This makes such a stunning headline, as anything derogatory pertaining to a cruise ship does, but please let the public know the whole truth not just those little pieces that can justify your front page headlines and newscasts.

Fellows of the medical profession will naysay my every pen stroke but…

Norovirus, sometimes known as the winter vomiting bug, is the most common stomach bug in the UK, affecting people of all ages.

Any enclosed community can fall foul of these viruses. Norovirus is the most commonly bandied around name but I’m sure that there are other medical terms for the sickness that develops and causes nausea, vomiting and, violent bowel movements. Retirement homes, hospitals, nursing homes, the list goes on, all have this problem to a degree. While cruise lines are legally required to declare how many cases ofs sickness on board , hotels and guest houses are not.

‘Ward opens after norovirus outbreak - NHS says a ward at a Dundee Hospital closed because of several norovirus cases, has opened again.’

‘Visiting limited at a Worcestershire hospital to halt norovirus.’

‘Norovirus outbreak shuts ward at a Surrey Hospital .’

They are just three headlines picked out of Wikipedia, so It can be no surprise that people convalescing by taking a cruise can and do bring this beastly bug on board.

Before the embarking passengers arrive on board, the vessel is in all respects clear of that virus. Yet, on that following cruise another outbreak occurs. Boarding passengers are even asked to read and sign a form stating that they have not had or been around anyone with this malaise prior to joining the cruise. This precaution doesn't always weed out the potential carriers as, for example, a passenger who was violently ill in the taxi taking them to join a cruise signed just such a form prior to boarding. No surprise that that cruise had a severe outbreak.

There are signs all over the public toilets around the ship for passengers to wash their hands after using the toilets. Sadly though, what goes on in the cabin does not necessarily stay in the cabin. Private facilities are a wonderful and an expected part of modern cruising. Unfortunately not everyone washes their hands after using these private facilities and, grabbing their coat or handbag sallies forth and spreads those germs all over the ship’s hand rails, seats and tables for other passengers to pick up.

Cruise ship staff do a wonderful job fumigating and thoroughly cleaning the vessel top to toe (or bow to stern) after any outbreak. All the owners and operators of these ships do not dodge the enormous expense of this necessary exercise. All through the cruise, crew are seen constantly sanitizing the hand rails around the ship. Antibacterial gel dispensers are placed outside of lounges and crew members stand at the doorway distributing it personally to diners at meal times before passengers enter the restaurants. Even when arriving onto the ship, be it on embarkation day or returning from a shore tour, you are expected to use this sanitizing gel. One passenger was heard to remark that they came off the ship much cleaner than they came on it.

A very dear, sadly departed, friend who was a senior cruise line executive with several world famous shipping companies used to say ‘People don’t catch norovirus from a cruise ship, they catch it from dirty passengers.’ Who am I to disagree with him?

To my fellow members of the press and travel writers – please play up the heroic role that the crew of cruise ships play in limiting the spread of this obnoxious bug as, without their constant vigilance and long hours of wiping and cleaning, this problem could be a lot worse.

FINALLY - Lovers of cruising, please keep to a scrupulously clean routine while onboard ship and then you and all your fellow passengers can have wonderful and healthy cruise.

You may notice that there are no photographs of cruise ships in this article. This is because it is all too easy to identify the vessel and assume that the subject is one of the cruise ships affected. This article is primarily about personal hygiene, not cruise ships.