Will I Get Sick
on the Ship?
There are two issues here. First, the most common
concern--don’t be worried about motion sickness. Ships
today are so well stabilized and so large that most of the time you won’t even notice you are moving. Nevertheless,
it’s a good idea to be prepared for heavy seas that may occur with storms. There are “Sea Bands” (fabric
wrist-lets that work on the acupressure principle) available over-the-counter at most drug stores, luggage stores, and dive
shops. Ginger products are available in health food stores. Scopamine Gel works well, but a prescription is required from a doctor. If you are prone to motion sickness,
it may be reassuring to have any necessary prescriptions from your own practitioner in hand before sailing. The information
desk on most ships will give out Dramamine if requested.
A more rare occurance
is a communicable disease outbreak, such as raised in the following article:
“Norovirus: Not just
a cruise problem (3/19/2004)
LAS VEGAS -- The cruise industry has often contended that outbreaks of
Norovirus are more heavily covered by the news media when they occur on cruise ships than elsewhere. A situation in
Las Vegas may help bolster that belief:
'Three
hotels in downtown Las Vegas have had outbreaks of the flu-like
virus recently. The outbreaks began in December, but have received little more than local news coverage...the cause of the
outbreak is unknown...City health officials have reported 1,174 cases since December...' ”
CruiseWomen.com:
Cruise ships are vulnerable to this sort of negative publicity in the same way air crashes are: mandatory reporting
and investigation, sensationalism, and convenient "packaging" for news agencies. Common sense and the above example
will tell you that disease transmission can be a problem anytime large numbers of people gather together.
The difference is that, unlike cruise ships, in most instances the crowds soon disperse and go their separate ways, making
it unlikely that outbreaks of relatively harmless illnesses like Norovirus would be detected, let alone traced back to their
source.
Again, common sense, experience, and statistics will tell you that
your chances of contracting an illness are highly unlikely even if you do nothing. If you take the simplest precautions
of avoiding hand to mouth or nose contact and increased hand washing, the chances are further reduced to the infitesimal.
Go enjoy your cruise!
Still not convinced? Read more...
