More than 200 passengers hit by illness on New Orleans-based cruise

Associated Press ^ | 12/15/02 | AP

[antivenom]

NEW ORLEANS - About 229 guests on the cruise ship Carnival Conquest reported symptoms of a gastrointestinal illness on a voyage that ended Sunday, Carnival Cruise Lines said.

Miami-based Carnival said it was working with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to determine the cause of the outbreak.

But the company said it was treating the illness as a Norwalk-like virus that has recently hit other cruise ships and was cleaning and sanitizing the entire vessel.

The Conquest, which had 3,160 passengers, left New Orleans on Dec. 8

The next seven-day cruise to the western Caribbean was expected to depart Sunday evening. The company said it had informed the next group of voyagers about the outbreak and was offering refunds to any who did not want to sail.

[steve86]

I don't think so. Why isn't this happening on the west coast?

So far, most of the terrorism has been on the East coast. Terrorists arrested around NY, NJ, Florida...

There was a report on another thread of sick passengers on a cruise ship out of San Diego about a week ago...

[Dick Bachert]

Agree with you.

This is a low-risk, target rich environment for these radical islam jerk-offs.

All it takes is ONE baddie in the galley, sprinkling selected salad bar items with e-coli or something worse to do the job (opps -- sorry for the pun).

Hell, a PASSENGER could do the job while passing through the chow line...

These people want to harm and kill as many Americans as possible and these recent "incidents" have their grubby fingerprints all over them.

One way to find out is to correlate the number of instances on some constant basis (say, passenger miles traveled) between cruise ships ported here vs. those ported in foreign nations.

I'll bet the CDC has already run the numbers and these US ships are suffering out of proportion to those berthed elsewhere.

Also bet the CDC AIN'T gonna release their findings lest they exacerbate the problems in the cruise industry to the point of what happened to the airlines.

[Political Junkie Too]

It makes you think, doesn't it?

A science fiction author once wrote "Coincidence means you weren't paying attention to the other half of what was going on."

-PJ

[Rain-maker]

Could be that reduced trip prices has brought about a new clientele. Passengers with poor health now can afford a cruise.

The old addage, "You get what you pay for"...

[Dianna]

These people want to harm and kill as many Americans as possible and these recent "incidents" have their grubby fingerprints all over them.

So you think they are wasting time and resources infecting people with a virus which merely makes them a bit sick? I've not heard even one case of someone dying.

The cause seems to be a virus. The virus is known to be easily spread when people are in close quarters. And we have at least one person (on this thread) who says this is a fairly common occurance. I'm just not convinced there is anything sinister here.

[kms61]

Absolutely. If they've gone to all this trouble just to make some people feel lousy and have their vacation ruined, it's pretty much a wasted effort.

There are real threats out there, but getting paranoid just plays into their hands.

[Dianna]

Here is some info from the CDC:

Norwalk viruses (and related caliciviruses) are important causes of sporadic and epidemic gastrointestinal disease in the United States. An estimated 181,000 cases occur annually.

Viral gastroenteritis due to caliciviruses has been associated with eating contaminated oysters. Oysters can become contaminated before harvest or during preparation. Water and ice are other sources of infection.

Symptoms of Norwalk virus infection include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Headache and low-grade fever may also occur. Persons with this infection usually recover within 2-3 days without serious or long-term health effects.

Shellfish become contaminated via infected fecal matter from sick food handlers, or by the practice of some harvesters and/or recreational boaters of dumping raw sewage overboard. (Note: the only source of calicivirus is feces from sick persons.)

Since 1993, three oyster-related gastroenteritis outbreaks, attributed to calicivirus, have been documented in Louisiana. In 1993, 73 persons in Louisiana and about 130 others in the United States who ate oysters from Louisiana became ill. A malfunctioning sewage system was the cause of an outbreak in 1996. The current outbreak implicates sewage from oyster harvesting vessels as the probable source.

Oyster-related outbreaks probably will continue to occur until seafood regulators and the oyster industry develop and enforce standards for proper disposal of human sewage. Food handlers with symptoms of Norwalk-like illness should limit contact with other persons and be excluded from food handling and preparation.

