Norovirus Outbreak On Board QM2
Outbreak Ruins Christmas Cheer
By Mike Groves
Norovirus has reared its ugly head again, this time on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 (QM2). Albeit initial reports from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest this outbreak was minor; affecting under 10 percent of the passengers and crew, I am sure the 167 of 2,483 passengers (6.73 percent) and 28 of 1,234 crewmembers (2.27 percent) feel otherwise having lost – quite literally – all of their Christmas Dinner!
A spokesman from Cunard, Eric Flounders stated, "the maximum number of those with symptoms on any one day was 29 on Christmas Eve. It has been pretty much in single figures since." It all very well you saying that matey, but those ‘single figures’ have still had a rotten cruise, and during their Christmas vacation as well.
As regular readers of Cruise Bruise will already be aware; we have written numerous articles concerning this frustrating subject, Norovirus is a gastrointestinal illness that causes flu-like symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhea. It can spread quickly when many people are confined within a small area, and living on the ‘Tin Can’ is just one such confinement where the virus can often reoccur time and time again. More recent repeated outbreaks have been seen to occur on board Fred Olsen Cruise Ships, predominantly on board the MS Balmoral and Bouddica.
Norovirus Ruins Christmas Cheer on board QM2
By Mike Groves QGM
Cruise Bruise Security And Safety Advisor
January 2, 2011
QM2 alongside in the port of Halifax
Personal hygiene is a must and there are strict rules in place to ensure those inflicted with this debilitating illness comply, save spreading the virus further. If you should find yourself on board a ship that does suffer an outbreak, then please ensure you wash your hands as often as possible. Try to avoid touching communal hand rails and elevator buttons directly although it is obviously quite difficult to do, that but if you have to then use a sanitizing hand wash to cleanse your hands immediately afterwards. Most certainly you should not touch any food without first washing your hands and again after eating. It is also a good time to politely refuse to shake peoples hands, in short you should limit touching other people.
Sadly such outbreaks are not helped when some selfish people fail to play by the rules!! According to some more recent reports, four passengers were ordered to leave the vessel in one port after consistently failing to maintain their quarantine.
Cunard later confirmed that four passengers refused to obey ship protocol and remain inside their cabins for the required 48 hours after being diagnosed with the virus by the ship's medical team. A Cunard spokeswoman said, “After having explained the situation carefully to them, and in accordance with our Booking Conditions and with the health and safety of all of our guests uppermost in mind, we had no choice but to ask them to disembark the ship in Curacao."
Now you all know I’m for the passengers and crew most of the time, throwing a microscope over everything and anything some particular cruise operators say in their press statements……‘okay I admit I don’t believe a word they say most of the time’ but I have to agree that Cunard were quite right to expel those four passengers. No one, irrespective of paying guests or ship’s crew should breach such a simple request to remain in their cabin under such conditions, this is not only for their own benefit but also to help protect those passengers who may be more infirm, the elderly or young children and where infection could bring dire consequences.
The ship remains on red alert today and the CDC confirmed that the company had increased all cleaning and disinfection procedures onboard. The ship’s current cruise I due to end tomorrow in New York where she will be subjected to more through sanitation procedures before new guests embark.
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