It's A Jungle Out There
I just finished reading an article in The Daily Beast about an MD that wanted to ban cruise ships.
Living in Miami this is serious business. The Port of Miami is known for its cruises to the islands of the Caribbean and it is a very, very, very big business generating tourists, tax dollars and jobs for thousands of people. The good doctor is reminding us that this is the beginning of the winter norovirus season for the cruise ship industry. Better known as the 24 hour flu, you get real sick for a day or so. Vomiting, cramping up and diarrhea can be very uncomfortable and because you don't need much of the virus to get sick, it can spread rapidly.
Thankfully, it isn't very deadly, however, the elderly can have more serious problems if they get seriously dehydrated. Nursing homes worry about the norovirus and cruise ships should worry a little bit more because folks are crowded together and on some cruises the passengers are decidedly older than the general population. Lot's of folks get sick from the norovirus. Estimates are about 20 million cases a year in the country as a whole.
The local news reports regularly about major outbreaks on cruise ships, cruise ships are only required to report outbreaks if 3% of the passengers get sick. In other words it is probably under reported.
I think his suggesting a ban on cruise ship as a vacation is a little bit tongue in cheek but I think he is correct in an observation that we worry too much about stuff that has a very little chance of happening and don't worry enough about stuff that may actually happen.
And washing your hands is always a good idea.
Living in Miami this is serious business. The Port of Miami is known for its cruises to the islands of the Caribbean and it is a very, very, very big business generating tourists, tax dollars and jobs for thousands of people. The good doctor is reminding us that this is the beginning of the winter norovirus season for the cruise ship industry. Better known as the 24 hour flu, you get real sick for a day or so. Vomiting, cramping up and diarrhea can be very uncomfortable and because you don't need much of the virus to get sick, it can spread rapidly.
Thankfully, it isn't very deadly, however, the elderly can have more serious problems if they get seriously dehydrated. Nursing homes worry about the norovirus and cruise ships should worry a little bit more because folks are crowded together and on some cruises the passengers are decidedly older than the general population. Lot's of folks get sick from the norovirus. Estimates are about 20 million cases a year in the country as a whole.
The local news reports regularly about major outbreaks on cruise ships, cruise ships are only required to report outbreaks if 3% of the passengers get sick. In other words it is probably under reported.
I think his suggesting a ban on cruise ship as a vacation is a little bit tongue in cheek but I think he is correct in an observation that we worry too much about stuff that has a very little chance of happening and don't worry enough about stuff that may actually happen.
And washing your hands is always a good idea.
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