Cruise
Ship Hygiene?
All ships that call at an American port at some point in their travels,
will have a CDC rating allocated by the Centres for Disease Control
and Prevention who began the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) in
the 1970's to protect the health of passengers and crew. - Inspection
scores (green sheets) are issued following routine bi-annual inspections
by VSP staff. A point system of 100 is used; cruise ships receive
a score based on the following criteria:
Water supply - storage, distribution, protection, and disinfection
Spas and pools - filtration and disinfection
Food - protection during storage, preparation, and service
Employee hygiene practices
General cleanliness and physical condition of the ship-cleanliness
and absence of insects and rodents
Training programs-environmental and public health practices
100 being the ideal score with marks deducted according to the
inspection findings:
Ships scoring 86 or higher have a satisfactory sanitation level;
ships that score 85 or lower have an unsatisfactory sanitation level
and will be re-inspected, usually within 30-45 days to determine
if conditions have improved. In general, the lower the score, the
lower the level of sanitation; however, a low score does not necessarily
imply an imminent risk for gastrointestinal illness. Since the program
began, the number of disease outbreaks on ships has declined even
though the number of ships sailing and the number of passengers
carried has increased significantly.
|
|
|
|
