Norwalk Virus on Yachts?

I have my doubts about yachts being infected. A cruise ship with upwards of three thousand passengers embarking for a week's holiday is just about the perfect place for all sorts of bacteria and the odd virus to build up a population. Enclosed space, moderate to high humidity, temperature controlled environment, minimal airflow, a veritable buffet of nutrient sources for your bacterium of choice... am I describing a petri dish here...

I'd be more concerned about spending four or five hours in an Airbus 380 than a month on a private yacht.

.....

Yachtluver:

Back in the eighties, the seagoing mystery illness was, I believe, Legionaires Disease, caused, they thought, by essentially what Codger describes.
So, there was this New Jersey builder of sportfishermen who had the clever idea of capturing the air conditioning condensate to fill freshwater tanks.

Someone tipped off the builder and, quite possibly, avoided what you were wondering about.

The spread of airborne pathogens on private yachts and commercial passenger aircraft is a legitimate concern. While the air scrubbers on commercial aircraft help clean the air that passengers breathe, I don't think these scrubbers are efficient enough to filter out harmful pathogens (such as the equipment found in modern subs).

The recent incidents on board cruise lines involving passengers getting sick should be a wake-up call for the industry ... both for cruise operators/owners and cruise ship builders alike.

I am one of the statistics now

I just returned from a Alaska Inside passage trip on the Diamond Princess and I am sick, sick, sick!

2% of the passengers came down with what they call the Norwalk Virus, My brother in law became ill first then I became ill yesterday, though already off the cruise ship I have no doubt though that I have what he had and caught it most likely either from him or the others that were ill on board.

The crew took measures of prevention by using a purell type hand cleaner at every entrance to resturants and buffet lines, a quick drop of hand cleaner on the passengers hands as you were entering.

The last couple of days though the outbreak must have reached the 2% mark as then the crew took over for food service on the buffet lines and also in the resturants they wouldn't even allow pouring your own ketchup from bottles.

No self service was quickly instated to slow down the spread of the Virus.

I am off to my Dr's now, will be posting pictures to the thread I began before I left of some of the marinas and the few yachts I did see along the way soon as I am feeling up to it.

I just looked it up and found this page.

So it starts with uncooked shellfish, and spreads because people aren't washing their hands. Gross!

A Good Reason

I'll bet this is as good a time as any to sign a contract on the boat you've been talking about Ladies Choice!

Seriously, terribly sorry about the Norwalk virus. I hope the doc is able to help.

Hi LC and welcome back,

I feel for you! I caught something a couple of weeks ago and I'm still trying to shake it. I've been so low on energy, I was going to call FP&L for help.

This surely isn't the way you'de want to remember Alaska. I hope you feel better soon.

Carl

FP&L = Florida Power & Light.

Hi, LC.
Not a good time to get sick ... while on a vacation.
Hope you are feeling much better!
Arnie

Thanks everyone!

Thank you one and all for the well wishes while under the weather with the dreaded Norwalk Virus. Thankfully it only lasted a good 3 days and tapered off quickly after.

I also was just off a terrible stomach flu only 3 weeks prior! That madness lasted me about 2 weeks and put me in the hospital for 5 days on fluids and other medications to keep me rehydrated.

I was so thankful this last bout wasn't as difficult to get over.

Carl, I can see why you would want to recharge any way possible FP&L included! If you had what I had back then it was a terrible flu that just wouldn't let go.

I am hoping with the rainy weekend fast approaching I will have time to sort out the 300 pictures I took and put a few of them up that are of interest to this forum.

LC
Glad that you are feeling better. Any sick downtime is frustrating but especially when one actually gets to take a break and then gets some blasted bug.
Please post the photos. I have been thinking that one lays out the money for a vessel with the intention of actually going somewhere with it. With a few notable exceptions there seems to be a scarcity of discussion on the trips and destinations.

And I thought it was Florida Polute & Loot