Gross!
A doctor is making travellers think again before booking a cruise for one disturbing reason.
A paediatrician who posts a host of medical advice on his TikTok page has revealed why he would never step foot on a cruise – and it’s not because of choppy waters or the risk of pirates taking over.
Dr Rubin has a far more harrowing reason and is now urging others to reconsider their travel plans after learning about the concerning issue.
“Here’s why you’re not gonna see me on a cruise ship anytime soon, and I encourage people to consider this before they book a cruise,” he started in his viral TikTok video.
“So you know how there’s been all these cuts at federal public health agencies lately? Well one of them is the CDC’s vessel sanitation program which conducts health inspections on cruise ships at least twice a year.”
The doctor says a cruise may not be all it cracks up to be (Getty Images)
Here he included a snippet from a CBA news article which stated cruise ship inspectors have been ‘laid off amid bad year for outbreaks’.
As for why this is important for your cruise, and your health, the doc explained: “They trace outbreaks to help reduce the chances of more people getting sick.”
And what’s more concerning is that since the cuts, he claims there has been a huge uptick in health scares onboard.
“We’ve already had 12 Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships this year compared to eight last year,” he continued.
He said it comes down to a sanitation issue (Getty Images)
According to the NHS, Norovirus, also commonly referred to as the ‘winter vomiting bug,’ has some pretty nasty symptoms, like vomiting, diarrhoea, body aches, a high temperature and a headache.
It’s also highly contagious and can spread fast in cramped environments, like a cruise ship.
And needless to say, it’s not what you want while on vacation.
The warning comes as the Coral Princess reportedly suffered a major Norovirus outbreak that affected 69 passengers and 13 crew members while on a three-week trip from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale, as per VT.
The sick passengers and crew had to isolate while public areas were disinfected.
It also apparently wasn’t the first time the cruise liner suffered such an outbreak as the CDC reported the Coral Princess had another Norovirus outbreak in January.
Dozens are saying they wouldn’t consider a cruise anymore (Getty Images)
Dr Rubin continued to slam the cuts, saying they ‘make no sense because it’s not funded by taxpayer dollars’.
“The cruise ships pay for these health inspections, so it’s not like we’re actually saving any money from the taxpayers perspective. This makes absolutely no sense,” he concluded.
In the comments, dozens of his followers agreed with the doctor that a cruise holiday sounds pretty horrific with Norovirus as a potential passenger.
“Cruises are giant floating petri dishes. Ain’t worth it,” said one.
Another chimed: “Norovirus on LAND is horrendous. In a tiny cabin, on a ship, with other passengers. Ugh!”
A third added: “You could not PAY ME to go on a cruise.”
