Cruise Ship Virus Norovirus Also Affects Millions of Americans on Land

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Cruise Ship Virus," also known as Norovirus, infects about 20 million people each year and is the leading cause of disease outbreaks from contaminated food in the country.

The CDC released a report on Tuesday that revealed some rather unknown information about norovirus and how it affects Americans. Apparently only 1% of cases are recorded on cruise ships because the virus can occur anywhere food is served. It can also be passed from human-to-human transmission.

Norovirus is the leading cause of food-borne illness that is responsible for gastrointestinal illness, which typically cases vomiting, diarrhea, fever, nausea, stomach cramps, and other flu-like symptoms. The U.S. records between 19 million and 21 million cases annually, amassing costs over $777 million.

There are a number of ways norovirus can be prevented, starting with the food and service industries. Those who handle food should be aware of food safety laws and regulations, beginning with calling out of work when contagiously ill. One in five food industry workers reported attending work and handling food while ill for fear of job loss or leaving coworkers short staffed. Additionally, it's important for these workers to wash their hands, fruits and vegetables, or any other type of food that requires washing prior to being served.

"Food workers continue to be the primary source of contamination and have the potential to significantly amplify community transmission of noroviruses through widespread exposure," the CDC reported concluded. "Most of the food-borne spread of the pathogen occurs in restaurants and via catering, where food workers touch food such as salad vegetables, fruit and food that already has been cooked, immediately before it is consumed."

The federal government is currently working with state and local agencies to adopt and enforce the FDA's Food Code provisions in order to avoid infecting millions of people each year. Funding is also being allocated to state and local efforts to investigate and report norovirus outbreaks more efficiently. This is essential because 70% of norovirus outbreaks are caused by infected food workers, which is worthy of investigation and punishment.