There have been 13 outbreaks of norovirus on cruise ships this year.Photo:Getty
Getty
There have been 13 outbreaks of the wildly contagious norovirus on cruise ships this year — the highest number since 2012.
And it’s only July.
The most recent outbreak occurred on theViking Neptune, where about 13% of the 838 passengers on the ship contracted the illness. That’s the highest percentage of passengers to fall ill from norovirus so far,according to the CDC.
“We believe the gastrointestinal illness originated from a shoreside restaurant in Iceland where a group of guests dined during their free time,” a Viking representativetold CNN.
Often dismissed as a “stomach flu,” norovirus is a highly contagiousgastrointestinal illnessthat causes vomiting and diarrhea. In fact, it isn’t related to the flu at all.
The largest cruise ship in the world, the Icon of the Seas, is set to sail next year.Alamy
Alamy
And the way the virus spreads is almost as unpleasant as the illness itself.
And if someone has norovirus and is preparing your food, there’s a good chance they can spread the illness to you—especially if they haven’t washed their hands properly.
The CDC says you can also get it from “touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus and then putting your unwashed fingers in your mouth" — which is why cruise ships like theViking Neptuneenacted its “increased cleaning and disinfection” procedure following the outbreak.
And while it may seem like cruise ships are a breeding ground for gastrointestinal illnesses like the norovirus, the CDC says that’s not the case.
“Acute gastrointestinal illness is relatively infrequent on cruise ships,”the agency says. “Health officials track illness on cruise ships. So outbreaks are found and reported more quickly on a cruise ship than on land.”
And while there have been 13 cases of norovirus diagnosed so far this year, the CDC isn’t recommending that people avoid cruises — which they did when the highly contagious Covid variant, Omicron,was spreadingin late 2021.
However, the Covid-era recommendation to wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds can also help avoid the spread of norovirus,the CDC says.
Hand sanitizer, on the other hand, “does not work well." The Mayo Clinic echoes this, recommending plain old soap and water overalcohol-based sanitizers.
And since norovirus spreads easily through food prep, the CDC recommends that shellfish be cooked thoroughly to an internal temperature of at least 145°F — as “quick steaming processes may not heat foods enough to kill noroviruses.”
Symptoms can kick in as early as 12 hours after exposure to the norovirus, and can last up to three days.
And although vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain are unpleasant, most symptomsresolve on their own, with patients being advised to stay hydrated and use over-the-counter solutions (such as anti-nausea or anti-diarrheal medication) to ease symptoms.
However, “for some people — especially young children, older adults and people with other medical conditions — vomiting and diarrhea can be severely dehydrating and require medical attention.”
Warning signs of dehydration include fatigue and dry mouth. Parents are cautioned to monitor their children, as those “who are dehydrated might cry with few or no tears. They might be unusually sleepy or fussy.”
In these extreme cases, via intravenous hydration might be required.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
source: people.com
