Disinfecting cabins on cruise ship

Lloyd Parsons wrote:

In article ,
Ermalee McCauley wrote:


Becca wrote:


Hope wrote:


begining of flu season. I would like to know some of the precaution
you take to avoid getting ill. I am currently in my fifties and the
flu could be life threating.


Your cabin will be cleaned the usual way.

Get a flu shot before you go, wash your hands with soap and water and
keep your hands away from your face. Keep your fingers out of your eyes,
nose and mouth, that is the usual way viruses are spread.

Have fun on your cruise, then come back and tell us all about it.

Becca

I got an email from a niece calling attention to the fact that some of
the flu vaccines contain mercury, with a reference to USA Today:
http://www.ias.org.nz/thimerosal_and_formaldehyde.htm

My email went on to say:

Mercury exposure can cause a devastating array of problems, including:

* Multiple Sclerosis
* Central Nervous System Disorders
* Autism
* Alzheimer's Disease

Is this really something you want injected into yourself, and your children?

Avoid mercury poisoning; don't eat fish, unless you are absolutely certain
that it has been tested in a laboratory and shown not to contain detectable
levels of mercury and other toxins. To get your vital omega-3 fatty acids,
eat
high quality fish oil instead. This will also, incidentally, help keep you
from getting the flu.

Other ways to avoid getting the flu without taking dangerous shots include:

* Eating a healthy diet by eliminating sugar
* Exercising
* Getting enough rest
* Eating garlic regularly
* Not letting stress become overwhelming
* Washing your hands

To learn more about the dangers of flu vaccines, you might want to consider
calling into our telephone clinic on the subject, where you will hear a live
discussion I will conduct with my top vaccine advisor, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny,
who is widely regarded as one of the most knowledgeable and outspoken
physicians regarding the impact that vaccines can have on health.

Another URL: http://www.mercola.com/2003/dec/17/flu_vaccine.htm

Who/what can you trust? We already have a daughter who has been diagnosed
with MS.

Can you believe the stuff that you read?

Ermalee ----easily confused :-)


Erm, my take on all this is that it is as much crying wolf as fact.

Yes, lots of chemicals and compounds can make us ill, but in most of
these stories what is downplayed is how much of it, it actually takes to
do it.

As for mercury... Remember they used to use it in tooth fillings...

For most of these things to happen to an individual is usually about as
likely as a train hitting me in my backyard, and the tracks are over a
mile away! ;-)

I appreciate your thoughts on this, Lloyd. Thanks.

Ermalee

RICK DAVIS wrote:
I do it on every cruise. I wipe down the entire cabin. All door knobs,
counter tops, bathroom, light switches, phone...everything. I pack a
container of Lysol or Clorox wipes in my carry on so its the first thing
I do.

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. For me, the last thing I'd do on a cruise
is my own house cleaning. No way, no how, will you find me scrubbing
down my cabin. I guess I'm just not that uptight about germs. I mean,
I'm in contact with other people's germs all the time - supermarket
shopping carts, handrails, bathrooms - you name it! What works best for
me is to do everything I can to boost my own immune system internally,
by eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising (kind of slacking in
that area right now), etc. Washing hands frequently and keeping them
away from your face is important, too. I just can't live life being
paranoid about what I can catch by touching whatever.

Also, when you can (try to), use the bathroom facilities in your cabin
vs. the public ones elsewhere on the ship.

I'm all in favor of a flu shot as a preventative, as well. Couldn't
hurt (I'm not buying that mercury hysteria).

Honestly, I don't think I'm half as worried about the germs shared on a
ship as I am about the ones on the airplane I have to take to get down
to the ship.Those are really unavoidable - so many people in such close
contact with incredibly dry air. Yuck.

Lee

"Hope" wrote in message
...
I will be flying to southern california to taking a cruise in
November which is the begining of flu season. I would like to know
some of the precaution you take to avoid getting ill. I am currently
in my fifties and the flu could be life threating. The last cruise I
took one of the member in our group got ill and was hospitalized when
he got back home.

Hope, I would advise you to get a flu shot, eat nourishing, balanced meals,
drink plenty of fluids and wash your hands frequently...On most of the ships
now, they have a sanitizing solution stand before you enter the dining rooms
and buffet areas..Use them to protect others from your germs and use them
again or bring a small bottle of Purell with you, to use before you handle
your food and eat, to protect yourself from other's germs that you may have
picked up while handling the tongs in the buffet...One thing that really
bothers me, is that people who handle tongs and after using them, place them
back with the handle resting in or on the food..especially food with
mayonnaise such as potato salad and coleslaw..Yuck...a living Petri dish!

