Virus On Rhine

[Palmetto Lady]

Over the years we have done a fair amount of traveling. More often than not one of us will come home from a cruise, either ocean or river, with some sort of respiratory virus. The only cases which I have ever heard reported to CDC were noro viruses. In the cases of respiratory viruses, it was usually someone who brought it onboard. In most cases, they start out as colds. I tend to think those kinds of viruses are not reported to CDC.

It is one of the risks of travel - you are putting yourself in places where you may not have any immunity. I bring wipes, but often forget to use them. Whose fault is that? I am a fanatic about washing my hands and using sanitizer, but on our last 35 day cruise, I can down with a cold about ten days before arriving home. You wash your hands, but then touch the arms of the chair on which someone has just sat who has a cold. Only a few people on ship had colds, but I became one of them. It's one of the risks one takes if one travels. I know someone who does not travel because she has a weak immune system. C'est la vie!

[Palmetto Lady]

Sorry, double post.

[AZPam]

I think this type of a virus can be caught just about anywhere. It's one of the reasons I travel with a small pharmacy in my bag.

[Emma Chisit]

We just returned from the Danube Discovery by Amadeus on the Amadagio. One week leaving Budaperst to Nueremburg. 145 passengers. By the end of the week I beleive at least 3/4 of the passengers were extreemly ill. Starts with sore throat, then head cold-like symptoms with high feaver. Then goes to cough and chest. Several in our cruise fled to nearest hospital and some hospitalized. My husband came down with it just as we disembarked and were transfered to Prague. Very very ill. Do not confuse this with the Noro virus that you hear of, That one attackes the stomach and intenstines. this one attacks the upper respiratory system. I had brought prescription antibiotic with me and gave it, along with Benedril and robotussin to husband. He spent our 4 days in prage in the hotel bed sick and feaverish. This sounds like the same thing that was going around in 2007. I for one, think the waterways or cruise lines could do a better job.

 

Yup, it was on our ship also. "Sound of Music" Amsterdam to Istanbul, August 2008. A great many ill passengers with exactly the same symptoms as on needshelp's ship. Many had to consult doctors all along the way, one couple left the cruise early. I understand that the cruise immediately before ours also had the same illness affecting many passengers. The captain and hotel manager on ours needed to be replaced a couple of days into the cruise due to illness. I already posted on this topic, agree with needshelp that the companies involved need to do a better job of preventing and containing these infections. Appears that it happens every year, though not on all ships.

[Trash Queen]

Traveling Prof,

 

We disembarked the Amadante in Amsterdam as you boarded. About 75% of those on our cruise also caught what we dubbed the Newcastle Bug.

 

I posted about it on another thread on this Board, titled

Our 14 Day Amadante Cruise which is on page one of River & Canal Cruises page if the link doesn't work.

 

I do hope that you will continue to improve. My husband and I have found that it just keeps coming back. We had to find doctors in Wurzburg and Wertheim, who prescribed Cipro. At home we've gotten prescriptions for more antibiotics, and it just doesn't respond. I'm now beginning to think it might be a fungal infection that was spread by uncleaned or bad air filtering equipment.

 

Emma Christ also started a thread on this board titled Illness on European River Cruises where the topic is pretty much vetted.

 

Charlotte

[TravelingProf]

Hi Trash Queen,

 

I am sorry you are still under the weather. I am feeling fine now but it did take three courses of antibiotics--one (amocicillin--sp) that I started on board, Zithro when I got home (by a dr. who was filling in for my regular--I told him this would not cut it but what do I know:rolleyes: and then finally levaquin which finally knocked it out and I was feeling much better within three days.

 

I suppose on a ship of that size it is inevitable that any bug will spread like wildfire but I agree that there are some precautions that could be taken and were not.

 

Despite my illness and the short amount of time in ports (I like you wish to wander and would have been happier with less ports and more time in each) we still had a wonderful time and would sail with AMA again.

 

If you have not tried levaquin yet, ask you dr. for it--it realy helped!! BTW, my partner, who has the immune system and constitution of a horse, did not get ill. She did not even get a sniffle!!!

 

TP