A doctor has shared the reason he wouldn’t go on a cruise and it’s on health related grounds. Dr Rubin, a pediatrician who often posts to TikTok, said there are many virus outbreaks that circulate on board ships. He took to the platform to encourage everyone to be careful if looking to take to the sea for a holiday. The doctor often shares information about allergies and how to combat them.
In the video, he said: “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 then speaks about the cuts made to federal agencies recently in the US which has impacted health and safety checks on ships.
Dr Rubin said: “Well one of [the cuts] is to the CDC's vessel sanitation program, which conducts health inspections on cruise ships at least twice a year and they trace outbreaks to help reduce the chances of more people getting sick.”
So far this year, there have already been 12 outbreaks of norovirus on cruise ships. If you do get ill while onboard a ship, passengers are quarantined in their rooms.
In the comments, people were divided by the video - some accused him of “fear mongering”.
One person said: "Sorry but I love cruising. I already have 2 cruises booked."
Another commenter said: “We cruise every year and just went in mid February, which is prime time for norovirus. We were on Carnival's biggest ship and were fine.”
However, many agreed with Dr Rubin’s comments. One person said: “I'm anti-cruise even in normal times. Ships are just one giant Petri dish and it's a hard pass for me.”
Another said: "I just cancelled my cruise vacation this year and next."
In March, a contagious virus outbreak on the Coral Princess cruise ship left dozens of passengers and crew ill and in isolation during their nearly three week voyage.
The ship set sail from California on February 21, with 69 of the over 1,000 passengers and 13 of the 895 crew members struck down by norovirus.
But norovirus isn’t the only illness commonly caught on a cruise ship. Other common illnesses include coronavirus, flu, measles and seasickness.
