At a glance
Public health professionals: Learn how we address acute gastroenteritis (AGE) on cruise ships. Key activities include inspecting cruise ships, reviewing construction plans, monitoring illness and responding to outbreaks, and training cruise ship employees.
How we work
We help address AGE on cruise ships. We do this by:
- Inspecting cruise ships in periodic, unannounced operational sanitation inspections.
- Reviewing ship construction plans for compliance with our sanitary design criteria standards.
- Monitoring gastrointestinal illnesses and investigating or responding to outbreaks.
- Training cruise ship employees on public health practices.
About AGE
AGE is more commonly known as gastrointestinal (GI) illness.A It is highly contagious and can be caused by viruses, including norovirus, or by bacteria or parasites.
AGE is relatively infrequent on cruise ships, yet people often associate cruise ships with norovirus. Why is this?
- Because health officials track illness on cruise ships, outbreaks are found and reported more quickly than on land.
- In addition, close living quarters may increase the amount of group contact.
- Finally, people joining the ship can bring the virus to other passengers and crew.
Learn more about common causes of AGE: norovirus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella.
Inspection fees
Cruise ship owners pay a fee for inspections based on the ship's size. The fee schedule is posted in the Federal Register. Learn more about fees for public health operational inspections and construction inspections and equipment reviews.
How VSP works
We use the public health standards in the current version of the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) Operations Manual. These criteria target the control and prevention of AGE on cruise ships and are primarily based on standards found in the Food and Drug Administration's Food Code and the World Health Organization's Guide to Ship Sanitation.
We periodically update the VSP Operations Manual to reflect new technologies, current food science, disease patterns and trends, and emerging pathogens.
- Gastrointestinal (GI) illness is a commonly used term for acute gastroenteritis (AGE). GI illness is highly contagious and can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites. Common symptoms include diarrhea, muscle ache, headache, abdominal pain, and fever.