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Date published: 7/16/2007

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This is not a health column, but anyone sailing on a cruise ship soon should give a Centers for Disease Control Web site a quick read.

I stumbled across it as I was attempting to convince my husband to join me on a cruise. It's a hard sell. The words "cruise" and "gastrointestinal illness" have appeared together a little too often lately in the news.

The CDC recommends voyagers take the following steps to protect themselves, from the midnight buffet to Lido Deck.

Wash your hands. This sounds simple, and it is. The CDC wants you to wash up before and after eating and smoking, after you touch your face, after using the restroom, after touching high-contact areas, like doorknobs and handrails, and every time you return to your cabin. Use lots of soap, and rub your lathered hands together for 20 seconds before rinsing.

Also, the CDC recommends using a paper towel to turn off the bathroom sink faucet and to open the exit door.

Soap and water are best for washing hands. Use hand sanitizers only when water/soap are unavailable--like an excursion to the shore.

If you use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, it should be 62% ethanol-based, preferably a gel.

Leave the area if someone gets sick (after, of course, alerting staff to a person in distress).

Drink water to prevent dehydration.

Don't bring an illness onboard. Check your cruise company's cancellation policies in case you come down with a virus at home.

Read the full set of recommendations from the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program at cdc.gov/nceh/vsp.

At the same site, you can search cruise ship inspections by ship, line and date. Ships and lines are given scores up to 100, with anything below 85 being "unsatisfactory." You can also read the "corrective action" taken for the gritty details.

Date published: 7/16/2007