Cruise Hospitals Not So Far-Fetched After All

Cruises can be for sickness and for health. My doctor friends like the idea of combining treatment and exotic destinations. But, wait a minute about the cruises.

"Sailing Into Sickness? By Richard Trubo
WebMD Feature Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

Cruising should be as good as it gets. Exotic destinations. A party atmosphere. Food feasts galore.

But there's been trouble in paradise in recent months. Highly publicized outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses have left many cruisers sprinting for bathrooms that weren't supposed to be part of their itinerary. Newspaper headlines have blared the names of highly contagious bugs - most notably, the Norwalk virus - that most people had never heard of. And for anxious travelers who once thought of cruise ships as a welcome oasis from the fears and hassles of airline travel, they're now thinking twice, or at least taking a few more precautions before they stroll up the gangplank.

Of course, a little perspective is in order. More than seven million people took cruises out of North American ports in 2002, and most of them returned home with splendid memories and enough photographs to bore their friends and neighbors for months. But for the relatively small percentage whose voyage was sabotaged by a queasy stomach and diarrhea , they probably wish they had stayed on solid ground and close to home.

"Given the millions of people who go on cruise ships every year, outbreaks are not a real frequent occurrence, but they do seem to be increasing," says David Freedman, MD, director of the Travelers Health Clinic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "The data appear to suggest that there have been at least three times as many recent outbreaks of diarrheal disease on cruise ships, as compared to a year ago."

Nevertheless, you may be able to sail past any perils lurking at sea with a little knowledge of what you may encounter and the ways to avoid it.