What does CODE RED mean on a cruise ship?

Outbreak of norovirus or illness

Code Red - Outbreak of norovirus or illness. It means the ship must undergo deep cleaning and sick passengers should stay in their rooms. Code Green and Code Yellow indicate less severe problems. 

What does norovirus look like? Symtops and Signs. 

Symptoms and signs include vomiting, watery diarrhea, or both. Fever occurs in one-third to one-half of infected people. Cramping abdominal or stomach pain and a general feeling of tiredness, headache, and muscle aches are common. Infected people are usually thirsty, although they may have trouble keeping fluids down.

What does Noro virus do?

Norovirus is a very contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get infected and sick with norovirus. You can get norovirus from: Having direct contact with an infected person.

What are the first signs of norovirus?

Common symptoms of norovirus infection include vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramping. Less common symptoms can include low-grade fever or chills, headache, and muscle aches. Symptoms usually begin 1 or 2 days after ingesting the virus, but may appear as early as 12 hours after exposure.

How long does a norovirus last?

Diarrhea, stomach pain and vomiting typically begin 12 to 48 hours after exposure. Norovirus infection symptoms usually last 1 to 3 days. Most people recover completely without treatment.

What food is commonly linked with norovirus?

Foods that are commonly involved in norovirus outbreaks include:

leafy greens (such as lettuce),

fresh fruits, and.

shellfish (such as oysters).

What is the best treatment for norovirus?

If you have norovirus illness, you should drink plenty of liquids to replace fluid lost from vomiting and diarrhea. This will help prevent dehydration. Dehydration can lead to serious problems. Severe dehydration may require hospitalization for treatment with fluids given through your vein (intravenous or IV fluids).

Is norovirus fatal?

Anyone can die of severe dehydration, but norovirus is really only deadly among certain vulnerable populations: infants and the frail elderly.

Is norovirus spread by coughing and sneezing?

The virus can be spread through hand to mouth contact and can be picked up from contaminated surfaces such as toys, hands or dirty nappies. It can also be spread through the air by sneezing and coughing, though this is less common.

What animal did norovirus come from?

Animal noroviruses including viruses found in pigs, dogs, and cats are closely related to human strains and cluster within GII (porcine norovirus) and GIV (feline and canine norovirus), respectively

Is there a vaccine for norovirus?

There are currently no licensed vaccines for noroviruses, although several candidates are under development, and projections indicate that an efficacious vaccine could have both economic and clinical benefits