To start with, Eve is fully recovered from her recent coughing and aches. She is a strong woman from Eastern Germany. We also bought some Manuca Honey in Sydney, of which we swallow a small spoonful each day. Many we talk with swear by it.
We hear of (and hear) others on the ship who are still not feeling well. Coughing is prevalent, though it seems to come and go in waves. Those of us on the ship since December like to joke that each charge of new passengers every three weeks brings a fresh charge of bacteria which has to work its way through us.
Hand sanitizer is provided all over the ship. Most all use it. I suspect its effect is mostly psychological. There is little one can do on the ship to eliminate airborne particles. In general, people take care when coughing. Almost none wear masks; those that do are trying to protect themselves.
Many we know, like Eve and I, have been down for a week or two at some point, but then recover. Some have been ill longer. The ship’s doctor has various things to treat ailments. His prescription helped Eve last week.
Age may well have something to do with susceptibility. The average age of the passengers on the ship when we started was 72. It has gone down some, as older people tend to avoid the long flights involved with boarding or disembarking in this part of the world.
Sickness has always been a part of sea travel. But we have come a long way from the experiences of the eighteenth century, as the book “1788” has reminded me.
Still, it is hard not to cringe when someone nearby coughs vigorously.
Salúd!
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