Cruise Ship Returns with Ill Passengers

[JoeyandDavid]

SEATTLE--The Celebrity cruise ship Mercury returned to Seattle on Friday morning after many of its passengers came down with a gastrointestinal illness during their 7-night voyage to Alaska.

The cruise company said 115 fell ill. Passengers told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News as many as 300 people were sick.

Three of the ship's 847 crew members also experienced the illness, a suspected Norovirus brought onboard by someone previously exposed, according to the cruise line. The Mercury carried 2,034 passengers on the voyage.

The ship left Seattle on Friday, June 2. Passengers said people starting getting ill Monday, June 5.

"There's a whole lot of people on this boat that are sick," said Jay Schuyleman, from aboard the cruise ship Mercury. "They've been all over the boat scrubbing it down. The whole thing smells like Clorox."

Passengers also said security aboard the boat checked the rooms of everyone who had reported the virus every four hours to make sure they were quarantined in their rooms.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Noroviruses affect 23 million Americans annually. The only illness more prevalent is the common cold.

"The reason you hear about Norovirus on cruise ships is because they are required to report every incidence of gastrointestinal illness," said Dave Forney, chief of the vessel sanitation program of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Protection, in a statement. "Nowhere else in the public health system of the United States is Norovirus a reportable illness. Norovirus is not a cruise-ship illness, but an illness commonly seen in many settings throughout the United States."

Celebrity Cruises blames an increased number of Norovirus cases on land for the increase in incidents on board their ships. The company has instituted a new illness prevention program focusing on increased sanitation, enhanced cleaning procedures and special cleaning of "high touch" areas on the ship.

The company has added two additional doctors to its crew, bringing the total number of doctors onboard the Mercury to four, along with three nurses.

Mercury visited Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, Alaska, Hubbard Glacier and the Inside Passage.

[JoeyandDavid]

Celebrity Cruises Statement Regarding Mercury <]

POSTED: 7:14 am PDT June 9, 2006

Here is a statement issued on June 9, 2006 by Michael J. Sheehan, who is the Director of Corporate Communications for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.:

The seven-night sailing of Celebrity Cruises' Mercury that began in Seattle on June 2, experienced an elevated number of people with a gastrointestinal illness. Over the course of the sailing, 115 of the ship's 2,034 guests and three of its 847 crew members experienced the illness, which is thought to be a Norovirus brought onboard by a guest previously exposed to it. Those affected by the short-lived illness responded well to over the counter medication administered onboard the ship.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Noroviruses affect 23 million Americans annually. The only illness that is more prevalent is the common cold.

During the normal cold and flu season each year, there is an increase in Norovirus incidents across the country in hospitals, day care centers, nursing homes and schools, according to Dave Forney, chief of the Vessel Sanitation Program of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With the increased number of Norovirus cases on land, some cruise ships have seen a corresponding increase in Norovirus incidents. In response, Celebrity Cruises has taken numerous proactive steps to control and eradicate the illness' transmission onboard Mercury. Some of these stepped-up procedures include:

• Implementing a three-stage illness prevention program. The program's action plan outlines specific, heightened sanitation procedures for crew members, from the captain to housekeepers.

• Implementing enhanced cleaning procedures and protocols, as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Using special cleaning products and disinfectants to clean throughout our ships.

• Conducting special cleaning of all "high-touch" areas on the ship, including, but not limited to, countertops, restroom and vanity surfaces, door handles, railings and grab bars, exercise equipment, TV remote controls, light switches, elevator buttons, and computer keyboards.

• Having two additional physicians joined the ship in Seattle, bringing the total number of doctors onboard to four, along with three nurses.

"Cruise ships have rigorous protocols and procedures in place to manage and eradicate the transmission of Norovirus," Forney said. "In addition to being held to the highest sanitation standards in the world, cruise lines have worked meticulously and effectively to actually break the cycle of transmission during most cruises, which requires a lot of effort and expertise."

"The reason you hear about Norovirus on cruise ships is because they are required to report every incidence of gastrointestinal illness," Forney said. "Nowhere else in the public health system of the United States is Norovirus a reportable illness. Norovirus is not a cruise-ship illness, but an illness commonly seen in many settings throughout the United States."

Mercury sailed from Seattle on Friday, June 2, and visited Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, Alaska, Hubbard Glacier and the Inside Passage. The sailing ends in Seattle, on Friday, June 9, as scheduled.

[Mebert]

JoeyandDavid,

Thanks for the heads up. I'll be on that ship next week and I'll make double sure to wash my hands at every moment.

[Brady121291]

Stay Safe Mebert!!!

[Shari2]

Thanks for the article, Joey!

Mebert, I have read about "Mercury's" problems with the Norovirus and the bleach spraying. I was thinking about you and your cruise. I hope all is well for your cruise. I hope you can really get to sample Celebrity at it's best.

[Mebert]

Brady121291 and Shari2,

Thank you. I've never been sick on a cruise before. I really believe in constantly washing my hands at every moment I get. I even carry a tiny bottle of anti-bacterial liquids to make absolutely sure that I'm protected.

[Shari2]

Good thinking, Mebert! Have a fabulous cruise! Hope you take lots of pictures!

[Joanandjoe]

Good thinking, Mebert. On the bon voyage thread, we suggested doing that.

We hope you have a wonderful, and healthy, cruise to "the great land".

[JoeyandDavid]

Also .. when you get to Seattle ..pick up a can of Lysol spray for your cabin.. spray it down good day one...that and your other soultions... well you should be fine.... :grin:

[Mebert]

Joanandjoe and JoeyandDavid,

You must be reading my mind. I just bought a small can of Lysol spray to pack in my bag.