Key Facts about Norovirus

The Norovirus hysteria is back! While deciding for your cruise vacation, there are a few things you should know, in addition to the place you are visiting. One important aspect of a cruise vacation that you should be aware of is the common widespread disease, Norovirus. This disease causes gastroenteritis which then leads to diarrhea, stomach pain and vomiting. Learning key facts about Norovirus is a traveling safety tip that you should ensure before you leave for your cruise trip. Here are some of them:

Norovirus spreads quickly

Norovirus spreads within no time. Being a highly contagious disease, a person suffering from Norovirus can easily infect other people around them. With continuous vomiting, an infected person sheds billions of virus particles in his vomit which infects others. Norovirus is widespread in enclosed places, thus people traveling through cruise ships are more vulnerable to this disease. Norovirus can also survive few disinfectants, thus it gets very hard to get rid of it.

Norovirus is a Serious Illness

When suffering from Norovirus, you will fall extremely sick accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting for various days. This medical condition will cause you to get dehydrated. The condition worsens in cases of children and the elderly.

No Vaccine and Drug for Preventing Norovirus

Antibiotics will not help in treating Norovirus as antibiotics do not work on viruses. If suffering from Norovirus, you should increase your liquid intake in order to replace the loss of fluids from your body and also to prevent dehydration. Apart from these drugs, it is also important to make sure that you do not get in direct contact with a person suffering from Norovirus. This will help you in saving yourself from being infected.

Preventing the Spread of Norovirus

Always make sure that you wash your hands with soap, especially before you eat, prepare or handle food. Food is the most common way through which Norovirus is spread, thus ensure that your hands are washed every time you get in contact with food. Make sure that you wash fruits properly before eating and vegetables before cooking. Do not prepare food for others when you are sick. This increases the risk of the virus spreading. Always wash contaminated and infected surfaces and clothes. This will help in reduction of the risk of Norovirus spread.

Regardless of the destination and time of vacation, you should be aware of all health related issues while traveling in a cruise. Make sure to learn all health and wellness tips at Cruise Safely to enjoy a great cruise trip! Click here for more information.