A New Warning for Cruise Ship Passengers Issued by the US Government
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a new warning for cruise ship passengers. The CDC’s latest report, dated October 24, found a dozen outbreaks of Legionnaire’s Disease tied to private hot tubs aboard cruise ships between November 2022 and June 2024.
Two of the outbreaks likely stemmed from private hot tubs onboard, according to the CDC. Eight travelers on one ship became ill, while four on another ship were also sickened. The report does not list the vessels or the cruise lines.
On the first vessel, referred to in the report as “Cruise Ship A,” legionella was found in six of its 10 private balcony hot tubs. “Of the six private balcony hot tubs with Legionella detections, four had concentrations of Legionella >100 colony-forming units (CFU)/mL, and two had concentrations >1,000 CFU/mL,” the report said.
The bacterium was detected in Cruise Ship B’s eight private balcony hot tubs. Among the 12 passengers who fell ill, 10 were hospitalized. Only two of the guests stayed in cabins with balcony hot tubs, but even those “located in private areas can disseminate aerosols to common areas and result in exposures, even in persons who do not use the hot tubs themselves,” according to the report.
Filtration elements were removed from devices on Cruise Ship A and both vessels are still undergoing sampling.
Hot tubs offer favorable conditions for Legionella growth and transmission when not properly maintained. What’s worse, private hot tubs on cruise ships are not subject to the same maintenance requirements as public hot tubs in communal areas.
Legionnaire’s Disease is a severe kind of pneumonia caused by legionella bacteria. The disease has a fatality rate of around 15 percent, and even if someone does survive after contracting the disease, getting back to “normal” can take years. It is commonly found in warm water, like in hot tubs, but it also can grow in larger, more complex heating and plumbing systems found in hotels, cruise ships, or office buildings. An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease is serious, and it can be caused by cruise ship negligence, such as when the ship does not heat the pools or hot tubs on board sufficiently to kill the bacterium.
We recommend that before you book your cruise, you visit the CDC’s website where you can research different cruise ships to see how they performed in their last inspection. Ships are graded on a 100-point scale. Points are deducted whenever a safety violation is found. Certain violations are easily fixed immediately, often during the actual inspection. Other more complicated issues may take longer to correct. These random inspections verify that ships are maintaining a healthy and safe environment on board. If you are about to take a cruise, we urge you to review your ship’s annual inspection report.
At Aronfeld Trial Lawyers, we understand the importance of health and safety aboard cruise ships. If passengers fall ill due to unsanitary conditions or negligence by the cruise line, we are here to help. This guide explains the CDC’s inspections and how the Cruise Vessel Sanitation Program works to protect passengers.
CDC Inspections and the Cruise Vessel Sanitation Program – Aronfeld Trial Lawyers
