On any given day during flu season, literally thousands are infected by a norovirus simply by visiting their local shopping mall! In FACT, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 20 million Americans come down with the flu every year without ever stepping onto a cruise ship. The difference is, everyone goes home from the Mall, gets sick and there is no crowd of media cameras waiting outside everyone's door that happened to get infected at the Mall that day.

When a ship pulls in after a seven to ten day cruise, everyone that is infected (or was infected before embarking) and became sick during the cruise all get off at the same place at the same time. Why does the media pick up on it? The CDC requires cruise ships to immediately report any incidents of gastrointestinal illnesses and then makes the reports public! If the press would spend as much time educating the public on how to avoid getting the flu as they spend on creating an impression that cruise ships are a hotbed of disease, that 20 million annual figure would be cut in half.

Well now that I have got that off my chest, here are a few tips to avoid or at least lessen the chance of getting infected with the flu...whether you are at the Mall, on a cruise ship or in Grand Central Station:

Norovirus is spread either person-to-person or just as easily by a contaminated surface like an elevator button or handrail recently touched by an infected person, so

...Wash Your Hands!

...Then, Wash Your Hands Again!

...Yup, you got it...Wash your hands often and THOROUHLY! You must use soap and water, rub and rinse for at least 15 seconds and repeat often throughout the day.

...Don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with you hands...a hard habit to break.

...Always carry an instant hand sanitizer like Purell and use it often!

...If you are aware of illness onboard, don't dine at the buffet...too many guests touching serving utensils. The cruise lines are so sensitive to the situation they carefully monitor the health of all employees, especially those involved with food service. There is a far greater chance of exposure in land-based restaurants during flu season because they are not held to the same strict sanitation standards by the CDC as cruise ships are.

...Always purchase travel insurance.

...If you know you are sick before you leave, cancel the trip and stay in bed where you belong!

...Drink plenty of liquids and try not to infect anyone else by getting on a cruise ship or going to the mall.

Oh, and did I mention you should WASH YOUR HANDS as often as possible?

Here's to happy and healthy cruising!

Arnold "Arie" Boris

The CruiseGourmet