Norovirus and cruise ships

Abstract

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is one of the most common diseases of humans in both developed and developing countries. Despite the improved safety of food handling and prevention strategies, it remains one of the most significant health burdens on society1. An estimated 1.8 million AGE-associated deaths occur annually worldwide2,3, making it the leading cause of mortality among children under the age of five years. In this article, we examine recent trends in emerging noroviruses, the ability of the virus to cause outbreaks on cruise ships and discuss the factors that influence its on-board spread.

Tourism and Health, Risks, and Challenges

“…Another highly infectious gastrointestinal flu, norovirus, can be transmitted through contaminated food, water, or surfaces and from personto-person (Weinstein et al 2008). It spreads in closed environments such as cruise ships, which can affect hundreds of passengers and lead to significant industry costs (Lun et al 2017). Weinstein et al (2008Weinstein et al ( , p. 1203) go so far as to suggest that if an outbreak of norovirus occurs on a cruise ship, this could potentially provide an "early warning system" for winter norovirus outbreaks in the wider public as it may be an indicator of risk but this would require the systems in place to monitor such travel-specific outbreaks effectively.…”