[Lokibob]

Oh, come on now.

I can't imagine Osama or Saddam targeting a cruise ship with a "FLU LIKE" virus. They would use smallpox or something much bigger.

Norwalk virus is the second most common virus in the world. It is a media event, with every case being reported.

Here in Utah, I have heard of a restraunt closed twice in the last 3 weeks for Norwalk.

Wear tin foil if you must, but this isn't something Osama would do.

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"I can't imagine Osama or Saddam targeting a cruise ship with a "FLU LIKE" virus. They would use smallpox or something much bigger."

The recent outbreaks may represent a field trial run. All we see on TV is crew members wiping down surfaces with disinfectants of questionable efficacy. It does not appear that they are addressing the most likely sources of infection, namely water and air conditioning units and ductwork.....

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BTW, I forgot to mention ice machines and leaks in sewer pipes which contaminate potable water lines.....

[TomB]

I can't imagine Osama or Saddam targeting a cruise ship with a "FLU LIKE" virus. They would use smallpox or something much bigger.

Finally a voice of sanity.

Yes, Osama is to blame. In a year and a half he's gone from driving planes full of people into buildings full of people to ruining people's vacations.

Oh the humanity!

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" I can't imagine Osama or Saddam targeting a cruise ship with a "FLU LIKE" virus"

I doubt it's the work of OBL,but perhaps an OBL wannabe. I guess you can count me as a tin foil hate wearer,but there are too many ships involved,too many different lines with different ports of embarkation( San Diego, Alaska and Florida's ports),too many variables for this to be happenstance,IMHO. The illness started in the summer on 2 Holland America ships and has continued to spread.If it was one ship or just one line,I would say it was a limited outbreak,due to some common area of contamination,say the company that provides dairy products having a worker who continues to spread the virus via his handling of butter,ice cream, etc.Or it might even be some foulness in a machine that produces these food products.If it was the same ship over and over,you would consider the possibility of an infected crew member or continuous cross contamination between crew and passengers. It may well be that the common denominator is a food conglomerate that has a sick worker and sells commodities to all the cruise lines. But,the food giant would also sell to schools and large institutions ,so you would expect to see larger outbreaks all throughout the US. There also seems to be a syntax dispute over exactly what the passengers are experiencing. If you read the cruise boards-it sounds like they have mostly GI symptoms,but the cruise lines refer to it as flu like, which conjurs up a sore throat,head cold,high fever and muscle aches. The cruise lines make a lot of their money on the sale of liquor and gambling. If people are sick,it hurts the bottom line-which could be part of the economic terrorism predicted by the fanatics.I cruised a few weeks after 9/11- I wouldn't allow the terrorists to ruin our vacation.I don't think this outbreak can be as easily dismissed as naturally occurring and it would not surprise me at all,if a single worker or group was responsible. If that were the case,however and they were discovered-I think they would be quietly disappeared into the justice system and the virus would magically vanish. The ramifications of a nationwide panic in the multimillion dollar cruise industry and the country in general, would be too great.

[July 4th]

I can't imagine Osama or Saddam targeting a cruise ship with a "FLU LIKE" virus. They would use smallpox or something much bigger.

Why bother with those viruses when they can wreak havoc with something, literally, close at hand that they don't need to procure from somewhere else.

My theory: a couple of jihadis working in the kitchens think it's fun to terrorize passengers by putting their stool in the food.

[Political Junkie Too]

What if it's not the cruise ship, per se, but one of its ports of call? The passengers go visiting many small islands during their week-long cruises, and they could contract the viruses off ship, and then introduce it onboard to other passengers when they meet at the buffets or nightclubs or pools or whatever.

Has anyone taken a close look at the Carribbean island security where the cruise ships circulate?

-PJ