Hot tubs on cruise ships caused ‘serious pneumonia’ outbreak, CDC warns
Global News
The CDC did not state the names of the cruise ships where the outbreak happened, only that both included European, Caribbean and Mediterranean itineraries.
Private hot tubs on two cruise ships have been linked to outbreaks of a bacterial lung infection known as legionnaires’ disease, which is a “serious pneumonia,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns.
On Oct. 24, the CDC warned that two outbreaks of legionnaires’ disease had been linked to private-use outdoor hot tubs on two cruise ships between November 2022 and July 2024, sickening 12 people.
The CDC did not state the names of the cruise ships, only that both included European, Caribbean and Mediterranean itineraries.
“Epidemiologic, environmental, and laboratory evidence suggests that private balcony hot tubs were the likely source of exposure in two outbreaks of Legionnaires disease among cruise ship passengers,” the CDC stated in the report.
“These devices are subject to less stringent operating requirements than are public hot tubs, and operating protocols were insufficient to prevent Legionella growth.”
Legionnaires’ disease is a serious respiratory illness caused by legionella bacteria, which thrive in water and can lead to severe pneumonia, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Named after a 1976 outbreak that killed 29 people at an American Legion convention, legionnaires’ disease remains underreported, with fewer than 100 cases reported annually in Canada, though the true number is likely much higher, PHAC added.
People over the age of 40 and those who are immunocompromised are especially at risk of infection, PHAC added.
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