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Cruise Lines With the Cleanest Cruise Ships Based on Health Scores

During these inspections, eight major areas of cruise ships are inspected including medical facilities, portable water systems, swimming pools and spas, galleys and dining rooms, child activity centers, hotel accommodations, ventilation systems, and common areas of the ship.

At the end of each inspection, VSP inspectors meet with ship management to discuss inspection violations and give them a draft inspection report. Within 2 weeks of the inspection, VSP sends a final copy of the inspection report to the ship’s cruise line.

The inspections are unannounced and cruise lines do not know when each ship will be inspected. Cruise ships are scored on a 100 point scale and must score at least an 86 to pass. Any score of 85 or lower fails the ship and requires a reinspection in the near future.

Here are 15 top cruise lines with the highest health scores from recent inspections.  We took the last score from each cruise ship and averaged them together to get the following rankings.

15. Regent Seven Seas Cruises: 93.2 – While Regent comes in 15th place, it is worth noting that only one of their ships has received an inspection since the cruising restart in 2021.  Seven Seas Splendor received a 97 in that inspection earlier this year.

14. MSC Cruises: 93.3 – MSC Seascape scored a perfect 100 while MSC Seaside failed it’s most recent inspection with a score of 67.

13. Carnival Cruise Line: 95.8 – Carnival Cruise Line had four cruise ships score perfect 100s during their most recent inspection: Carnival Celebration, Carnival Panorama, Carnival Valor, and Carnival Sunshine.

11. Oceania Cruises: 96 – Oceania Riviera received a perfect 100 a few months ago.

11. Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection: 96 – Since Ritz-Carlton only has one new ship in service, they scored a 96 on their only inspection so far.

9. Norwegian Cruise Line: 96.2 – NCL had two ships score perfect 100s during their last inspection, Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Pearl.

9. Holland America Line: 96.2 – Holland America Line’s newest ship, Rotterdam, scored a perfect 100 recently.

8. Silversea Cruises: 96.4 – Silver Moon scored a perfect 100.

7. Virgin Voyages: 96.5 – Virgin, the adults only cruise line that sails from Miami, has had two ships inspected with an average score of 96.5.

6. Princess Cruises: 96.6 – Princess has had one ship (Ruby Princess) score a perfect 100 in their most recent inspection.

5. Royal Caribbean: 96.7 – Royal Caribbean, the world’s largest cruise line, has had four ships score a perfect 100 including three Oasis class vessels. They ships were Rhapsody of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, and Allure of the Seas.

4. Seabourn: 97.3 – Seabourn has had only one ship inspected since the restart and Seabourn Quest received a 97.

3. Celebrity Cruises: 98.1 – Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Millennium, and Celebrity Summit each scored a perfect 100 during their most recent inspection.

2. Viking: 99.3 – Three out of the four Viking ocean ships inspected received perfect health scores. They were Viking Star, Viking, Sea, and Viking Sky.

1. Disney Cruise Line: 99.8 – Four out the five of Disney cruise ships received a perfect 100 score on their most recent inspection. The only ship that did not was Disney Dream and it just missed that mark with a 99. Disney Dream has scored a perfect 100 in 14 of its 18 inspections.

All scores were verified on the CDC’s website as of June 23, 2023.

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Cruise Ship Health Inspection Scores Haven’t Posted in Two Years. We Asked the CDC Why…

Without fanfare, an important piece of information regarding health inspections on cruise ships is no longer easily available to passengers. What’s odd is that this comes at a time when the health and safety of cruise ships is at the forefront of the public’s mind.

The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) may not be well-known, even among experienced cruise passengers. However, it’s an important piece of accountability in keeping the traveling public healthy.

The VSP can be thought of as the equivalent to local health department inspections at a restaurant. Through the program, which is operated by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), cruise ships undergo twice yearly unannounced health inspections from bow to stern.

A report is then issued with the inspection’s findings. However, the reports the program used to publish regularly on its website have not been updated for more than two years.

