One of the worst vacation emergencies is illness or injury.  Pain and discomfort can disrupt the most carefully planned getaway, turning a delightful experience into a regrettable ordeal. 

On cruise ships, illness can be particularly upsetting because the close confines insure the afflicted individual is well aware of every activity, party, and show they are missing.  With common sense precautions, however, it is easy to stay healthy on a cruise ship and enjoy every moment at sea and in port at the peak of your physical condition. 

What if that does not happen??  Hundreds of passengers on a Swiss-owned cruise ship were stricken this week with severe vomiting and diarrhea caused by a mysterious ailment.

At least 340 victims became ill on the MSC Sinfonia between Monday and Tuesday of this week.  The illness didn’t appear to be life-threatening and most passengers were recovering by yesterday.

An inspection found problems with the amount of chlorine in the ship’s drinking water and with the storage of some perishable food items, notably mayonnaise.

The health agency that conducted the inspection said the outbreak was under control, and the victims were being interviewed and treated on board the ship.

Health officials gave approval for the ship to return to Rio, but ordered cruise officials to notify authorities immediately should new cases of illness break out.

So how do you protect yourself while on cruises?   As a trained health professional, I thought I would share some helpful information on how to prevent this happening, or how to protect yourself if it does happen.

Of course when you are on a cruise ship where everyone is eating the same thing, the cases of food poisoning can be affected by a large numbers of passengers.  There was a large outbreak in the year 2000 on the Disney Magic cruise where over 260 people were struck with food poisoning and the CDC investigated the matter and found it to be caused by the shrimp that was served on the embarkation lunch. 

Although outbreaks of this magnitude are rather rare, it does promote food poisoning as an issue every traveller should educate themselves on. The great thing is that no matter how many cruises you have been on or plan to be on, there are many different steps you can take to do what you can to prevent these outbreaks from affecting you during your trip.

The first step any traveller needs to take in order to prevent the affects of food poisoning is by ensuring you have brought the necessary medications with you such as Pepto-Bismol, antacids, etc.  When you travel to a new destination, the foods that they serve may not be giving you food poisoning but your stomach may still not agree with the foods. Some of the next steps may seem like they should be common sense but when people are on vacation they begin to try new things and sometimes it is these new things that cause the problems.

You need to ensure that every piece of meat and seafood you eat during your stay is properly cooked as this will kill many of the bacteria that the meat may have had on it prior to cooking. 

The next important thing to remember on cruise ships is to perhaps skip the buffet.  I know many will NOT want to do this, but sometimes the food on these buffet tables may have been sitting out for hours in the heat and these foods become incredibly susceptible to disease and bacteria. 

Eggs are also a food to be careful with or even avoid during your cruise. All it takes is one bad egg mixed with dozens of good ones to make dozens of people sick with one meal.

The last step you need to remember may be the most important during your Caribbean or European cruise.  When you get off these ships to visit the local villages and cities on your excursions it is always tempting to try their local delicacies but it is important to remember that the restaurants in these foreign countries may not be subject to inspections or the same sanitary laws as your home.  Many times you will find that these restaurants use their tap water to wash their raw vegetables and fruits and to you this water may be unsanitary to drink.  These are all factors that need to be carefully considered before you decide to eat anything on a cruise ship.

Although you cannot control the cleanliness of the ships you are choosing to travel on, you can check out the sanitary scores that these ships receive from the CDC and make the decision for yourself which ship you feel most comfortable traveling on.  You can however, control your food intake on and off the ship by avoiding uncooked meats, seafood and vegetables.  Although there are some risks when it comes to cruise ship vacations, this does not mean you should boycott these great vacation experiences.  It is only meant to be an awareness to teach you how to regulate your food intake to maintain your health during your vacation.

Cruise ships, by nature, if not maintained properly provide an excellent breeding ground for illnesses.  Think about all of the public areas that are touched non-stop by thousands of people.   Here’s what you MUST do:  Wash your hands frequently!!

The key to staying healthy on a cruise vacation is to begin a healthy regimen long before you set sail. Several weeks prior to your voyage, begin improving your health with these tips:

• Take a daily multivitamin to strengthen your body and immune system.
• Become accustomed to eating healthier foods such as salads, whole grain breads, and lean meats.
• Drink more water, substituting for sodas, alcohol, and sugary drinks.
• Exercise more through walks, classes, or daily routines.
• Avoid crash diets that you will abandon as soon as you step onboard.

On a cruise, you will have the opportunity to try dozens of unusual, gourmet dishes. Food illnesses can be quite common, but several simple steps can help you avoid any unpleasantness.

• Take care not to overindulge, particularly on unfamiliar foods.
• Inform your dining room wait staff about any food allergies and do not be afraid to ask about specific ingredients in unfamiliar dishes.
• Resist the temptation to eat full portions of everything you’d like to try – sample the most appetizing dishes but do not gorge yourself at every buffet.
• To avoid potential food poisoning, always order meat fully cooked rather than rare.

Many ship-associated outbreaks could have been prevented if measures had been taken to ensure adequate temperature control, avoidance of cross-contamination, reliable food sources, adequate heat treatment, and exclusion of infected food handlers from work.

Enjoy your next cruise and be confident that these steps will help keep you healthy and happy during your cruise trip.