Overview

• All full-time staff in the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program have been laid off as part of HHS cost-cutting measures under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• The program now relies on 12 U.S. Public Health Service officers, with only one epidemiologist, who is still in training, managing outbreak investigations.
• The layoffs coincided with a record surge in norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships, with 12 incidents reported so far this year compared to 18 in all of 2024.
• The decision to cut the program, funded by cruise ship fees rather than taxpayer dollars, has sparked criticism over its impact on public health safeguards.
• HHS officials maintain that critical functions will continue, but former CDC leaders and experts warn the reduced workforce may struggle to sustain essential operations.