Ship Board Virus - Purell No Good

"Karen Segboer" wrote in message
...
(RICK DAVIS) wrote:

Just watched the TODAY show and all week they have been doing a story
on germs and viruses. This morning they focused on Cruise Ships. All
and all not a bad job of cleaning by the ships crew. The worst areas
were the cabin bathrooms (toilet seat especially) and the ships hot tub
(no surprise there). But what they did report (which I found
surprising) was that the hand sanitizers like Purell don't work against
the Norwalk Virus. For the last few years I been taking a bottle of
Lysol Wipes with me and wiping down the phone, door knobs, bathroom, tv
remote. Really just about the entire cabin. Does anyone else do this?

Imagine that! A ex-nurse on this very newsgroup told us all that
using Purell and similar products was good protection against
diseases. So much for some education.

I also read somewhere online a while ago that antibacterial products
like Purell did nothing at all for viruses, which are typically the
cause of intestinal and other illnesses. That's when I stopped
stocking my purse with it and just started washing my hands more
often. Also upped my vitamins. I think it helped, but that's just
me.

Karen,
can't believe the "experts" sometimes

__ /7__/7__/7__
\::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.cupcaked.com/reviews ®
(...and leave off the "potatoes" to e-mail)

I'm not convinced of the value of these antibacterial products either and
know they won't prevent viruses. Personally I think the bigger issue is the
state of people's immune system at the time they come into contact with
something. Just consider how many times a day each of us comes into contact
with someone (either directly or indirectly) who is sick and then consider
how often we get sick ourselves. In my opinion, if you happen to be run down
at the time of contact you probably have a greater chance of getting
something (even is you're washing your hands, etc). People on vacation also
have a tendency to become run down by simply changing their normal sleeping
and eating habbits, which makes them more likely to get sick. I agree that
doing what you can to help prevent this (eg. hand washing) is a good thing,
but lets not get carried away. Keep in mind the more you avoid contacting
bacteria and viruses the less effective your immune system becomes and the
more likely you will get sick.

I also find it somewhat amusing that the news makes a big deal out of 200 or
so people getting sick on a cruise ship that holds somewhere between 1500
and 3500 people (works out to somewhere between 5-13%). In most cases these
people will have only been inconvenienced by being sick on vacation (not
trying to lesson the impact). To me the bigger news is when this type of
illness hits hospitals and nursing homes affecting people who can't afford
to be sick and may not recover as easily.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Brenda

"Karen Segboer" wrote in message
...
(RICK DAVIS) wrote:

Just watched the TODAY show and all week they have been doing a story
on germs and viruses. This morning they focused on Cruise Ships. All
and all not a bad job of cleaning by the ships crew. The worst areas
were the cabin bathrooms (toilet seat especially) and the ships hot tub
(no surprise there). But what they did report (which I found
surprising) was that the hand sanitizers like Purell don't work against
the Norwalk Virus. For the last few years I been taking a bottle of
Lysol Wipes with me and wiping down the phone, door knobs, bathroom, tv
remote. Really just about the entire cabin. Does anyone else do this?

Imagine that! A ex-nurse on this very newsgroup told us all that
using Purell and similar products was good protection against
diseases. So much for some education.

I also read somewhere online a while ago that antibacterial products
like Purell did nothing at all for viruses, which are typically the
cause of intestinal and other illnesses. That's when I stopped
stocking my purse with it and just started washing my hands more
often. Also upped my vitamins. I think it helped, but that's just
me.

Karen,
can't believe the "experts" sometimes

__ /7__/7__/7__
\::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.cupcaked.com/reviews ®
(...and leave off the "potatoes" to e-mail)

I'm not convinced of the value of these antibacterial products either and
know they won't prevent viruses. Personally I think the bigger issue is the
state of people's immune system at the time they come into contact with
something. Just consider how many times a day each of us comes into contact
with someone (either directly or indirectly) who is sick and then consider
how often we get sick ourselves. In my opinion, if you happen to be run down
at the time of contact you probably have a greater chance of getting
something (even is you're washing your hands, etc). People on vacation also
have a tendency to become run down by simply changing their normal sleeping
and eating habbits, which makes them more likely to get sick. I agree that
doing what you can to help prevent this (eg. hand washing) is a good thing,
but lets not get carried away. Keep in mind the more you avoid contacting
bacteria and viruses the less effective your immune system becomes and the
more likely you will get sick.