[Dianna]

This is from Miami.com:

Posted on Fri, Dec. 13, 2002

Cruise ship virus outbreaks
Cruise ships with outbreaks of Norwalk-like virus and other similar maladies

1994
American Adventure
Jan.
Shigella flexneri

Regent Rainbow
Mar.
Viral gastro- enteritis

Starship Oceanic
June
Norwalk virus

Horizon
July
Legionnella

Viking Serenade
Aug.
Shigella flexneri

1995

Crown Odyssey
Jan.
ETEC+

Fantasy
April
Shigella sonnei

Horizon
July
Salmonella

1996

Noordam
April
Norwalk virus

Royal Princess
March
ETEC

Jubilee
June
Norwalk virus

1997

Nantucket Clipper
Feb.
Norwalk virus

Regal Princess
Feb.
Unknown

Royal Odyssey
March
Norwalk virus

April
No sail recommended

Royal Princess
April
ETEC

Noordam
April
Cyclospora

Nantucket Clipper
10/1997
Norwalk virus

Zenith
12/1997
Unknown

Regal Empress
12/1997
ETEC

1998

Legend of the Seas
Feb.
Norwalk virus

Statendam
March
Unknown

Ocean Breeze
May
ETEC*

Regal Princess
June
Norwalk

Norway
10/1998
Norwalk virus

Vision of the Seas
11/1998
Unknown

1999

Nantucket Clipper
Jan.
Norwalk virus

No sail recommended

2000

Nantucket Clipper
Jan.
Norwalk virus

Palm Beach Princess
May
Unknown

Spirit of Glacier Bay
May
Norwalk virus

Disney Magic
June
Salmonella

2001

Arabella
Feb.
Unknown

Oriana
March
Unknown

Caronia
March
Norwalk virus

Norwegian Sky
April
Norwalk virus

Imagination
July
Unknown

Mississippi Queen
Aug.
Norwalk virus

Nantucket Clipper
Sept.
Norwalk virus

2002

Wind Surf
Jan.
Unknown

Albatross
Feb.
Unknown

Seabourn Pride
Feb.
Unknown

Carnival Pride
March
Norwalk Virus

Nantucket Clipper
March
Norwalk Virus

10/2002
Sappovirus

M/V Caronia
April
ETEC, Shigella

Ryndam
April
Norwalk virus

July

Ocean Princess
May
Norwalk virus

Yorktown Clipper
Aug.
Unknown

Norwegian Sun
Aug.
Unknown
Oct.
Norwalk Virus

Norwegian Dream
Sept.
Shigella, Giardia

Amsterdam
April
Unknown
Oct.

Norwalk virus

Nov.

Disney Magic
Nov.
Norwalk virus

Fascination
Nov.
Unknown

Constellation
Nov.
Norwalk virus

Seven Seas Mariner
Dec.
Salmonella

Oceana
Dec.
Pending

* Outside of U.S., investigation done at request of cruiseline + Enterotoxigenic E. coli SOURCE: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Dick Bachert]

There are ALL levels of these sorts of activities ranging from basic "dirty tricks" (like contaminating food) to strapping on HE and strolling into a crowded restaurant, bus or theater (mainly outside the US for now -- but watch for THAT to change down the road) to flying passenger planes into large buildings (being paranoid doesn't mean they're NOT out to get you!).

Trust me, there are PLENTY of low level sympathizers out there suffering from "cajones poco" who are as afraid of losing their JOBS as they are losing their lives for "the cause" -- but want to do SOMETHING to punish the great satan.

And you've obviously NEVER spent any time in the kitchen of a large restaurant and don't know WHAT can -- and does -- go on back there. If you did, you'd be VERY careful where you ate.

Thank you for the rebuke, but I stand by my post.

And until these GROWING (by the figures in your own post), instances of shipboard illness come back under control, my stand will be on terra firma.

[chilepepper]

I remember this happening before, perhaps ONCE every two or three YEARS...

IMHO this is all deliberate, an attempt to sink the US cruise industry and at the same time make US citizens "worry".

[homeschool mama]

**May also be poorly trained, poorly paid, overworked staff from third-world countries not washing their hands or cooking implements properly.**

While on our cruise I had the opportunity to chat with our room steward. She was Filipino and had been working the cruise line (Princess) for 8 years. She had a 10 year old daughter her sister was raising for the 9 months per year she was gone. She mentioned that in her own country she would never be able to earn the amount of money earned on the cruise. In talking with others, this is a similar story.

A friend of mine worked for Norweigan as an activity director. Made great money.