Frequent handwashing and keeping your hands away from your face, should help
keep you well.
I have a compromised immune system and my gastroenterologist recommends all
of the above for me. You have airborne virus and germs that you can do
nothing about sometimes, but a healthy immune system is a good deterrent.

--Jean

In article . com,
LeeNY wrote:

Honestly, I don't think I'm half as worried about the germs shared on a
ship as I am about the ones on the airplane I have to take to get down
to the ship.Those are really unavoidable - so many people in such close
contact with incredibly dry air. Yuck.

I snipped the rest of your paragraphs but I agree with all of them.
This last one in particular though. The air in the airplane cabin is
the one I would worry about most for spreading germs.

--
Charles

RICK DAVIS wrote:
I do it on every cruise. I wipe down the entire cabin.

This is only good until the next time your cabin steward tends to your
cabin and touches everything.

I'm just saying...

Warren

In article , Jean O'Boyle
wrote:

Hope, I would advise you to get a flu shot,

I just checked the flu shot scheduale. You have to be old enough and/or
have certain other conditions or situations to get one right now. Not
everyone qualifies. I don't. I hope they open up the shots before the
flu season hits. I was not able to get one last year. Luckily I did not
get the flu in spite of not having the shot.

--
Charles

In article .com,
Warren wrote:

This is only good until the next time your cabin steward tends to your
cabin and touches everything.

I'm just saying...

Good point. And the steward has been cleaning a bunch of cabins!!!

--
Charles

Do you suppose the airlines reuse the air to avoid the expense of heating
fresh air? Every time I have a 4 or 5 hour flight, I feel like I'm catching
a cold.
Don


"Charles" wrote in message
d...
In article . com,
LeeNY wrote:

Honestly, I don't think I'm half as worried about the germs shared on a
ship as I am about the ones on the airplane I have to take to get down
to the ship.Those are really unavoidable - so many people in such close
contact with incredibly dry air. Yuck.

I snipped the rest of your paragraphs but I agree with all of them.
This last one in particular though. The air in the airplane cabin is
the one I would worry about most for spreading germs.

--
Charles

I always travel with Lysol and now Febreeze since i love the smell The
antimicrobial one at that. I even have a travel size for my airplane seat. I
always spray everything and give it some time to air out. Remember they are
turning those ships around in a matter of hours.

Also wash your hands often.
Doreen
"RICK DAVIS" wrote in message
...
I do it on every cruise. I wipe down the entire cabin. All door knobs,
counter tops, bathroom, light switches, phone...everything. I pack a
container of Lysol or Clorox wipes in my carry on so its the first thing
I do. Just piece of mind I guess. Plus the cabin is only as clean as
the room steward wants it to be. I'm sure at one time or another we
have all had those cabin stewards who did sub-standard jobs. He only
has to sanitize if he wants to. Who would know? By doing it myself I
know it been done.

Ok I got it and I'm off to get a flu shot tomorrow. I will take some
clorex towels with me to clean down the cabin. The last time I notice
the room steward using the same rag's that he had used in the rooms he
previously cleaned. This time that will be unacceptable! I will bring
along some rubber gloves and a mask for the airplane. I hope because
of 9-11 no one will cop an attitude. So if you see a guy setting next
to you on the plane with a mask that will be me trying to stay a step
ahead of the undertake.

On 6 Oct 2005 23:53:23 -0700, wrote:

First, the flu is a virus and being such is difficult to totally kill.
Even a bleach wipe down on a hard surface leaves 5% still alive.
Antibacterial sprays and wipes, such as Lysol DO NOTHING to a virus but
wets them down.

Second, other than replacing soaps and shampoos, your cabin will get
the same service it does during the cruise. Unless your ship had an
outbreak of a Norwalk type outbreak the week before you show up, it is
nowhere near a classification of disinfected.

That being said, there are a couple of things you can do to protect
yourself. Sounds simple, but wash your hands with soap and
water,,,,often. I? talking 5-10 times a day. The problem is people.
Joe Blow has put down a couple thousand for a cruise. A day or two
before the cruise, a sniff or a cough starts. Hell, no little cold is
going to stop me. Joe gets on the ship and is a gentleman, every time
he coughs he covers his mouth. Small droplets from that cough cover the
palm of his hand. Joe now spends his cruise shaking hands, grabbing
hand rails, pushing elevator buttons and using tongs up on the Lido
deck. Then you meet Joe and shake his hand. You then follow along after
Joe using the handrail, pushing elevator buttons and eating on Lido
deck. You then rub your eye or pick your nose. Keep away from people
that sneeze or cough and wash your hands.