There is no holiday season that does not make headlines in the press about the contagion of hundreds of passengers with the norovirus, which some even call the cruise ship bug. Norovirus is a virus that usually affects the stomach and intestines, causing gastroenteritis. Its symptoms are diarrhea and vomiting, as well as discomfort that in some cases can lead to fever. The most common is that in 1 or 2 days you are well. But why is norovirus associated with cruise ships?
Well, In the first place, because they are reported, that is, it is mandatory for health officials to monitor diseases that occur on cruise ships, leading to any outbreaks that do occur more quickly than those that occur on land. To this must be added, and it cannot be denied that living in a closed space increases contact between one person and another.
I don't mean to be alarmist, but there are a few things that are good to know about norovirus. This virus cannot be killed by household cleaning fluids, hand gels, or conventional disinfectants. although obviously all this helps to ensure proper hygiene and prevents its appearance. Powerful chemicals are needed to kill norovirus once it has taken hold.
This virus survives 12 hours on hard surfaces, and almost two weeks on soft cloth surfaces., if it were in stagnant water, it can survive for months.
As for its level of contagion, as I said before it is a lot, In a medicine blog I have read that a drop of vomit from a sick person can infect more than 100 people, it seems exaggerated, and alarmist, but it is only an opinion.
The most common is that if an outbreak of norovirus occurs on board a ship, it does not come from the crew or the ship itself, but rather it is a passenger who introduced it, since generally the hygiene measures of the food handlers are excellent.
However, the large shipping companies when this type of outbreak occurs, which affects a significant number of passengers and crew and (which also forces them to return to port) usually offer compensation or discounts for future cruises.