Emerald Princess Mar 17 Apr. 1, 2023 Vessel Sanitation Program

Table Of Content

• Best Travel Insurance Companies
• What’s the CDC’s role in cruise ship COVID-19 safety?
• 'Vomit smells everywhere': Cruise ship's COVID, gastro outbreaks over as passengers disembark in Adelaide
• Grand Princess cruise ship bound for Adelaide suffers dual COVID-19, gastroenteritis outbreaks
• Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships
• Norovirus Cruise Ship Outbreaks Already Reach 10-Year High In 2023

The CDC has tracked outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships through its Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) since 1994. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 13 norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships so far in 2023. The last time the industry's yearly gastrointestinal illness outbreak total was that high was back in 2016 — and it's only July. 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. The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) requires cruise ships to log and report the number of passengers and crew who say they have symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.

COVID Nearly Sunk the Cruise Industry. Now it's Trying to Make a Comeback. : Consider This from NPR - NPR

COVID Nearly Sunk the Cruise Industry. Now it's Trying to Make a Comeback. : Consider This from NPR.

Posted: Wed, 16 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Best Travel Insurance Companies

Passengers expecting outstanding cuisine aboard a luxury Silversea cruise liner spent much of their vacation in the ship's bathrooms with a gastrointestinal virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Monday. "When that cruise ship got to Melbourne, it was disembarked and given a thorough and deep clean. Essentially people who got back onto that cruise ship were effectively new passengers," he told ABC Radio Adelaide. With the discontinuation of the CDC’s program, cruise lines are announcing updated COVID-19 protocols. Take, for instance, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., the parent company for Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. You actually need to use soap and water to physically destroy it and remove it from your hands,” Ostrosky previously told TODAY.com.

What’s the CDC’s role in cruise ship COVID-19 safety?

Cases have also risen nationally after a dip following the winter period, according to data from the federal health department. She said she felt a lack of communication about the outbreaks created an “unsafe environment” for passengers. "In an abundance of caution, there will be another disinfection program carried out on board the ship in Adelaide today before Grand Princess returns to Melbourne on Wednesday 15 November." According to the Cruise Lines International Association, cruise-related jobs dropped by 51% from 2019 to 2020. While cruises have rebounded somewhat, you still may experience issues related to reduced staffing while at sea. The situation is evolving, but it’s essential to know that some lines, like Azamara, still require guests 12 years of age or older to be fully vaccinated to sail—that includes a booster shot, if guests are eligible for one.

'Vomit smells everywhere': Cruise ship's COVID, gastro outbreaks over as passengers disembark in Adelaide

A spokesperson for Princess Cruises, which operates the ship, said a number of passengers had presented with symptoms on a previous voyage. But the ship has since been disinfected and the number of people who were ill when the ship arrived into Adelaide was said to be in single digits. Dual outbreaks of gastro and COVID on the Grand Princess cruise ship that docked in Adelaide on Monday have now been declared over by the doctor on board. Bridget Hancock has worked as a performer on cruise ships for almost seven years and said cruise ships had serious health protocols in place.

Grand Princess cruise ship bound for Adelaide suffers dual COVID-19, gastroenteritis outbreaks

They also recommend cruise ships have a plan to identify and contain any outbreaks, including testing and treatment capacity, and communicate to passengers and crew how they can reduce their transmission risk. Outbreaks of the stomach bug have surged on cruise ships this year, reaching the highest levels seen in 10 years. Since January 2023, there have been 13 confirmed norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships under U.S. jurisdiction — that's more outbreaks in six months than there have been during any full year since 2012, according to data from the U.S. Respiratory infectious outbreaks on cruise ships may be caused by a range of pathogens including SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) and influenza viruses. These can be spread by respiratory droplets and aerosols released when people breathe, talk, laugh, cough and sneeze.

Nearly 30 Silversea cruise passengers get sick in gastrointestinal illness outbreak

But travelers worried about getting sick aboard a cruise ship can rest assured that cruise lines aren’t sailing solo in the continuing pandemic. It’ll still publish guidelines so cruise ships can provide a safe environment for passengers and crew members. Most recently, a norovirus outbreak in June on the Viking Neptune sickened 110 passengers (over 13% of the ship's guests) and nine crew members with vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps, according to the CDC.

Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships

"I'm hoping there's some kind of checking process before passengers get actually on a tour," he said. He said he would take precautionary measures like wearing masks and using sanitisers while travelling with visitors from the ship. "They've been sick since November 1, just after they got on, and they're still sick now, so they went from one disease to the next." Premier Peter Malinauskas said "the bulk of the illnesses" happened before the ship arrived at Melbourne on the weekend. She said she and her child have not been sick, but were worried about being exposed to the virus.