What the VSP Means for Cruise Ships and Passengers

During these vessel inspections, inspectors check everything from medical facilities to pools, children’s areas, ventilation and more. Here’s a full list of the eight different areas covered in a typical VSP inspection:

• Medical Facilities
• Potable Water Systems
• Swimming Pools & Spas
• Galleys and Dining Rooms
• Child Activity Centers
• Hotel Accommodations
• Ventilation Systems
• Common Areas

How thorough are the inspections? Each one can take multiple inspectors 8-10 hours to conduct. They also come at a high price. The largest ships have an inspection fee of nearly $18,000 according to the CDC.

After the inspection, the ship is given a score based on a 100-point scale. Anything that’s 86 or above is considered “satisfactory.” But a score of 85 or below is considered “not satisfactory” grade.

Given how much emphasis cruise lines place on sanitation, it’s relatively rare for a ship to score a failing mark, but it does happen from time to time. Most scores, however, are in the mid-90s and above, with a number of ships scoring perfect “100” marks.

No matter the score, a report on the inspection — complete with violations — is posted on the CDC’s website . Here, the public can search through all the ships inspected, find their scores, and read an inspection report about findings. 

Or the public used to be able to easily see the scores and inspection reports. Since cruises have returned to sailing, the CDC’s website still doesn’t show any new reports.

With cruises not sailing for an extended period, it made sense that these reports were not updated. However, ships returned to sailing in June 2021. As of today, the last reports shown in the CDC’s database are from March 2020 — more than two years ago:

Given that health is on many people’s minds, we contacted the CDC directly about the Vessel Sanitation Program, its current status, and if these inspections are still happening.

It turns out that due to the pandemic, the agency has changed some aspects of the inspection reporting.

CDC Still Inspecting for Health Issues on Cruise Ships

First things first, according to the CDC, the Vessel Sanitation Program inspections are still taking place.

However, due to the health agency’s work with cruise lines regarding Covid-19 protocols, the VSP is now falling under that umbrella.

“CDC’s vessel sanitation work on cruise ships is currently being conducted as part of the agency’s COVID-19 response,” a CDC spokesperson told Cruzely.

“CDC personnel are working closely with cruise ship operators to regularly conduct cruise ship inspections. Per CDC’s Operations Manual for CDC’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships Operating in U.S. Waters, cruise ship operators must continue to follow the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) 2018 Operations Manual.”

“CDC inspectors routinely evaluate whether cruise ships are implementing and maintaining public health standards in accordance with CDC’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships. They also evaluate adherence to environmental health and sanitation standards outlined in the VSP 2018 Operations Manual.”

In other words, sanitation protocols and oversight have not gone anywhere. 

What has changed, however, is the public’s access to the scores and contents of the inspection reports.

Reports Used to be Easily Accessible. Now They Require a Freedom of Information Act Request

If the CDC’s health inspections are still ongoing, then why have there been no updates to the listings where the public used to be able to easily access them?

The CDC told us that “reports from these inspections are provided to the cruise ship operator. The reports are publicly available through a Freedom of Information Act request. ” (emphasis added)

“Reports from these inspections are provided to the cruise ship operator. The reports are publicly available through a Freedom of Information Act request. “ -CDC Office of Communication

According to the health agency, “the latest reports will not be posted while vessel sanitation work on cruise ships is being conducted as part of the agency’s COVID-19 response.”

That means for now, the public can no longer easily see inspection scores or read the reports. Instead, anyone wanting access must go through the process of filing a Freedom of Information Act request, a process that’s much more complex and far less friendly to the public compared to having the information easily accessible online.

No Reason to Think Sanitation Is Lacking

To be sure, there’s little reason to doubt that the cruise lines and CDC aren’t doing all they can to ensure a safe and clean environment on the ship — especially given the scrutiny on cruising in light of the recent health crisis. After all, cruise ships must still follow the VSP manual to maintain public health standards.

In fact, the CDC continues to publish information about gastrointestinal outbreaks on cruise ships , as it has for years. Since cruises returned in 2021, there has only been one outbreak reported on the CDC’s website. In 2019, the last full year before cruise paused, there were ten such instances.

Even so, it seems puzzling that inspection reports are no longer easily available for the public to view. This also seems to go against the publication information laid out in the VSP Operations Manual :

According to the manual, the CDC’s reports are on the VSP website and will include “at a minimum” the name of the ship, the inspection date, and the score earned. Obviously that’s not currently the case given the pandemic, and there’s no clear timeline when it might be again.

