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American Morning
Fourth Cruise Ship Hit by Stomach Illness
Aired December 03, 2002 - 07:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, getting more reports that a fourth cruise ship is being hit by an outbreak of some sort of stomach illness. Only about two percent on board, including the passengers and the crew, they did become sick, about two percent, which is said to be normal for most cruises.
A worrisome trend, though, has been developing, if you followed the stories over the past couple of weeks right now.
For the latest on what's happening here, Mark Potter is in Miami to help take us through the nuts and bolts of what's happening on board this latest example here -- Mark, good morning.
MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, health officials say that a reported gastrointestinal outbreak aboard the cruise ship Seven Seas Mariner, arriving in Fort Lauderdale on its maiden cruise from Europe, was actually relatively minor. Five passengers and 16 crew members fell ill because of what is believed to be a salmonella bacteria suspected to have been in food that may have been purchased at a port of call. It's still being investigated, although the ship has already gone back to sea.
Now, of greater concern is the cruise ship Fascination, which Carnival Cruise and federal health officials are keeping a very close eye on this morning. It left Miami last night with about 2,100 passengers aboard. It's scheduled to dock right now in Key West and then will head to Cozumel as part of a four day cruise. Earlier yesterday, the ship docked in Miami with 203 passengers and crew members reporting stomach flu like symptoms. Cruise ship workers spent almost all of yesterday disinfecting the ship. But cruise company officials say there is no guarantee that passengers will still not get sick given their suspicion that the cause here is a very aggressive virus carried aboard by passengers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB DICKINSON, CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES: I would submit to you that last Friday morning it was perfectly sanitized. If somebody comes on board with a virus, any efforts that you have to, up to that time, are for naught. So there's no cause and effect here. I think we're all looking for a silver bullet that says you do this and you'll never have the problem again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POTTER: Now, company officials say they suspect the culprit in this case, the Fascination, is a Norwalk like virus similar to the ones blamed for outbreaks on two other cruise ships recently, the Disney Magic and the Holland America Amsterdam. About a thousand people got sick there.
CDC officials, however, say they are still studying the Fascination outbreak, noting that it's a little different. It began and spread more rapidly than the outbreaks on the other ships. Both of those ships, the Magic and the Amsterdam, were pulled from service for a more thorough cleaning. Asked why that was not done for the Fascination, company officials say they believe that their procedures are adequate and meet federal approval -- Bill.
HEMMER: Mark, quickly, are we even talking about the story if we did not have the other cases over the past week?
POTTER: The story today, the salmonella case?
HEMMER: Indeed, knowing the two percent.
POTTER: Probably not. Yes, we wouldn't be talking about that. That's relatively minor. That could be from a sandwich or seafood. That's different from the other cases, which is a bit of a mystery, as to why there is so much of this. But they say there's a lot of this Norwalk virus around the country, around the world right now. So it's not just confined to cruise ships.
HEMMER: Yes.
Thank you, Mark.
Mark Potter again in Miami watching that story for us.
Here's Daryn now with more on the same topic -- Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and we have paged the good doctor.
Joining us with more now to talk about the Norwalk virus, our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta -- good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
KAGAN: Good to be with you here in New York City.
GUPTA: Yes, great to be here.
Well, I'll tell you, this Norwalk virus, if you've got it, you're going to know it.
KAGAN: You know, no question.
GUPTA: This is a real problem. Let's take a quick look at some of the symptoms that Mark was just referring to, some of the symptoms these patients had when they were going on a cruise. Take a look -- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headaches, low grade fever. Not my idea of a good time. This is the, one of the most common causes of stomach sickness is non-bacterial. This is a virus, as Mark said, as you heard there just from that other interview, as well, a very common virus. The Norwalk virus and Norwalk like viruses, these are some of the most common causes of all those symptoms you just saw.
Let's look at some of the ways that it's actually transmitted. You can take a look there at that graphic. Person to person confined environments like a cruise ship, like a nursing home, like schools. Those are some of the most common places you actually see this virus. Also, sharing food, water, utensils, eating or drinking contaminated foods or beverages. Those are all some of the ways that you can actually spread this thing.
Again, the point a cruise ship, you're really confined there from seven to 15 days, sometimes. It's not uncommon to actually have those numbers go up if that's the case.
KAGAN: So if you're a Norwalk virus, no better place to go on vacation than a cruise ship.
GUPTA: That's right. The Norwalk virus is having a good time, but maybe not the people.
KAGAN: Great for that.
