Noroviruses

OK...So I spent four years in the Navy. Two of those years were spent living on two different ships with -thousands- of other Sailors and Marines...and never -once- was our crew (or any crew I ever heard of...on any ship) affected by a "Noroviruse". Now it seems like you can't open a newspaper or a news website without reading about hundreds of people falling ill on some cruise ship. So I ask you, other than the assumption I've already made...That being that these ships are staffed by third world people for whom washing their hands is a more of a concept than a habit...WHAT else could possibly be the cause ?

Contaminated food, contaminated surfaces, close contact.
http://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/about/transmission.html

Since cruise ships are constant food extravaganzas, my money is on food contamination.

The cruise ships are also dealing with thousands of passengers who probably don't wash their hands and have poor manners while hitting the buffet line. Add the fact that the tourists are probably eating and drinking food while off the cruise ship in third world countries and you are asking for trouble. It is the main reason I don't take cruises or eat at buffets.

Gastrointestinal outbreaks are not unheard of on Navy ships.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-230X/6/9

Not to mention other non-gastro outbreaks that occur after liberty. .

[Robin Garr]

Not to mention other non-gastro outbreaks that occur after liberty. .

Not to mention "Anchors Aweigh" and, of course, "Don't drop the soap"?

[Robin Garr]

Why don't we look at some actual, real facts about norovirus from the Centers for Disease Control? Like flu, noroviruses evolve into new, nasty strains for which we have little immunity. This happened in 2006, 2010 and 2012.

http://www.cdc.gov/features/dsnorovirus/

Not to mention other non-gastro outbreaks that occur after liberty. .

Not to mention "Anchors Aweigh" and, of course, "Don't drop the soap"?

I was always under the impression "dropping the soap" was an Air Force thing...

The cruise ships are also dealing with thousands of passengers who probably don't wash their hands and have poor manners while hitting the buffet line. Add the fact that the tourists are probably eating and drinking food while off the cruise ship in third world countries and you are asking for trouble. It is the main reason I don't take cruises or eat at buffets.

Bingo Justin, I think you hit it on all 8 cylinders.

Personally, having witnessed (from afar mind you) the buffet feeding frenzy at a couple of Injun casinos, I too have sworn off such smorgasbords...anytime, anywhere ("sneeze bars" as my lovely bride calls them).

Gastrointestinal outbreaks are not unheard of on Navy ships.

I suppose the obvious conclusion I draw from this (relatively recent) study is that sailors in Today's Navy don't have the intestinal fortitude we possessed back in "the day"

....smorgasbords...

Smorgasbords?? How old are you? 95?

[Robin Garr]

I was always under the impression "dropping the soap" was an Air Force thing...

Nah, it goes back to the Brit Navy. Admiral Nelson, I believe, who once said, "12 months at sea changes everything."

Unread postby Bill P » Mon Jan 27, 2014 7:30 pm

Steve P wrote:
....smorgasbords...

Nay, he lived in Minnesota for a while where the smorgasbord is alive and well!

Gastrointestinal outbreaks are not unheard of on Navy ships.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-230X/6/9

Not to mention other non-gastro outbreaks that occur after liberty. .

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/11/health/na ... _inthenews

,,,"Keeping vessels extraordinarily clean is part of the daily routine for everyone onboard U.S. Navy ships.

"Every day at 0730 we basically do a cleaning station of the ship. Every department has their own space," sailor John Canevari said, clearly showing pride in his section of the passageway.

"We live here. If we want to go out on deployment for eight or nine months, we need to make sure it's clean."

In the kitchens, cleaning is constant to prevent foodborne illnesses.

"It's important to keep it clean because cross-contamination is a big factor for illnesses," said Jakeila Owens, Iwo Jima culinary specialist.

Just in case crews in the galleys miss something, preventive medicine technicians like Aaron Ferguson inspect multiple times every day"...

Why Norovirus Crops Up on Cruises, NYT, 11 Feb 2014

Though cruise outbreaks make news, Jan Vinjé, head of the National Calicivirus Laboratory at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that widespread illness occurs on only about 1 in 200 voyages. The cause is not necessarily cruise line maintenance. “The food served on ships is usually of excellent quality, and food preparers are well trained,” Dr. Vinjé said. And when illness appears, he added, crews clean quickly and effectively. The problem, he said, is passengers. “If Grandma is sick when she gets on, she’s going on the cruise anyway,” Dr. Vinjé said. “And that’s how the virus gets onboard. Then it lands on handrails and doorknobs, and the transmission continues.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/16/trave ... .html?_r=0

said Jakeila Owens, Iwo Jima culinary specialist.

Culinary Specialist?? Is that what we used to call cooks? Culinary specialists or not, I bet they still are capable of turning food into feces without the aid of digestion. Then again you sailors were always a pampered bunch.