A civilian team at the CDC that helped prevent and investigate illness outbreaks on cruise ships is now off the job, according to a report by CBS.
The Vessel Sanitation Program helps prevent and control public health issues, according to the CDC’s website. That includes inspecting large vessels at least twice a year and responding to outbreaks.
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The group also posts the latest outbreak information, along with cruise ship inspection scores and reports.
Cruise ship companies pay fees that fund both the program and the staff. It is not funded with federal tax dollars.
A U.S. Health and Human Services spokesperson says 12 U.S. Public Health Service officers will remain with the program, and they will continue the work.
Since the start of 2025, there have been 12 outbreaks on cruise ships, mostly caused by norovirus, according to CDC records. In 2024, there were 18 outbreaks, also mostly caused by norovirus.
While norovirus is often a cause of GI illness outbreaks on cruise ships, other outbreaks in the last two years were caused by E. coli and Salmonella.
The Vessel Sanitation Program posts outbreaks on its website if the ship is under the agency’s jurisdiction and 3% or more of the passengers or crew are reporting symptoms of GI illness to the ship’s medical staff.
The VSP staffers were let go as part of layoffs by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including 2,400 employees at the CDC.
