US government issues serious warning to cruise passengers

While many turn to cruise ships for a relaxing and luxurious vacation, isolated and, with the exception of deck spaces, generally enclosed the environment creates an increased risk of disease outbreaks.

That’s why outbreaks of norovirus, measles and various types of gastrointestinal illnesses are more common on cruise ships, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regularly warns about infections that can be dangerous. small and calculated risk for healthy travelers, but pose a serious danger for more vulnerable groups of the population.

Certain parts of a cruise ship may also pose a higher risk. The latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found nearly a dozen outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease linked to private hot tubs aboard ships between November 2022 and June 2024. Legionnaires’ disease is a term for a special type of severe pneumonia that causes a severe cough, high fever, and an increased risk of infection. lung damage.

“Hot baths create favorable conditions for the growth and transmission of the virus”

Without naming specific cruise ship companies, the CDC said various “sampling results identified private hot tubs on individual stateroom balconies as the most likely source of exposure” in the outbreaks it studied. Private hot tubs are defined as those located in a stateroom or on a stateroom balcony. Although they are considered extremely luxurious and greatly enhance the cruise experience, the CDC warns that they cannot always be cleaned as thoroughly as public deck hot tubs and swimming pools, which many fear as carriers of disease.

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“Hot baths provide favorable conditions for the growth and transmission of Legionella if not properly maintained and used, regardless of location,” the national health agency wrote in the report. “Private hot tubs on cruise ships are not subject to the same maintenance requirements as public hot tubs in common areas.”

One test found that six out of 10 samples from hot tubs on a cruise ship’s private balcony were found to contain Legionella bacteria. On another cruise ship, 10 of 12 passengers who contracted legionella bacteria had symptoms so severe they had to be hospitalized.

This is what you need to know about cruise ship cleanliness and hot tubs.

The study authors, who examined the number of outbreaks, warned that it is “important” for cruise ship staff to “evaluate and adapt protocols for the maintenance and operation of public hot tubs for use in private outdoor hot tubs.”

Current list from CDC also identifies cruise ships based on purity tested over the last two years; last month Carnival (SSL) was identified as having the most cruise ships at the bottom of the cleanliness rankings.

The cruise line’s ships Elation, Miracle and Breeze scored 89, 88 and 86 respectively, and the agency considers anything below 85 unsatisfactory. However, the ratings are still relatively high, with Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Hanseatic Inspiration receiving a bottom score of 62 points, and Carnival’s Panorama and Spirit also receiving top scores of 100 points.

In response to these assessments, Carnival released a statement saying it “continuously strives for the highest sanitation standards and is taking immediate corrective actions (based on) the results of these inspections.”

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