HOW TO STAY HEALTHY ON A CRUISE

Many of my friends and some of my relatives love cruising. But what was meant to be a healthy and relaxing rest has sometimes turned into a nightmare experience. Usually Norovirus has been the cause (see previous posts).

So how do you avoid getting sick on board? Here are five things that may help:

1. Check out your ship's sanitation score, as assessed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under its Vessel Sanitation Programme (VSP). Here's the link: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionSearch.aspx. A score of 85 or below, should be seen as a warning sign, particularly if the same ship has scored low over the past years. But - I need to add that such inspections have not always been a good indicator of likely outbreaks (see my two posts of 2/13/12 - "Princess Cruises Ships Scored 100 for Sanitation," and "Are Cruise Ship Sanitation Inspections Working."

2. Check out if the ship you are interested in has had any large outbreaks in recent months (http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/gilist.htm). Thorough cleanup of the ship does occur after a large outbreak, but does not always eliminate all viruses.

3. Make sure you yourself are not suffering from a weak immune system when you take a cruise. If you are, these crowded conditions will be more risky to you than to someone who is better able to resist infection.

4. Use safe practices while on board. I have blogged these earlier, so will not repeat. See: "More Advice on Avoiding Sickness on a Cruise" of 2/11/12.

5. If an outbreak does occur on board, avoid contact with sick people and places where viruses or bacteria could lodge as much as possible. See above post of 2/11/12 for more.

To your good health,

TSF

MORE ADVICE ON AVOIDING SICKNESS ON A CRUISE

So with all these recently publicized outbreaks of illness on cruise ships, what do you do if you want to take a trip anyway? On Feb. 25, 2011, I posted on "How to Avoid Getting Sick on a Cruise" which focused mainly on reducing your risk of getting the virus from cruise ship food. The below includes some additional recommendations to also reduce your chances of getting the virus from other people or surfaces.

• Check the record of the shipping line and your particular ship for large outbreaks in the past (see the earlier blog for more). Personally, I would not go on a ship that has had a recently recorded outbreak of Norovirus.
• While on the cruise, avoid the buffet, or else, be the first there (again, see my previous posts for reasons).
• Rev up your good sanitation practices while on board, and wash your hands well before you put anything to your mouth - even a pill, a cigarette, your lipstick, brushing your teeth, and of course, before eating. When going on shore, take along an ethanol alcohol-based (a minimum 62%) hand sanitizer, preferably in a gel form and some tissues.
• If you can, avoid eating catered meals on shore, or be very careful about what you eat (nothing raw or sitting out in the sun). Drink only bottled water or drinks and avoid the ice (including crushed ice) and citrus slices.
• If you see someone on board who looks ill or says they are not feeling well (unless they have seasickness) keep away from them.
• If there is an ongoing outbreak on board, avoid crowds and groups as much as possible (difficult on board), touching railings, public restrooms, the swimming pool, whirlpool and spas.
• Keep healthy, getting enough sleep and eating well.

To your good health,

TSF

WHY IS NOROVIRUS SUCH A RISK ON CRUISE SHIPS?

The Safe Food Handbook has a box entitled "The Cruise Ship Virus" which highlights how frequent Norovirus illnesses are on cruise ships. Most outbreaks - like the recent ones we have had - affect both passengers and crew. So why is this nasty virus such a risk on cruises?

One of the most regular readers ran off a list of reasons to me yesterday. He even added a few that I hadn't thought of when I wrote the book. (Remember - you can get this virus from your food, water, surfaces, or, from contact with sick people). Here they are:

• The food is mass catered and therefore more subject to contamination.
• Buffets are a common feature, and these are known to be particularly risky.
• Passengers are in close physical contact with each other over a period of days or even weeks
• The ventilation systems could be adding to the problems.
• On some cruises, a large proportion of these passengers are senior citizens who tend to be less healthy and more vulnerable to such illness.
• On other "party" cruises, passengers tend to play hard and sleep little, resulting in them getting "worn down" which can also decrease their resistance.
• Passengers tend to keep going, even if feeling a bit ill, since they want to enjoy the cruise they have paid for. This may result in them passing the virus on to others.
• While any ships with outbreaks are very thoroughly cleaned when they dock, while at sea the cleaning of common facilities and cabins may be less than perfect, especially if a large number of crew are also ill and out of action.

To your good health,

TSF