guaranteed illness from tap water.

[RK-NC]

3 hours ago, exlondoner said:

And there are all those microplastics.

 

No worries with microplastics on the ship as bottled water is in glass containers.

 

We drank the regular ship water throughout the majority of our voyage. But I highly recommend to only drink bottled water after a water main break happens on the ship. Also be aware that contaminated water may have come in contact with food or been used to make coffee or tea, dilute juice or make ice. 

 

 

[exlondoner]

10 minutes ago, RK-NC said:

 

No worries with microplastics on the ship as bottled water is in glass containers.

 

We drank the regular ship water throughout the majority of our voyage. But I highly recommend to only drink bottled water after a water main break happens on the ship. Also be aware that contaminated water may have come in contact with food or been used to make coffee or tea, dilute juice or make ice. 

 

 

Surely the water they flog to people about to go ashore when it is hot must be in plastic bottles.

[D&N]

My wife ensures that she is never served ice in any drinks.

Water forced through coffee grounds in a commercial espresso machine isn't quite boiling but should reduce risk. Besides my stomach isn't easily upset and my wife detests coffee.

Her risk is 14 pots of tea and 14 cups of hot chocolate per trip.

I'd much rather have Volvic in plastic bottles and San Pellegrino or Sparea for sparkling. The can's didn't taste too bad, but some British bottled waters taste awful unless they are really chilled and we prefer still water at room temperature for re-hydration.

 

[bnuckols]

On 9/24/2024 at 5:50 PM, RK-NC said:

Thank you for sharing the letter. We still haven't received anything from Cunard about Legionnaires Disease.

 

I've been doing some research: https://www.cdc.gov/control-legionella/php/wmp/common-wmp-questions.html#:~:text=Water main breaks,that use up available disinfectant. There was a water main break on Wednesday, September 18 around 3:30pm. Water was shut off for about 3 hours. 

There was also a burst pipe in the spa on Monday night. I was told that they changed some of the carpets on Tuesday night.

I started developing a cold on Wednesday,   but doubt it was related.

The good (maybe  bad) is that if we aren't hospital-sick with a high fever and severe respiratory symptoms after a couple days, it's not Legionaires disease.

[RK-NC]

7 hours ago, bnuckols said:

There was also a burst pipe in the spa on Monday night. I was told that they changed some of the carpets on Tuesday night.

 

There was also a burst pipe on deck 12 (near the fairways area beside the pavilion pool) on or about September 3rd. Fairways was closed for 10 days for repairs and floor replacement. 

[napria]

We are scheduled to board tomorrow and we got the letter informing us of Legionnaires and that they are diligently trying to locate the source.  I won’t be using the spa.

[*Miss G*]

3 hours ago, napria said:

We are scheduled to board tomorrow and we got the letter informing us of Legionnaires and that they are diligently trying to locate the source.  I won’t be using the spa.

 

Wow, @napria!  Can you believe the time has finally come?!  I am so excited for you!!  Have a wonderful time and I hope everyone stays healthy.  Good idea to stay away from the spa.  Bon Voyage!

[techteach]

@napria I’m glad to hear you received a letter from Cunard and I hope they have it figured out by the time you board. Have a fun and safe trip.

[Indianapolis_Jones]

5 hours ago, napria said:

We are scheduled to board tomorrow and we got the letter informing us of Legionnaires and that they are diligently trying to locate the source.  I won’t be using the spa.. 

Edited September 28 by Indianapolis_Jones

[3rdGenCunarder]

6 hours ago, napria said:

We are scheduled to board tomorrow and we got the letter informing us of Legionnaires and that they are diligently trying to locate the source.  I won’t be using the spa.

 

I hope it all goes well for you. I agree about the spa. Steamy air circulating around an enclosed space is not a good idea. I wonder if they'll close the thermal suite. I suppose it depends on what the air flow patterns are around the ship.