Healthy Sailing

🛳️ All aboard for the latest updates from the Healthy Sailing Project!

Issue #6 of our Healthy Sailing Newsletter is now available! 🚢

📰 In this issue:
✅ 6-month project extension
✅ New scientific publications
✅ Highlights from international events 🌍
✅ Hand hygiene & cleaning training onboard

🎥 Don’t miss our new educational video: Preventing Infection Onboard – Hand Hygiene Tips for Cruise Ship Crews

📬 Read the full newsletter:
👉 https://healthysailing.eu/hs-newsletter-issue-6-august-2025/

🚢 New Publication Alert

Mitigating norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships: How timing and isolation make the difference

In our latest article in the Journal of Travel Medicine, we present a model-based analysis evaluating the impact of diagnostic timing and isolation strategies on controlling norovirus spread aboard cruise ships.

🔍 Key Findings:

◾ Superspreading is critical: Just 10% of infected individuals caused 57% of secondary cases, with longer diagnostic delays (mean 83 hrs) and fewer symptoms.

◾ A 72-hour isolation protocol reduced transmission by 71% and cut the effective reproduction number from 9.8 to 4.9.

◾ Earlier diagnosis led to even greater reductions in outbreak size and likelihood of sustained transmission.

These insights support optimizing detection and isolation protocols to prevent and control future outbreaks at sea.

Authored by:

Alfredo De Bellis, PhD | Andrea Bizzotto, MSc | Lemonia Anagnostopoulos, MPH | Leonidas Kourentis, MPH | Valentina Marziano, PhD | Varvara (Barbara) A. Mouchtouri, PhD | Stefano Merler, MSc | Giorgio Guzzetta, PhD

📄 Read the full study: https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaf059 Published in Journal of Travel Medicine, 2025.

Mitigating norovirus spread on cruise ships: A model-based assessment of diagnostic timing and isolation AbstractBackground. Acute gastroenteritis outbreaks caused by noroviruses are a common public health issue on cruise ships. Understanding the main drivers