The Facts about Incidence of Norovirus

JohnG · January 31, 2014

While some inflammatory consumer media reports place the blame for such illnesses squarely on the cruise lines, industry experts and CDC statistics indicate norovirus often is carried onboard by passengers and affects a tiny percentage of cruise travelers.

The CDC says norovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the U.S., afflicting 19 million to 21 million cases each year.

In 2013, the CDC confirmed seven such norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships, affecting 1,321 passengers.

As reported in Travel Pulse, June 30, 2014

Only .0066% of all the cases last year occurred on Cruise ships.

Edited January 31, 2014 by JohnG

Jan115 · February 1, 2014

Thanks for the report, John. Having just suffered a bout of the "plague" myself, not cruise-related but spreading around my family like wildfire, it's a reminder to people that one can develop the illness anytime, anywhere - schools, colleges, day care centers - anywhere large groups gather. The big difference with a cruise ship, of course, is there's no escape. No comforts of home - just a tiny toilet and even worse if you're in an inside cabin with no fresh air! :ohmy:

The article is right - we can't blame the cruise ships. It's my belief that some passengers do fib on the health forms, fearful of being turned away or quarantined to their cabin after investing a lot of money on their vacation. Then again, some passengers may board not knowing they are carrying the germs with them. It took me 2 days from the time I was infected until I saw the first symptoms, and in that time I could have boarded and settled into my cruise before being hit with the sickness. Noro spreads quickly, and once it does, and other than frequent hand-washing, there's not a whole lot that can be done to avoid it.