For now at least, if you want to see the health reports for your upcoming cruise, then you can learn more about filing a Freedom of Information Act request with the CDC here .

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These Cruise Ships Have the Highest and Lowest Sanitation Scores in 2023

The CDC inspects ships twice a year to see how well they're maintaining standards

Which cruise ship is the cleanest? And which is more likely to leave you with gastrointestinal distress on your vacation itinerary?

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released the results of its Vessel Sanitation Program inspections, showing which ships are the most sanitary, and which have room for improvement.

With a record high of 13 norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships this year (the highest number since 2012), prospective cruisers may want to take a look at the results before booking.

The CDC's inspections cover eight areas on the ship, including medical facilities, dining rooms, pools and spas, and child activity centers. The twice-a-year inspections result in a score out of 100; 85 or below is considered failing.

 Celebrity Cruises

According to the CDC’s website, the following ships were all given a score of 100 in 2023.

Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International

Carnival Celebration, Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc.

Carnival Panorama, Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc.

Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc.

Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Summit, Celebrity Cruises

Disney Fantasy, Disney Cruise Lines

Disney Wonder, Disney Cruise Lines

MSC Seascape, MSC Cruise Management (UK) Ltd

Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Cruise Lines

Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Cruise Lines

Oceania Riviera, Oceania Cruises

Rotterdam, Holland America Line

Silver Moon, Silversea Cruises Ltd

While only one ship had a failing score, the MSC Seaside with a shocking 67 rating, the following ships were all given a score of 90 or below this year.

Noordam, Holland America Line: 90

Star Pride, Wind Star Cruises: 90

Le Boreal, Compagnie Du Ponant SA: 90

Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Cruise Lines: 89

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, Margaritaville at Sea: 87

Carnival Liberty, Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc.: 86

Carnival Pride, Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc.: 86

MSC Seaside, MSC Cruise Management (UK): 67

Even a sanitation score of 100 doesn’t mean ships are immune to illnesses. A recent norovirus outbreak occurred in May on Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Summit, which earned a perfect score.

And even sanitation on board isn't a guarantee of an illness-free voyage. The most recent outbreak occurred in June on the Viking Neptune , during which 13% of the 838 passengers fell ill. However a Viking representative told CNN the passengers are not believed to have contracted the virus aboard the ship, but rather at “a shoreside restaurant in Iceland where a group of guests dined during their free time.”

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The cleanest—and dirtiest—cruise ships have been announced

These ships have the lowest and highest sanitation scores, according to the CDC

When planning a cruising vacation, it’s become increasingly important to look into the cleanliness of both the cruise line and the ship before booking. With Covid-19 cases taking an upturn at the moment, and a record number of norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships this year, it’s imperative to take your health into your own hands as much as you are able.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released the results of its twice-yearly Vessel Sanitation Program inspections, which alert the public to what ships are the most (and least) sanitary. The inspections focus on eight distinct areas of each ship, including the dining rooms, pools and spas, child activity centers, and medical facilities. The ships are scored on a scale out of 100 and anything 85 or below is treated as a fail.

Luckily, only one ship failed the most recent inspection, but there were a few that just scraped by. MSC Seaside had a disturbingly low score of 67, while Carnival Liberty , Carnival Pride , and Margaritaville at Sea Paradise squeezed by with scores two scores of 86 and a score of 87, respectively.

The following ships, you can breathe easy (literally), all scored perfect marks on the latest inspection:

• Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas
• Carnival Celebration
• Carnival Panorama
• Carnival Sunshine
• Celebrity Edge
• Celebrity Millenium
• Celebrity Summit
• Disney Fantasy
• Disney Wonder
• MSC Seascape
• Norwegian Joy
• Norwegian Pearl
• Oceania Riviera
• Holland America Line Rotterdam
• Silversea Silver Moon

Other ships that still passed muster include Noordam (score of 90), Star Pride (score of 90), Le Boreal (score of 90), and Norweigan Epic (score of 89).

While even the cleanest of ships can still harbor germs, passengers can now rest assured that these ships have been vetted and cleared for launch.

