How about checking out your ship before you book? Long before COVID attacked, cruise ships had been battling recurrent outbreaks of highly contagious gastrointestinal infections (primarily norovirus) that cause virulent vomiting and diarrhea persisting over two to three agonizing days. In the general community, where norovirus is more commonly known as stomach flu or food poisoning, the afflicted can suffer in relative silence and privacy. But in the limited confines of a cruise vessel with 5,000 to 6,000 cohorts sharing space, utensils, toilets, deck chairs, spas, etc., and where it’s virtually impossible to get from Point A to B without touching some surface common to all − elevator buttons, stairwell railings and door latches − norovirus is an equal-opportunity hazard. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long considered it an endemic health concern in cruise ship travel. Prior to the onset of the COVID pandemic, 10 norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships were reported in 2019; 11 in 2018; and 11 in 2017. An “outbreak” is officially recorded when more than three per cent of passengers and or crew report repeated incidence of vomiting and/or loose stools. (Yes…you are required to make such reports if you are stricken). To date, few cruise lines have been left unaffected. The Maritime Illness Data Base system claims that the larger the ship, the bigger the risk of norovirus transmission. Such outbreaks should not be minimized, as some have been so severe that cruises have been terminated or rerouted in mid cruise. In 2018, one mega ship was forced to return to its Florida port with 475 stricken passengers complaining to national TV camera crews of their “trip to hell.” The prior year, the ill-famed “poop” cruise garnered even more media attention. No further description of that unfortunate event is necessary. Fortunately, as the CDC notes, such occurrences are rare, given the thousands of cruises launched each year. But, when they happen to you, the incidence factor is irrelevant. A little pre-booking research into the sanitation history of your cruise choice is not a bad idea. On your laptop, go to CDCAdvanced Cruise Ship Inspection Search (wwwn.cdc. gov/InspectionQueryTool/ InspectionSearch.aspx). Scroll down to your ship of choice and click on score. If it’s 85 or higher on a scale of 100, your ship passed its last inspection. If you want a little deeper check, click on All scores of that particular boat going back for a few years. If you see a score lower than 85, that’s a fail. Click on reports and you can read what sanitation inspectors have spotted. Or maybe, better not. Most ships have excellent records and take sanitation seriously. But in a vessel that serves 15,000 meals per day (plus in-between “snacks”) slip-ups happen. CSANews | SPRING 2022 | 21 Travel
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