Three hundred passengers and crew members have fallen ill
aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship that departed Tuesday from New Jersey.
Halfway through the 10-day cruise, people aboard the ship started becoming
sick, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Explorer of the Seas cruise was heading toward St.
Maarten, a Caribbean island, when reports started coming in that passengers
were falling ill. Out of 3,050 passengers and 1,165 crew members, about 281
passengers and 22 crew members fell ill from a quick-spreading illness
suspected to be a highly contagious norovirus.
The cruise ship stopped Saturday
in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to completely sanitize the ship; it was due to stop
in Haiti but the plan was to go straight to San Juan to began the sanitation
process on the cruise ship.
The cause of the illness outbreak is not known but
the CDC will board the Royal Caribbean ship Sunday to ”conduct an epidemiologic
investigation, environmental health assessment, and evaluate the outbreak and
response activities.” The ill passengers and crew members did respond well to
over-the-counter medications.
The Royal Caribbean International line just recently had an
outbreak Jan. 17, when its four-day Majesty of the Seas cruise had to return to
dock to deal with a norovirus outbreak. Sixty eight people became ill, two of
them crew members. The ill aboard this ship also responded well to
over-the-counter medications.
The norovirus
U.S. cruise lines had seven norovirus outbreaks in 2013, a
decrease from a high total of 35 in 2006. The CDC says approximately 21 million
people fall ill with from the norovirus bug every year in the United States.
What is the norovirus? It is a highly contagious virus that
is easily spread via an infected person, contaminated food or water, and by
touching contaminated surfaces.
The virus is the most common cause of
gastroenteritis, which is likely the illness affecting passengers aboard the Royal
Caribbean cruise ship, and the most common cause of foodborne illnesses.
The
virus quickly spreads in enclosed spaces such as daycare centers, schools,
nursing homes and cruise ships.
To prevent norovirus infection, wash hands thoroughly with
soap and water, especially after using the bathroom, changing diapers and
always before handling, preparing or eating food. Thoroughly wash fruits,
vegetables and all seafood.
The tricky thing about the norovirus is that it can
survive high temperatures so cooking seafood such as shellfish at a high
temperature may not kill the norovirus so if any food is suspected of
contamination, it is best to dispose of it.
Should someone fall ill with the norovirus, it is best to
avoid caring for anyone else who is ill, and avoid preparing meals for them. A
person with norovirus must take care to focus on recovery and avoid caring for
others until at least two or three days after recovering from the norovirus.
Thoroughly clean and disinfect any surfaces with vomit or
diarrhea. A solution of household and chlorine bleach is ideal.
When washing
laundry that may be contaminated, take care to use rubber gloves while handling
the infected items and wash hands after handling them. Then wash laundry at the
highest level possible, and then machine dry afterwards.
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