Norovirus is not generally life-threatening
~Dr. Julie Gerberding President of Merck Vaccines
An experimental vaccine for the norovirus is in the testing stages. Norovirus, implicated by the Clinical Infectious Diseases Journal as caused by poor restroom cleaning, may soon be preventable by vaccination. According to Dr. Thomas Hooton (professor at University Of Miami Miller School Of Medicine) the norovirus spreads like wildfire. Hundreds of people can get sick in just a few days, he pointed out. "If a food handler contaminates the food on a cruise ship, it spreads like crazy. There is bad diarrhea and bad vomiting, and if they are not cleaned up properly, it can stick to surfaces and spread from person to person," Hooton said.
Clearly, there is a tremendous need for prevention. And prevention apparently means vaccination, not clean toilets or proper food handling.
Note: Personally I prefer hygienic measures to eliminate the spread of norovirus on cruise ships or other contained areas that serve food. A vaccine that prevents you from becoming ill if you eat s**t? I think that should make you sick.
There's no profit in washing your hands.
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