So far this year, 1,503 people—1,321 passengers, and 182 crew members—have come down with gastrointestinal illnesses on cruises that had the US as part of their itinerary. Most of the infections are still of unknown origin, while in three cases the outbreaks were identified as norovirus, which is a relatively common cause of gastrointestinal disease on cruises. Norovirus survives on surfaces, and it can spread easily on ships where rooms are close, buffets proliferate, and people share confined spaces.

Cruise ship had COVID, gastro outbreaks before coming to Adelaide

"Some guests have disembarked in Adelaide today after completing their holiday." In a statement the ship's operator Princess Cruises said the Grand Princess arrived in Outer Harbour in Adelaide's north-western suburbs Monday  morning on day two of a four-day round trip from Melbourne.

There have also been warnings over a gastro outbreak in Australia, with cases in the past 12 months more than double the usual number. Tour Guides Association president told ABC Radio Adelaide that passengers disembarking in Adelaide are expected to join tours visiting Hahndorf and wineries in the Barossa Valley. She said staff had  told her the issue had been resolved but water was still leaking from the wall behind the toilet. "While we do not provide numbers of unwell guests we can say that the number of guests with symptoms are in the single digits," it said.

"When we see a spike of the number COVID cases in an environment when people aren't testing themselves anymore you know there's a lot in the community," Mr Malinauskas said. SA Health said there were 33 patients in hospital during the reporting period, including three in intensive care. "The first two days there was nothing in place … we took it upon ourselves to sanitise, which a lot of people weren't doing," she said. "Our onboard medical facilities are staffed by full-time registered doctors and nurses." "Whether that's prisons, boarding schools, aged care, for example, they're all places where if there is an outbreak it is of concern, so we tend to document it more than we would in, say, a hotel or resort," she said. Professor Bennett said it was important that people did not ignore symptoms and were responsible for their individual behaviour to moderate risks to others.

Princess Cruises said there was no current double outbreak on the ship, which had a capacity for 2,600 passengers and 1,150 crew members and was on a four day round trip from Adelaide to Melbourne. A spokesperson said the number of unwell guests with symptoms was in the “single digits”. VSP may also post information on gastrointestinal illness outbreaks of public health significance that do not necessarily meet the above criteria.

Data on this page are from ship surveillance reports and from CDC-led investigations. If you’re ready to set sail on the high seas, these are some great cruises to book right now. For example, should someone tell you, “I am having some explosive diarrhea, but should still be able to dance with you,” tell them that “explosive diarrhea” is not something that you want to dance around. "There was a cabin across from me that was served breakfast, lunch and dinner for 10 days," she said. Ms Monk said she noticed an increasing number of passengers confined to their rooms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 28 of Silver Nova’s 633 guests reported being ill during a voyage that began on March 31, along with one of the vessel’s crew members. Some people are at higher risk of developing severe norovirus symptoms — these include infants, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems, Ostrosky noted. SA Health has not confirmed how many people have been infected with either COVID-19 or gastroenteritis on the ship, which has a total capacity of 4,000 including crew.

At least 28 passengers and one crew member among the Silver Nova's 633 passengers fell ill during their 16-day Easter-themed cruise that set sail in Callao, Peru, the agency said. Anne, who cancelled her cruise trip due to injuries, told ABC Radio Adelaide her friends have been sick with both COVID-19 and norovirus on board the Grand Princess, and have been quarantined in their cabins for most of their holiday. Most vessels have received scores in the high 90s — only one cruise ship, the MSC Seaside, has failed the CDC's sanitation inspection so far this year. The vessel received an unusually low score of 67, nearly 20 points below the agency's passing grade.

An analysis of data from 252 cruise ships entering American ports showed the overall incidence of acute gastro halved between 2006 and 2019. Passenger cases decreased from 32.5 per 100,000 travel days to 16.9, and crew cases from 13.5 per 100,000 travel days to 5.2. This decline may be due to a combination of improved hygiene and sanitation standards. By the summer of 2020, most cruise lines had suspended operations worldwide—and the entire travel industry came to a standstill. The number of outbreaks in the first six months of 2023 is higher than the yearly total during every year since 2012, when there were 16 outbreaks on cruise ships reported to the CDC. The number of outbreaks might also be a sign that ridership on cruise ships is returning to pre-pandemic levels.