• Amanda Mactas

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Cruise Ship Travel

CDC Respiratory Virus Guidance has been updated. The content of this page will be updated soon.

While cruising is a popular way to travel, there are some health concerns to be aware of. Find out more about health issues on cruises and steps you can take to stay safe and healthy during your trip.

If you are feeling sick before your voyage, do not travel and ask your cruise line about rescheduling or reimbursement options. If you feel sick during your voyage, report your symptoms to the ship’s medical center and follow their recommendations.

Common Health Concerns During Cruise Travel and what You Can Do to Prevent Illness

• Respiratory illnesses like influenza , COVID-19 , and the common cold. Get your annual flu shot and get up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines . Check directly with your cruise line about their COVID-19 testing or vaccination protocols before travel. If you have a weakened immune system , talk with your healthcare provider about your cruise travel plans. Wash your hands frequently or use hand sanitizer . When you cough or sneeze, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue to prevent spreading germs. Consider wearing a mask in crowded or poorly ventilated indoor areas.
• Norovirus. Symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, primarily caused by outbreaks of norovirus, have been reported. To prevent norovirus , wash your hands with soap and water before eating and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, or touching things that other people have touched, such as stair railings. Avoid touching your face. For more information, visit CDC’s  Vessel Sanitation Program  website.
• Seasickness. Cruise ship passengers may experience seasickness or motion sickness. If you know you get seasick or think you may be likely to get seasick, talk to your healthcare provider about medicine to reduce your symptoms. Some common medications, including some antidepressants, painkillers, and birth control pills, can make seasickness worse.
• Sunburns. Apply sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher when traveling. Protecting yourself from the sun isn’t just for tropical beaches—you can get a sunburn even if it’s cloudy or cold.
• Bug bites. On your trip, use insect repellent and take other steps to avoid bug bites. Bugs, including mosquitoes and ticks, can spread diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and Lyme. Many ships visit ports where these diseases are a concern.

Before Your Trip

Check CDC’s destination pages for travel health information . Check CDC’s webpage for your destination to see what vaccines or medicines you may need and what diseases or health risks are a concern at your destination.

Make sure you are up to date with all of your routine vaccines . Routine vaccinations protect you from infectious diseases  that can spread quickly in groups of people. Outbreaks of chickenpox, influenza, and COVID-19 have been reported on cruise ships.

Many diseases prevented by routine vaccination are not common in the United States but are still common in other countries. Crew members and fellow travelers often board a cruise ship from destinations where some diseases are more common than in the United States or where vaccination is not routine.

Make an appointment with your healthcare provider or a travel health specialist  that takes place at least one month before you leave. They can help you get destination-specific vaccines, medicines, and information. Discussing your health concerns, itinerary, and planned activities with your provider allows them to give more specific advice and recommendations.

Plan for the Unexpected

Prepare for any unexpected issues during your cruise ship travels with the following steps:

Prepare a  travel health kit  with items you may need, especially those items that may be difficult to find at your destination. Include your prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines in your travel health kit and take enough to last your entire trip, plus extra in case of travel delays. Depending on your destination you may also want to pack a mask ,  insect repellent , sunscreen (SPF15 or higher), aloe, alcohol-based hand sanitizer, water disinfection tablets, and your health insurance card.

Get travel insurance.  Find out if your health insurance covers medical care abroad. Travelers are usually responsible for paying hospital and other medical expenses out of pocket at most destinations. Make sure you have a plan to  get care overseas , in case you need it. Consider buying  additional insurance  that covers health care and emergency evacuation, especially if you will be traveling to remote areas.

If you need medical care abroad, see Getting Health Care During Travel .

After Travel

If you traveled and feel sick, particularly if you have a fever, talk to a healthcare provider and tell them about your travel. Avoid contact with other people while you are sick.

More Information

• Cruise Ship Travel in CDC Yellow Book
• Information for Cruise Ship Travelers
• Maritime Guidance

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MSC cruise ship fails health inspection with the lowest score in years after CDC finds a door handle covered in hamburger blood and yogurt containers with 'black filth residue'

• The cruise ship MSC Seaside failed its CDC's sanitation inspection on April 27, records show.
• The vessel received a 67 out of 100 — the lowest score a cruise ship has received in five years. 
• The inspector reported a "crew member's hands and refrigerator door handle covered in hamburger blood."