All right, what if you're a passenger? How can you avoid it, if you decide, if you even show up at the ship, they tell you we've had this problem, we think our ship is clean, you decide to take your chances.
GUPTA: Right.
KAGAN: Once you're on board, what should you do?
GUPTA: Well, a couple of things. First of all, the, with regards to these cruise ships, what we're hearing most commonly is that they're not from contaminated food or water. So the cruise ship industry, as far as that goes, is pretty safe. This appears to be person to person contamination, most commonly from actually putting your hands into your mouth after touching a surface that's been contaminated or actually getting -- you can see some of the ways that it's actually transmitted up there.
Frequent and thorough hand washing is the key. You're going to see that...
KAGAN: We love that hand washing.
GUPTA: Yes, you're going to see that message over and over and over again. Wash your hands. It's pretty easy. It might prevent you from getting really sick. It may allow Chad to enjoy his vacation a little bit more. Wiping your hands off, keeping hands away from the mouth, those are all good ways to keep -- simple advice. And we actually asked the CDC people, we said is it really that easy, just wash your hands? Is it going to be that simple to try and avoid this Norwalk virus? And they said, yes. That's going to decrease your risk of actually picking it up or transmitting it about 90, 95 percent of the time.
KAGAN: OK, what are the chances, perhaps you haven't been that good about washing your hands, you get it. And if we see 180,000 cases, we're not just talking cruise ships here. Other folks across the country are going to get it.
GUPTA: That's right. Right. Exactly.
KAGAN: But if you get it, are you just stuck? You have to play it out? Or is there anything you can do?
GUPTA: For the most part you're going to have to play it out. This is a virus, this isn't a bacteria. Bill and I have talked about this, you can't treat this with antibiotics. It's going to run its course, a course of usually two to three days. Now, you will still be infected and possibly even contagious for up to two weeks. But two to three days. For most people, it's just going to be an annoying troublesome nuisance of two to three days. Stay hydrated during that time.
For people who are frail or elderly and dehydration can really be a problem, it's a little bit more serious for those folks. But most people just sort of bear through it.
KAGAN: Just bear through it on the high seas.
GUPTA: Exactly. On the high seas.
KAGAN: That croissant (UNINTELLIGIBLE). You're coming back, too?
GUPTA: That's right, I'll be back in an hour.
KAGAN: All right, a double dose of Dr. Gupta today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 3, 2002 - 07:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: This morning, getting more reports that a fourth cruise ship is being hit by an outbreak of some sort of stomach illness. Only about two percent on board, including the passengers and the crew, they did become sick, about two percent, which is said to be normal for most cruises.
A worrisome trend, though, has been developing, if you followed the stories over the past couple of weeks right now.
For the latest on what's happening here, Mark Potter is in Miami to help take us through the nuts and bolts of what's happening on board this latest example here -- Mark, good morning.
MARK POTTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, health officials say that a reported gastrointestinal outbreak aboard the cruise ship Seven Seas Mariner, arriving in Fort Lauderdale on its maiden cruise from Europe, was actually relatively minor. Five passengers and 16 crew members fell ill because of what is believed to be a salmonella bacteria suspected to have been in food that may have been purchased at a port of call. It's still being investigated, although the ship has already gone back to sea.
Now, of greater concern is the cruise ship Fascination, which Carnival Cruise and federal health officials are keeping a very close eye on this morning. It left Miami last night with about 2,100 passengers aboard. It's scheduled to dock right now in Key West and then will head to Cozumel as part of a four day cruise. Earlier yesterday, the ship docked in Miami with 203 passengers and crew members reporting stomach flu like symptoms. Cruise ship workers spent almost all of yesterday disinfecting the ship. But cruise company officials say there is no guarantee that passengers will still not get sick given their suspicion that the cause here is a very aggressive virus carried aboard by passengers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB DICKINSON, CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES: I would submit to you that last Friday morning it was perfectly sanitized. If somebody comes on board with a virus, any efforts that you have to, up to that time, are for naught. So there's no cause and effect here. I think we're all looking for a silver bullet that says you do this and you'll never have the problem again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
POTTER: Now, company officials say they suspect the culprit in this case, the Fascination, is a Norwalk like virus similar to the ones blamed for outbreaks on two other cruise ships recently, the Disney Magic and the Holland America Amsterdam. About a thousand people got sick there.
CDC officials, however, say they are still studying the Fascination outbreak, noting that it's a little different. It began and spread more rapidly than the outbreaks on the other ships. Both of those ships, the Magic and the Amsterdam, were pulled from service for a more thorough cleaning. Asked why that was not done for the Fascination, company officials say they believe that their procedures are adequate and meet federal approval -- Bill.
