The Prevention Measures the Cruise Industry is Taking to Combat Future Pandemics
In these past few years, during the COVID-19 pandemic, so much has changed. The way we think, interact with each other, and how we used to live. The way we all used to work, from being in a location to working from home, for others having no work at all. Industries have to adapt and overcome the challenges the pandemic presented and prepare for it if it happens again. One such industry is cruise lines.
One of the main concerns of being on a cruise ship is that you’re in an enclosed space with hundreds of other people always interacting. This fear increased more due to COVID-19 and how contagious it was, threatening the safety of the ship's passengers, staff, and crew. Since cruise lines have resumed operations, they as well as health organizations have brought with them their rules and people who will help them in this effort against the pandemic.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) for cruise ships. According to the VSP, they monitor and observe illness patterns gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships and conduct outbreak investigations when 3% or more of the ship passengers or crew members report being sick with gastrointestinal symptoms.
During the outbreak investigation, they examine reports and logs to determie symptoms, how many are sick, and where it started. Their objectives are to identify the pathogen causing the illness, identify the risk associated with it, and come up with plans to prevent the spread of the disease.
While the VSP conducts its outbreak investigation, it will request the cruise line to activate its own outbreak prevention and response plans. The VSP says it will include the following:
Indicate trigger points that initiate a ship’s response to cases of illness.
Identify overall outbreak management strategies.
Include detailed infection control procedures for each area of the ship.
Increasing daily cleaning and disinfection frequencies.
Stopping high-risk activities, such as self-service buffets and handshaking.
Isolating ill people.
Collecting clinical and/or environmental specimens for analysis.
Providing daily updates to VSP that include case counts and reports of what the ship has done to establish control.
Alerting passengers and crew of the illnesses onboard.
Providing information about proper handwashing.
Notifying new passengers about the outbreak before they get on the ship.
All this can be found on the CDC website as well as ways for you to protect yourself from gastrointestinal diseases.
Many cruise lines now work closely with the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO) to protect their passengers and crew. They also carry their plans, like their Outbreak prevention and response plans for future pandemics and contagious diseases that could be found on their cruises.
One cruise line, Norwegian Cruise Line, for example, has onboard public health, sanitation, and medical services. According to Norwegian Cruise Line, they work closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to protect their guest, crews, and the communities they visit. Not just that, they also have an Outbreak Prevention and Response plan that mitigates and helps prevent the spread of communicable diseases. With all of this along with state-of-the-art health facilities in their cruise ships, Norwegian Cruise Line is prepared for any present and future pandemics.
All these steps taken toward the protection of the health of the passengers and crew members, it has reassured cruise goers of their safety and a promise to them of their enjoyment on their cruise trips. It’s also an extra comfort to know that plans for the future are made and still being made for our safety, not just by the cruise lines but also by the CDC and WHO for everyone around the world to be safe.
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/desc/about_investigations.htm
https://www.nclhltd.com/health-and-safety