I also find it somewhat amusing that the news makes a big deal out of 200 or
so people getting sick on a cruise ship that holds somewhere between 1500
and 3500 people (works out to somewhere between 5-13%). In most cases these
people will have only been inconvenienced by being sick on vacation (not
trying to lesson the impact). To me the bigger news is when this type of
illness hits hospitals and nursing homes affecting people who can't afford
to be sick and may not recover as easily.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Brenda

I wonder how many of these illnesses could be averted if the cruise
lines would just relax their refund policy in the event of illness?
Maybe not a monetary refund but an "exchange" of weeks (based on
availability). I'm sure alot of folks board a ship when sick. With the
mentality of ... well it paid for so it's either go or lose the money.
So not wanting to disappoint a spouse or a friend they go....germs and
all. Then just pass it along to guest after guest via handrails and
elev. buttons ect. Lets face it nobody (unless compulsive) is going to
wash their hands every thirty minutes. One or two sick people board a
ship with 1500-3000 people and you have a floating petri dish science
experiment.

I wonder how many of these illnesses could be averted if the cruise
lines would just relax their refund policy in the event of illness?
Maybe not a monetary refund but an "exchange" of weeks (based on
availability). I'm sure alot of folks board a ship when sick. With the
mentality of ... well it paid for so it's either go or lose the money.
So not wanting to disappoint a spouse or a friend they go....germs and
all. Then just pass it along to guest after guest via handrails and
elev. buttons ect. Lets face it nobody (unless compulsive) is going to
wash their hands every thirty minutes. One or two sick people board a
ship with 1500-3000 people and you have a floating petri dish science
experiment.

"RICK DAVIS" wrote in message
...
Just watched the TODAY show and all week they have been doing a story
on germs and viruses. This morning they focused on Cruise Ships. All
and all not a bad job of cleaning by the ships crew. The worst areas
were the cabin bathrooms (toilet seat especially) and the ships hot tub
(no surprise there). But what they did report (which I found
surprising) was that the hand sanitizers like Purell don't work against
the Norwalk Virus. For the last few years I been taking a bottle of
Lysol Wipes with me and wiping down the phone, door knobs, bathroom, tv
remote. Really just about the entire cabin. Does anyone else do this?

Rick, it's ironic that you should mention this today...I spent all day today
as a volunteer in the same day surgery unit at our hospital and noticed hand
sanitizing containers at several different points in the recovery room...The
solution was made by Johnson & Johnson and claimed to destroy 99% of the
bacteria within 15 seconds...I got to chat with some of the docs (all
surgeons) and asked them about their effectiveness and they said that some
hospitals in the country are even using them instead of the hand washing
technique we always use in between patients...Which was a surprise to
me..When I questioned them about their efficacy against virus type diseases,
they said that it depended on whose study you believed...That there were
many studies out there, but none yet conclusive...Some studies indicate that
they are effective, some that say that they are somewhat effective and
others say that they are not at all effective.....They said unless research
conclusively proves otherwise, it is better to be safe than sorry...So based
on that information, I will continue to carry my trusty little bottle of
Purell® when traveling or eating out. Lots of kiddos in OR today getting
ear tubes and t&as..

--Jean

"RICK DAVIS" wrote in message
...
Just watched the TODAY show and all week they have been doing a story
on germs and viruses. This morning they focused on Cruise Ships. All
and all not a bad job of cleaning by the ships crew. The worst areas
were the cabin bathrooms (toilet seat especially) and the ships hot tub
(no surprise there). But what they did report (which I found
surprising) was that the hand sanitizers like Purell don't work against
the Norwalk Virus. For the last few years I been taking a bottle of
Lysol Wipes with me and wiping down the phone, door knobs, bathroom, tv
remote. Really just about the entire cabin. Does anyone else do this?

Rick, it's ironic that you should mention this today...I spent all day today
as a volunteer in the same day surgery unit at our hospital and noticed hand
sanitizing containers at several different points in the recovery room...The
solution was made by Johnson & Johnson and claimed to destroy 99% of the
bacteria within 15 seconds...I got to chat with some of the docs (all
surgeons) and asked them about their effectiveness and they said that some
hospitals in the country are even using them instead of the hand washing
technique we always use in between patients...Which was a surprise to
me..When I questioned them about their efficacy against virus type diseases,
they said that it depended on whose study you believed...That there were
many studies out there, but none yet conclusive...Some studies indicate that
they are effective, some that say that they are somewhat effective and
others say that they are not at all effective.....They said unless research
conclusively proves otherwise, it is better to be safe than sorry...So based
on that information, I will continue to carry my trusty little bottle of
Purell® when traveling or eating out. Lots of kiddos in OR today getting
ear tubes and t&as..

--Jean

"greatviz" wrote in message
...


RICK DAVIS wrote:

For the last few years I been taking a bottle of
Lysol Wipes with me and wiping down the phone, door knobs, bathroom, tv
remote. Really just about the entire cabin. Does anyone else do this?


Yes, but not me. Of course, I don't change the air filters or delouse
the bedding when I travel either


I wonder how many of these people take a parachute on an airplane and ware
their life jacket on the ship!

JIM

"greatviz" wrote in message
...