HEMMER: Mark, quickly, are we even talking about the story if we did not have the other cases over the past week?
POTTER: The story today, the salmonella case?
HEMMER: Indeed, knowing the two percent.
POTTER: Probably not. Yes, we wouldn't be talking about that. That's relatively minor. That could be from a sandwich or seafood. That's different from the other cases, which is a bit of a mystery, as to why there is so much of this. But they say there's a lot of this Norwalk virus around the country, around the world right now. So it's not just confined to cruise ships.
HEMMER: Yes.
Thank you, Mark.
Mark Potter again in Miami watching that story for us.
Here's Daryn now with more on the same topic -- Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, and we have paged the good doctor.
Joining us with more now to talk about the Norwalk virus, our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta -- good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
KAGAN: Good to be with you here in New York City.
GUPTA: Yes, great to be here.
Well, I'll tell you, this Norwalk virus, if you've got it, you're going to know it.
KAGAN: You know, no question.
GUPTA: This is a real problem. Let's take a quick look at some of the symptoms that Mark was just referring to, some of the symptoms these patients had when they were going on a cruise. Take a look -- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headaches, low grade fever. Not my idea of a good time. This is the, one of the most common causes of stomach sickness is non-bacterial. This is a virus, as Mark said, as you heard there just from that other interview, as well, a very common virus. The Norwalk virus and Norwalk like viruses, these are some of the most common causes of all those symptoms you just saw.
Let's look at some of the ways that it's actually transmitted. You can take a look there at that graphic. Person to person confined environments like a cruise ship, like a nursing home, like schools. Those are some of the most common places you actually see this virus. Also, sharing food, water, utensils, eating or drinking contaminated foods or beverages. Those are all some of the ways that you can actually spread this thing.
Again, the point a cruise ship, you're really confined there from seven to 15 days, sometimes. It's not uncommon to actually have those numbers go up if that's the case.
KAGAN: So if you're a Norwalk virus, no better place to go on vacation than a cruise ship.
GUPTA: That's right. The Norwalk virus is having a good time, but maybe not the people.
KAGAN: Great for that.
All right, what if you're a passenger? How can you avoid it, if you decide, if you even show up at the ship, they tell you we've had this problem, we think our ship is clean, you decide to take your chances.
GUPTA: Right.
KAGAN: Once you're on board, what should you do?
GUPTA: Well, a couple of things. First of all, the, with regards to these cruise ships, what we're hearing most commonly is that they're not from contaminated food or water. So the cruise ship industry, as far as that goes, is pretty safe. This appears to be person to person contamination, most commonly from actually putting your hands into your mouth after touching a surface that's been contaminated or actually getting -- you can see some of the ways that it's actually transmitted up there.
Frequent and thorough hand washing is the key. You're going to see that...
KAGAN: We love that hand washing.
GUPTA: Yes, you're going to see that message over and over and over again. Wash your hands. It's pretty easy. It might prevent you from getting really sick. It may allow Chad to enjoy his vacation a little bit more. Wiping your hands off, keeping hands away from the mouth, those are all good ways to keep -- simple advice. And we actually asked the CDC people, we said is it really that easy, just wash your hands? Is it going to be that simple to try and avoid this Norwalk virus? And they said, yes. That's going to decrease your risk of actually picking it up or transmitting it about 90, 95 percent of the time.
KAGAN: OK, what are the chances, perhaps you haven't been that good about washing your hands, you get it. And if we see 180,000 cases, we're not just talking cruise ships here. Other folks across the country are going to get it.
GUPTA: That's right. Right. Exactly.
KAGAN: But if you get it, are you just stuck? You have to play it out? Or is there anything you can do?
GUPTA: For the most part you're going to have to play it out. This is a virus, this isn't a bacteria. Bill and I have talked about this, you can't treat this with antibiotics. It's going to run its course, a course of usually two to three days. Now, you will still be infected and possibly even contagious for up to two weeks. But two to three days. For most people, it's just going to be an annoying troublesome nuisance of two to three days. Stay hydrated during that time.
For people who are frail or elderly and dehydration can really be a problem, it's a little bit more serious for those folks. But most people just sort of bear through it.
KAGAN: Just bear through it on the high seas.
GUPTA: Exactly. On the high seas.
KAGAN: That croissant (UNINTELLIGIBLE). You're coming back, too?
GUPTA: That's right, I'll be back in an hour.
KAGAN: All right, a double dose of Dr. Gupta today.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
