[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.

[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.