What diseases are common on cruise ships?
What diseases are common on cruise ships?
The most frequently reported cruise ship outbreaks involve respiratory infections, GI infections (such as norovirus), and vaccine-preventable diseases other than influenza, such as varicella (chickenpox).
What cruise line did everyone get sick on?
Norovirus and cruise ships: What to know Hundreds of passengers fell ill from the virus on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas in January 2019. The CDC reported 561 passengers and 31 crew members were treated for the ultra-contagious gastrointestinal illness on a cruise out of Port Canaveral, Florida.
Why is norovirus common on cruise ships?
Norovirus is associated with cruise travel simply because health officials are required to track illnesses on ships (and are not at hotels and resorts); therefore, outbreaks are found and reported more quickly at sea than on land.
What bacteria is commonly found on cruise ships?
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) has become the leading bacterial cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks on cruise ships.
How do you not get sick on a cruise?
How Not to Get Sick on a Cruise
- See a travel medicine specialist before your trip.
- Pack your own hand sanitizer and travel-size disinfectant.
- Avoid common serving utensils.
- No sharing.
- Wash your hands obsessively.
- Eat your foods cooked.
- Skip unpasteurized foods.
- Use your own restroom.
What kind of diseases can you get on a cruise ship?
The World Health Organization (WHO) has determined that most of the gastrointestinal disease occurrences on cruise ships are associated with the consumption of contaminated food or water. The most common virus detected to date is the norovirus, which is easily spread from one passenger to another.
Are there any norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships?
From 2008 to 2014, 74 million passengers sailed on cruise ships in the Vessel Sanitation Program’s jurisdiction. Only 129,678 passengers met the program’s case definition for acute gastrointestinal illness and only a small proportion of those cases (1 in 10) were part of a norovirus outbreak.
Do you need travel insurance for a cruise ship?
Using Blue Cross travel insurance gives cruise ship passengers (and any other traveller) peace of mind, even outside of their country of origin. The best advice to take is this: Always have travel insurance before stepping on board a cruise ship.
