4 January 16-22, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | ▼ SUNSHINE STATE WE’RE NO. 2! (EW!) HERE’S HOW TO DODGE THE DREADED STOMACH BUG. BY ZULEKHA PITTS F lorida has snagged second place in a race no one wants towin: con- firmed norovirus outbreaks. Ac- cording to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Sunshine State reported 24 out- breaks between September 1, 2023, and Octo- ber 31, 2024, trailing only California, which topped the list with 43 outbreaks. The highly contagious norovirus, often dubbed the “stomach bug,” is wreaking havoc this season, particularly in crowded spaces like cruise ships. Of the 16 outbreaks reported aboard cruises nationwide in 2024, five oc- curred in December, leaving nearly 900 pas- sengers and crew members praying to porcelain gods. For Floridians, this news is particularly sobering, given the state’s repu- tation as a cruise hub. Let’s start with the bad news. Norovirus is the leading cause of vomiting, diarrhea, and foodborne illness in the United States, ac- cording to the CDC. If that doesn’t make someone stock up on disinfectant, perhaps this will: The virus spreads like wildfire through contaminated food, surfaces, and even tiny airborne particles. Yes, that’s right, airborne — in bathrooms. “Norovirus typically causes projectile vom- iting and diarrhea for 24 to 48 hours,” Dr. Ruth Ann Crystal explains in a recent install- ment of her weekly infectious disease-focused Substack newsletter. “It is mostly spread through contaminated food and surfaces.” The good news? While there’s no magic pill to cure norovirus, the misery usually only lasts 24 to 48 hours. Symptoms include projectile vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramping. Doctors advise staying home, drinking plenty of water, and letting the virus run its course. But beware of lingering effects. “Some people can become lactose intoler- ant for weeks to months after a norovirus in- fection,” Crystal warns. “It may be important to reintroduce dairy slowly.” While masks may help reduce the spread in some cases, experts caution that they’re not a silver bullet. The best defense? Old- school hygiene. Here’s how to stay ahead of the sickly game: 1. Wash your hands like you mean it: Hand sanitizer is great for many germs, but norovirus laughs in its face. Scrubbing your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is essential. “Hand sanitizer does not kill norovirus, so washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water is key to preventing norovirus,” Crystal notes. 2. Avoid food prep when sick: Handling food while infected is practically an RSVP for spreading the virus. Do everyone a favor and take a sick day from the kitchen. 3. Clean surfaces thoroughly: Disinfect countertops, doorknobs, and any other high- touch surfaces regularly. Norovirus can sur- vive on surfaces for days, so a quick wipe won’t cut it. 4. Think twice in shared bathrooms: Bath- rooms can become norovirus hot spots. If you know someone’s been sick, proceed with cau- tion — and maybe a mask. “The virus can also occasionally be spread by aerosolization in bathrooms,” Crystal adds. “Wearing a mask in a bathroom where a person with norovirus has been can also help prevent spread.” It’s no surprise that Florida ranks high on the norovirus list, given its bustling cruise in- dustry and year-round tourism. Cruise ships, with their close quarters and shared facilities, are the perfect petri dish for the virus. But let’s not forget other crowded settings like schools, daycare centers, and nursing homes, which also contribute to the spread of the virus. While Florida’s cruise industry brings mil- lions of visitors and boosts the economy, it also makes the state more vulnerable to outbreaks. The CDC’s CaliciNet database, which tracks norovirus cases, highlights the importance of hygiene in high-traffic environments. [email protected] | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Norovirus in a nutshell: projectile vomiting and diarrhea for 24 to 48 hours. Photo by SRT101 / iStock Getty Images ▼ FORT LAUDERDALE JET BLUES HOW DO DEAD BODIES WIND UP IN AIRPLANE WHEEL WELLS? BY ALEX DELUCA O n January 6, two bodies were found in the wheel well of a JetBlue flight that landed in Fort Lauderdale from New York. The grisly discovery was made during a rou- tine post-flight assessment of the plane, which left John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York just before 8 p.m. Monday and landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport around 11 p.m., according to the airline. Paramed- ics pronounced the two people, who have yet to be identified, dead at the scene. “The circumstances surrounding how they accessed the aircraft remain under investiga- tion,” JetBlue said in a statement. “This is a heartbreaking situation, and we are committed to working closely with authorities to support their efforts to understand how this occurred.” The incident came only two weeks after a person was found dead on Christmas Eve inside the wheel well of a United Airlines plane that landed in Hawaii. Police haven’t released any identifying information about the person. New Times spoke with Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation and transportation analyst and the for- mer inspector general of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to find out why and how people hitch illegal rides on airplanes. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has found that stowaways, who often hide in the cramped wheel wells of planes, are typically young men under the age of 30 seeking either il- legal immigration, tourism, or sometimes a com- bination of both, Schiavo says. During her time as inspector general, Schiavo learned firsthand about the various ways people can sneak onto an airport’s tarmac. While con- ducting security tests at airports, her investigators and auditors successfully gained access to tar- macs, either by trailing airline employees or enter- ing from other operational areas within the airport. Schiavo notes that stowaways have also been documented to make their way onto tarmacs and flights by hopping fences around airports. “That’s a big problem too be- cause, remember, the perimeters of the airport are supposed to be completely cov- ered by fencing and surveillance,” she says. “Obviously, the [airport] surveillance that is already required by law is not being monitored.” The phenomenon of stowaways on airplanes isn’t new, Schiavo says. Between 1947 and 2020, the FAA has documented 128 incidents of stowaways, more than 77 percent of which resulted in death. Although some stowaways have survived in rare instances — one man, who Spanish doctors called “Mr. Popsicle,” miraculously survived a flight from Cuba to Madrid in 1969 and was found in the wheel well covered in ice — many often die from oxygen deprivation, hypothermia, or being crushed by the retracting landing gear. Temperatures in the unpressurized wheel well, smaller than a car trunk on many planes, can reach as low as 58 to 76 degrees below zero. “It’s sad, and it’s usually fatal,” Schiavo says. “But the bigger question is, if just somebody who wants to go visit or escape a country can do this, clearly terrorists can too.” She adds, “And there’s no excuse. Given the threats we are now facing and the warnings on terrorism, that this keeps happening in the United States is absolutely unacceptable.” [email protected] ALTHOUGH SOME STOWAWAYS HAVE SURVIVED, MANY OFTEN DIE FROM OXYGEN DEPRIVATION, HYPOTHERMIA, OR BEING CRUSHED.
