The CDC's tally of norovirus outbreaks so far confirmed on cruise ships in 2023 is already higher than any annual outbreak tallies since 2012, when the health agency recorded 16 outbreaks.
People Also Ask
Or maybe it's norovirus, a contagious virus that often keeps you at the toilet for several days. Some people know it as the “cruise ship virus” because it's often the cause of over 90% of diarrhea outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Infectious Disease OutbreaksThe most frequently reported cruise ship outbreaks involve GI infections (e.g., norovirus), respiratory infections (e.g., coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19], influenza), and other vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), such as varicella.
Based on the math, you have less chance of catching a gastrointestinal illness on a ship than at many places you're likely to visit on land. The CDC estimates only about 1% of all annual U.S. norovirus cases happen on cruise ships.
The most important thing that you can do to avoid Norovirus on a cruise ship is to wash and sanitize your hands as frequently as possible! You will find that most cruise ships have staff to dispense hand sanitizer when you enter into the buffets and other busy areas where people congregate.
“Landsickness” or “reverse seasickness” is familiar to many people who have taken long cruises — once the body has become accustomed to constant motion, the vestibular system, which controls balance, usually takes a few hours or days to acclimate to being on land again.
“It's just really the perfect scenario for transmission of highly contagious GI [gastrointestinal] pathogens,” Lucar says. According to the Cruise Lines International Association, the risk each year of getting laboratory-confirmed norovirus during a ship outbreak is about 1 in 5,500.
More than 90% of cruise ship gastro outbreaks are caused by norovirus, which is spread from person to person, and through contaminated objects or contaminated food or water. Gastro can also be caused by other pathogens such as bacteria in contaminated food or water.