[bigeasy_70118]

I was on my honeymoon last week on this voyage of the Conquest. I did not get sick but I think the number of reported illnesses is low. At dinner on Friday night, we were in a 1,000 seat dinning room and there must have been 300-400 people missing.

No one got sick until Wednesday, when we docked in Jamaica, which is basically Newark w/ Palm trees. IMHO, this is not terrorism. It has more to do w/ a lack of hygene and sanitary procedures in close quarters. There's all sorts of food to be picked up by hand, once one person gets sick, it isn't hard to pass it on. Furthermore, there are two and three tours of snorkeling a day, and the equipment is simply put in soapy water that looked like it hadn't been changed in a month. This is not an effective method of sterilization.

Also, there was a significant white/black trash element on our cruise. After 5 days of a 7 day cruise, I wouldn't be surprised, if some of them were trying to jockey for a refund.

[bigeasy_70118]

I was on my honeymoon last week on this voyage of the Conquest. I did not get sick but I think the number of reported illnesses is low. At dinner on Friday night, we were in a 1,000 seat dinning room and there must have been 300-400 people missing.

No one got sick until Wednesday, when we docked in Jamaica, which is basically Newark w/ Palm trees. IMHO, this is not terrorism. It has more to do w/ a lack of hygene and sanitary procedures in close quarters. There's all sorts of food to be picked up by hand, once one person gets sick, it isn't hard to pass it on. Furthermore, there are two and three tours of snorkeling a day, and the equipment is simply put in soapy water that looked like it hadn't been changed in a month. This is not an effective method of sterilization.

Also, there was a significant white/black trash element on our cruise. After 5 days of a 7 day cruise, I wouldn't be surprised, if some of them were trying to jockey for a refund.

[bigeasy_70118]

I was on my honeymoon last week on this voyage of the Conquest. I did not get sick but I think the number of reported illnesses is low. At dinner on Friday night, we were in a 1,000 seat dinning room and there must have been 300-400 people missing.

No one got sick until Wednesday, when we docked in Jamaica, which is basically Newark w/ Palm trees. IMHO, this is not terrorism. It has more to do w/ a lack of hygene and sanitary procedures in close quarters. There's all sorts of food to be picked up by hand, once one person gets sick, it isn't hard to pass it on. Furthermore, there are two and three tours of snorkeling a day, and the equipment is simply put in soapy water that looked like it hadn't been changed in a month. This is not an effective method of sterilization.

Also, there was a significant white/black trash element on our cruise. After 5 days of a 7 day cruise, I wouldn't be surprised, if some of them were trying to jockey for a refund.

[jalisco555]

A friend of mine worked for Norweigan as an activity director. Made great money.

I didn't mean my remark as a putdown of the cruise workers. I've taken a couple of cruises and was impressed and a little disturbed at how hard the people worked. I just wonder if there is a pattern of unsanitary practices that is suddenly catching up with the cruise lines.

I also noticed that there is a real heirarchy on those ships. The staff that interact with the passengers as activity directors and the like are all American or European while the cleaning and food service folks are all third-worlders.

[homeschool mama]

Thank you for explaining further. :o)

My sister in law spent a few years in Thailand (PeaceCorp) years ago and knows the language fluently. Fun to watch actually...tall caucasian woman speaking Thai. Anyway, she took time on the cruise (family cruise) to strike up conversations with the Thai employees. They work hard but said it's worth the $.

We took a kitchen tour on one cruise and saw the staff to be almost entirely Italian. I do wonder about unsanitary practices though...or the ventilation system...or the water.

[Saundra Duffy]

This has to be "terrorism"...we have since 9-11 seen WAYYY too many of these problems.

I think you're right and Michael Savage was the first to say so.

[jalisco555]

We took a kitchen tour on one cruise and saw the staff to be almost entirely Italian. I do wonder about unsanitary practices though...or the ventilation system...or the water.

Especially as the ships get bigger and bigger. Feeding 4,000 people seven times a day, it's easy to cut a few corners. I remember on our last cruise we had an Ecuadoran busboy who looked like he was ready to pass out, he was so exhausted. Turns out these people get maybe a few hours a week off, when the ship is in port and being prepared for the next cruise.

I'm sure that all the relevant Liberian labor laws are strictly enforced, however ;-)

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

I did'nt think you would get this if you travelled,"CARNAL CRUISE LINES"!

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

bump