No, this isn’t a news report covering the latest outbreak of norovirus at sea. This is your Editor (and I’d like to think Captain) of Cruise Currents, Mike Faust. It’s time to have a serious conversation about norovirus and the reporting of these outbreaks.
Let me begin by saying I am tired of reporting on norovirus and you may have noticed Cruise Currents rarely reports on norovirus anymore. I, as Editor of Cruise Currents, have decided to limit the amount of effort our staff puts into covering norovirus as frankly – it’s not that big of a deal. Yes, while norovirus itself is a very uncomfortable illness that I’d never wish on my worst enemy, it’s actually one of the most common illnesses currently present in the United States. It continues to baffle me why many news outlets continue to report on a common illness. If CNN were to cover every outbreak of norovirus in a school, hospital, or restaurant, we’d very quickly turn the TV off.
Yes, we here at Cruise Currents have reported on norovirus outbreaks in the past. If you’ve noticed though, each of our reports from this past year covered ships with at least 10% of the passenger and crew capacity reporting symptoms of norovirus. This magic number or threshold is the number we’ve selected as the point when Cruise Currents will report on a norovirus outbreak. Let’s be honest, approximately 10% of a ship reporting symptoms of norovirus is when the matter becomes serious and newsworthy. In recent weeks, a few cruise ships have reported very low percentages of passengers reporting norovirus symptoms. To be honest, a small handful of sick passengers is not newsworthy and we’ve remained silent on the reports as to not appear sensational.
There is one big reason norovirus is widely reported by news and cruise outlets – it drives traffic. While we’d love to be the number one cruise industry news website, we need more than just a large audience to do so. We also need your respect. We could report every minor issue that comes along in the industry, but after awhile we’d seem like we are just chasing after views. We here at Cruise Currents carefully consider what we publish, ensuring we deliver truthful, useful, and rational articles.
While we continue to publish cruise industry news, you can be sure that the news we publish is news that is, well, newsworthy. Cruise Currents is all about delivering reliable and honest cruise industry articles, whether they be news or ship reviews. Cruise Currents will continue to strive to be your trustworthy and first choice cruise industry news provider.
Your Editor,
Mike Faust
5 replies on “Letter From The Editor: Our Silence On Norovirus”
Hi Mike, Sorry, Captain Mike, I find it odd that you have chosen today to announce your ‘silence’ on the Novovirus subject, the day the CDC are looking into two consecutive outbreaks on a widely reported ship.
Your quote “To be honest, a small handful of sick passengers is not newsworthy” quite frankly irks me. Many, many people save up for years to afford a luxury cruise. Having this ruined by a Novovirus outbreak devastates many people and can ruin years of anticipation.
The virus can be contained by thorough cleaning and by passengers following basic hygiene
procedures.
In my opinion: I have cruised 10 times. I don’t feel the cruise lines do enough. The sanitation dispenser stations near the dinning halls, computer areas & near Hotel desk is about the extent of stations available. Where ever there is a hand rail, stairs, elevators & bars should be a station. It should be an overkill of sanitization stations.
We have cruised 32 times since 2000 and have experienced outbreaks of Norovirus on 3 of those voyages, which collectively left 457 pax temporarily incapacitated (confined to cabin for up to 4 days) and 6 more seriously effected, i.e. medivac or more long term sickness. What amazes us primarily is the cursory ‘health declaration’ forms that pax are required to fill in at port check-in, that are usually handed to one of the pursers staff with no reality check. The next and most important concern is the pax who fail to adhere to the most basic of hygiene measures that humans need to do, that is, washing your hands after you’ve had a poo! Over the years I have challenged many fellow cruisers who have walked from a toilet cubicle to the exit door bypassing the washbasins, sometimes with a response of a threat of violence towards me! Failing basic hand washing in these circumstances is criminal as it can easily lead to the death of fellow passengers. Please, please cruise pax will you maintain basic hygiene and sanitise whenever you have the opportunity. Its not rocket science!
I understand your stance, but why so condescending?
It is true that some cruise lines do not do enough to control viruses, noroviruses are not the worst kind of viruses. A lot more people get far worse diseases in prisons, refugee camps, and sporting events then those getting norovirus infection on cruise ships. It is true, however, that approximately 2-3% of cruise ship travelers do get a digestive virus, but most of that is on outbreaks where people go somewhere where disease is prevelant, then don’t wash their hands before going on the ship! NCL does have handwash stations around the ship, and people that spray sanitizer on hands at gangways and restaurants- and if other lines did that, norovirus could be halved-