CDC Eliminates Full-Time Cruise Ship Health Inspectors as Norovirus Cases Escalate

The Vessel Sanitation Program now operates with a reduced team, raising concerns about public health oversight during an unprecedented surge in outbreaks.

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.