RICK DAVIS wrote:

For the last few years I been taking a bottle of
Lysol Wipes with me and wiping down the phone, door knobs, bathroom, tv
remote. Really just about the entire cabin. Does anyone else do this?


Yes, but not me. Of course, I don't change the air filters or delouse
the bedding when I travel either


I wonder how many of these people take a parachute on an airplane and ware
their life jacket on the ship!

JIM

"Jean O'Boyle" wrote in message
. com...

"RICK DAVIS" wrote in message
...
Just watched the TODAY show and all week they have been doing a story
on germs and viruses. This morning they focused on Cruise Ships. All
and all not a bad job of cleaning by the ships crew. The worst areas
were the cabin bathrooms (toilet seat especially) and the ships hot tub
(no surprise there). But what they did report (which I found
surprising) was that the hand sanitizers like Purell don't work against
the Norwalk Virus. For the last few years I been taking a bottle of
Lysol Wipes with me and wiping down the phone, door knobs, bathroom, tv
remote. Really just about the entire cabin. Does anyone else do this?

Rick, it's ironic that you should mention this today...I spent all day
today as a volunteer in the same day surgery unit at our hospital and
noticed hand sanitizing containers at several different points in the
recovery room...The solution was made by Johnson & Johnson and claimed to
destroy 99% of the bacteria within 15 seconds...I got to chat with some of
the docs (all surgeons) and asked them about their effectiveness and they
said that some hospitals in the country are even using them instead of the
hand washing technique we always use in between patients...Which was a
surprise to me..When I questioned them about their efficacy against virus
type diseases, they said that it depended on whose study you
believed...That there were many studies out there, but none yet
conclusive...Some studies indicate that they are effective, some that say
that they are somewhat effective and others say that they are not at all
effective.....They said unless research conclusively proves otherwise, it
is better to be safe than sorry...So based on that information, I will
continue to carry my trusty little bottle of Purell® when traveling or
eating out. Lots of kiddos in OR today getting ear tubes and t&as..

--Jean

Different viruses may have different hardiness levels outside the host.
While a virus like the flu might be rather hardy, and may last a while on
surfaces, I recall reading that the HIV virus was actually rather weak
outside of a host. And that it was actually easily killed (though the term
kill for a virus is rather gray... since viruses, which are recombinant RNA,
are neither really living nor dead) outside a host. While cells with DNA
can replicate themselves, recombinant RNA requires a host to do replication.

So while the Norwalk virus may not be killed (or maybe we should call it
"rendered inactive") by alcohol, there may be many other viruses and
bacteria (like e coli) that are "killed" by alcohol. I will continue to use
alcohol as well.

--Tom

"Jean O'Boyle" wrote in message
. com...

"RICK DAVIS" wrote in message
...
Just watched the TODAY show and all week they have been doing a story
on germs and viruses. This morning they focused on Cruise Ships. All
and all not a bad job of cleaning by the ships crew. The worst areas
were the cabin bathrooms (toilet seat especially) and the ships hot tub
(no surprise there). But what they did report (which I found
surprising) was that the hand sanitizers like Purell don't work against
the Norwalk Virus. For the last few years I been taking a bottle of
Lysol Wipes with me and wiping down the phone, door knobs, bathroom, tv
remote. Really just about the entire cabin. Does anyone else do this?

Rick, it's ironic that you should mention this today...I spent all day
today as a volunteer in the same day surgery unit at our hospital and
noticed hand sanitizing containers at several different points in the
recovery room...The solution was made by Johnson & Johnson and claimed to
destroy 99% of the bacteria within 15 seconds...I got to chat with some of
the docs (all surgeons) and asked them about their effectiveness and they
said that some hospitals in the country are even using them instead of the
hand washing technique we always use in between patients...Which was a
surprise to me..When I questioned them about their efficacy against virus
type diseases, they said that it depended on whose study you
believed...That there were many studies out there, but none yet
conclusive...Some studies indicate that they are effective, some that say
that they are somewhat effective and others say that they are not at all
effective.....They said unless research conclusively proves otherwise, it
is better to be safe than sorry...So based on that information, I will
continue to carry my trusty little bottle of Purell® when traveling or
eating out. Lots of kiddos in OR today getting ear tubes and t&as..

--Jean

Different viruses may have different hardiness levels outside the host.
While a virus like the flu might be rather hardy, and may last a while on
surfaces, I recall reading that the HIV virus was actually rather weak
outside of a host. And that it was actually easily killed (though the term
kill for a virus is rather gray... since viruses, which are recombinant RNA,
are neither really living nor dead) outside a host. While cells with DNA
can replicate themselves, recombinant RNA requires a host to do replication.

So while the Norwalk virus may not be killed (or maybe we should call it
"rendered inactive") by alcohol, there may be many other viruses and
bacteria (like e coli) that are "killed" by alcohol. I will continue to use
alcohol as well.

--Tom