CLIA’s Norwalk rebuttal

The “Carnival’s Norwalk Deaths?” item of November 29, 2006, regarding sanitation on cruise ships caught the cruise industry’s attention, most notably because it did not incorporate the most up-to-date information on norovirus, and thus inevitably and unnecessarily alarmed your readers by implying that norovirus is deadly.

On behalf of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), its 21 member cruise lines and nearly 16,500 North American travel agencies, I would like to offer you more statistics, facts and resources so you will have the most up-to-date information.

In common parlance, norovirus is what most people think of as the “24-hour stomach bug.” In itself, it is not deadly but like virtually any virus, can exacerbate preexisting medical conditions. Furthermore, Norwalk Virus is no longer a term used in the medical community.

As a point of fact, norovirus is the most prevalent illness in the U.S., second only to the common cold. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate 23 million Americans suffer from norovirus every year. That translates to approximately one in 12 people. If you study the CDC statistics for incidents of norovirus on cruise ships, you’ll find approximately 1 in 3,600 people have experienced norovirus on a cruise. In other words, your readers are much LESS likely to get ill from norovirus on board a cruise ship than in their everyday life!

Why do you seem to hear about it on cruise ships if it’s so common? The hotel you stayed in last week, the airplane you flew cross country on, the daycare center where you leave your child, the assisted living facility that’s home to your parent – not even your doctor’s office – is required to report gastrointestinal illness to anyone. Cruise ships are the only entities required to report gastrointestinal illness in the U.S. health system.

There are some additional facts that you may be interested to know:

- According to the CDC, the cruise lines have the highest sanitation standards in the world, with sanitation systems and rigorous procedures to cleanse and disinfect public areas, including door handles, railings and elevator buttons. Staff on ships will even go as far as cleaning individual poker chips or Scrabble tiles in times of increased illness.

- On cruise ships, the illness is most often spread through person-to-person contact, by touching surfaces that someone with the virus previously had contact with, NOT from the food or water. The best way to prevent illness is to wash your hands thoroughly and often with soap and warm water.

If you wish to speak to an additional third-party resource, Dave Forney, the chief of the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program, is an expert on norovirus, and most particularly on how it affects cruise ship passengers. Our association is always available to answer questions as well. You can also find more information about norovirus at www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/, www.iccl.org and www.cruising.org.

Thanks very much for your time and consideration, Chris. Our goal at CLIA is simple and straightforward: to provide travel agents and the traveling public with the full story so they can make educated vacation decisions – and not be alarmed by stories or incomplete information.

Sincerely,