Thread: Would you report having Noro?

If you got Noro while on a cruise, would you report it?

It's a POLL. What would you do?

Yep, it's for the well being of all IMHO.

I voted "Don't Know", but I'll explain why.

I get seasick sometimes so I probably wouldn't be 100% sure if I was seasick or had noro at the beginning of something. If we encountered rough seas it wouldn't be until I was on land for a bit that I'd be able to tell if it was something more than seasickness.

How could you not report it if you had it , you would be risking the heath and with the extreem possibility of lives of older less resitant people with existing heath problems surely ?

I have and I did. Meanwhile when my wife got it the next to the last day of the cruise we did not. Why? Because of all the hassles that I received while under quarantine. Sure, she did not go out and I ended up fetching for her but there was absolutely nothing to be gained by telling the ship and there would have been additional hassles that, trust me, the ship did nothing to make up for.

I voted "probably would." If you're really sick, you'll want to get drugs! Also, I'd not want to infect my fellow passengers and would want my cabin steward to know so he/she will take extra precautions when cleaning my room. The reason I said "probably" is because my DH had it on the Mariner years ago but it was a very mild case. He quarantined himself and when the cabin steward came to clean the cabin, he was out on the veranda. I avoided mingling with people but did go out into the ship for this and that (including one of the bars for a before dinner drink). This all happened at the end of our cruise so hopefully we didn't infect anyone. This episode happened quite a few years ago before so much attention was put on this virus. They had just started the quarantining procedure and we had heard horror stories on how it was handled.

Garry

I expect I would report it but hopefully I will never find out.

I never thought about this until Nealberk described his nightmare on the Noordam. His story made me wonder if it would be better, just to avoid being miserable on an expensive vacation, to never tell anyone except your roommate. But obviously, if its symptoms would be obvious to other passengers and crew, it could scare a few people, and you certainly don't want your cabin steward sick. So I can understand both points of view here.

Before I can answer the question, I need to know the causes, the symptoms, the treatment, and how it spreads to all passengers. I only see that word when the virus spreads on cruise ships as if it can't be acquired on land, so all I know is it is very contagious.

Originally Posted by Smart Traveler

I never thought about this until Nealberk described his nightmare on the Noordam. His story made me wonder if it would be better, just to avoid being miserable on an expensive vacation, to never tell anyone except your roommate. But obviously, if its symptoms would be obvious to other passengers and crew, it could scare a few people, and you certainly don't want your cabin steward sick. So I can understand both points of view here.

Before I can answer the question, I need to know the causes, the symptoms, the treatment, and how it spreads to all passengers. I only see that word when the virus spreads on cruise ships as if it can't be acquired on land, so all I know is it is very contagious.

Norovirus is actually one of the most prevalent viruses in the world next to the common cold.

Here's some interesting information;

In the United States, CDC estimates that more than 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis each year are due to norovirus infection, and more than 50% of all foodborne disease outbreaks can be attributed to noroviruses.


Among the 232 outbreaks of norovirus illness reported to CDC from July 1997 to June 2000, 57% were foodborne, 16% were due to person-to-person spread, and 3% were waterborne; in 23% of outbreaks, the cause of transmission was not determined. Among these outbreaks, common settings included restaurants and catered meals (36%), nursing homes (23%), schools (13%), and vacation settings or cruise ships (10%).


Most foodborne outbreaks of norovirus illness are likely to arise though direct contamination of food by a food handler immediately before its consumption. Outbreaks have frequently been associated with consumption of cold foods, including various salads, sandwiches, and bakery products. Liquid items (e.g., salad dressing or cake icing) that allow virus to mix evenly are often implicated as a cause of outbreaks. Food can also be contaminated at its source, and oysters from contaminated waters have been associated with widespread outbreaks of gastroenteritis. Other foods, including raspberries and salads, have been contaminated before widespread distribution and subsequently caused extensive outbreaks.

You can read all about norovirus here; CDC - Norovirus: Home

Unfortunately, norovirus is contracted most of the time in places other than on cruise ships, such as hospitals, shopping malls, airplanes, airports, public transportation, etc. But believe it or not, only cruise ships are required by law to report it!

But when was the last time you saw anyone cleaning the railing on the escalator at the mall? By comparison, on cruises you'll see people cleaning all the time.

PEte

Wow Pete, you would think everybody was required to report it - especially hospitals and restaurants.

If norovirus does not spread in the air like cold viruses do, I won't report it to anybody except my mom and sister. If it can spread in a swimming pool, I will just have to not swim during the cruise.