Gastrointestinal Illness Cruise Ships

The aim of this study is to estimate the incidence of and describe the spectrum of respiratory infections and gastrointestinal illness among passengers and.

Gastrointestinal illness cruise ships. The most common virus detected to date is the norovirus which is easily spread from one passenger to another. When the programme began none of the cruise ships passed periodic VSP sanitation inspections. Cruise ship staff send this report between 24 and 36 hours before the ship arrives at a US.

The symptoms seem to suggest norovirus a highly contagious condition that has been responsible for gastrointestinal cruise ship outbreaks in the past. On 92 of the cruises the recorded incidence of gastrointestinal illness was 1 or less. The actual incidence of gastrointestinal illness determined by a questionnaire survey of passengers sailing on nine cruises was found to be at least four times as high as that recorded in the medical logs.

4 A cruise-associated diarrhoeal disease outbreak was defined as the occurrence of diarrhoeal symptoms among at least 3 per cent of passengers on a cruise. The study was carried out from January 2011 to December 2013 on cruise Ship A including passengers and crew who presented with symptoms suggestive of acute respiratory infection ARI influenza-like illness ILI and gastrointestinal illness GI. The World Health Organization WHO has determined that most of the gastrointestinal disease occurrences on cruise ships are associated with the consumption of contaminated food or water.

On cruises lasting 315 days and having at least 100 passengers diarrhoeal disease outbreaks investigated by the Centers for Disease Control decreased from 81 to 30 per 10 million passenger days between 197579 and. Dramatic improvements in sanitary engineering and especially operational procedures aboard cruise ships began in the mid-1970s after several large outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis. If the number of.

Advice about preventive measures of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections and influenza vaccination was given to passengers and crew. The use of onshore caterers for off-ship excursions has previously been reported as a risk factor for gastrointestinal illness amongst cruise ship passengers. As reported in the current study a large number of cruise ship passengers were senior people andor subjects with underlying conditions who are at increased risk for influenza complications 17.

Come down with norovirus every year. 16 rows CDC reports 28 of 327 856passengers and 8 of 290 276 crew have reported. The use of onshore caterers for off-ship excursions has previously been reported as a risk factor for gastrointestinal illness amongst cruise ship passengers4 A cruise-assoc-iated diarrhoeal disease outbreak was defined as the occurrence of diarrhoeal symptoms among at least 3.