The cruise ship MSC Seaside failed the CDC's vessel sanitation inspection at the end of April with an unusually low score. 

The vessel received 67 out of 100 points , nearly twenty points below the agency's passing grade. In the past 10 years, only three other cruise ships have received sanitation scores below 70, CDC records show. 

Since 2004, MSC Cruises have received an average sanitation score of 94.5. The MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seascape scored 98 and 100 points, respectively, during their recent February inspections. 

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Many of the inspector's concerns were related to food storage and preparation, including flies located in the bar, buffet, and garbage areas; a "black filth residue" coating four unopened containers of yogurt; dried food residue on dishes being used to serve hamburgers; "a shriveled piece of sausage and an old piece of pineapple" behind an oven; and chopped lettuce, sliced melon, and raw chicken stored at hazardous temperatures.

One of the more disturbing violations described in the report involved a crew member who was cooking raw hamburgers at a buffet station. 

The employee walked through the kitchen with a trolley cart containing "left over hamburger paper wrappings and a layer of pooled hamburger blood" and went to the cold storage room to get more meat. The inspector then "intervened and observed the crew members hands and refrigerator door handle covered in hamburger blood," the report says.

An MSC Cruises spokesperson told Insider the cruise line has launched an internal investigation based on the inspector's concerns and took immediate corrective actions. 

"MSC Cruises rigorously adheres to health protocols, and the results of this inspection do not reflect the brand's high standards," the spokesperson added. 

Beyond food, the inspection also found several medical violations, according to the CDC. Five handwashing stations did not have soap (two of which were located in the medical ward) and the medical center did not document or follow-up on public vomit and diarrhea incidents recorded by housekeeping. 

Additionally, medical staff misinterpreted the procedure for reporting acute gastroenteritis and only reported cases if passengers or crew experienced three episodes of diarrhea or vomit and an additional symptom. 

However, the inspector "explained that even one diarrhea episode that is above normal to that individual can make them a reportable case" per the vessel sanitation program's operations manual.

Do you work on a cruise ship? Email this reporter at [email protected]

Watch: The rise and fall of the cruise industry

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Don't be surprised if you get left behind when you're late back, says TikToker on the cruise that left 8 passengers stranded

Eight passengers were left stranded on São Tomé and Príncipe after missing a cruise ship's boarding deadline.

The passengers took six days to rejoin the Norwegian Dawn cruise.

A fellow passenger emphasized the importance of adhering to boarding times.

A fellow passenger on the cruise that left eight people stranded on an African island says it's a good example of why you should be on time.

After missing the boarding deadline, the eight people were stuck in São Tomé and Príncipe, an island nation of some 220,000 people off West Africa.

It took them six days to get back on the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship , as they missed a chance to re-embark in Gambia before finally getting on board in Senegal.

In a Wednesday TikTok video, Gracie O'Connor, who said she is a fellow passenger on the ship — though BI could not i ndependently verify this — gave her thoughts on the incident.

O'Connor explained that São Tomé was the cruise's only tender port. That means the vessel is too large for passengers to step off onto the dock, so small tender boats are needed to reach land.

"You know, if you have to get on one of those lifeboats to get back on the ship, you better be there before the last tender," O'Connor said, adding that this was at 3 p.m.

"If you've ever cruised before, if you've ever gone to ports, you know you don't really want to be on that last tender out, so you should've already prepped to be there way before that 3 p.m.," she added. "At least by 30 minutes or an hour."

O'Connor has been posting TikTok videos of her time on board the cruise over the last two weeks for her 82,000 TikTok followers.

She explained that cruise lines will hold the ship for passengers on an excursion organized by the company. But because the stranded eight went on a trip with an external firm, they should've made better plans to return.

O'Connor said she made it back to ship two hours before the time of the last tender boat, while the stranded group "didn't make it any time close to the last tender," she said.

The group must have been "seriously late" because the ship had time to send out another boat to drop off their passports, she added.

Jill Campbell, one of the stranded passengers, told NBC News she believed Norwegian Cruise Line had fallen short in a '"basic duty of care." But O'Connor thinks the cruise line doesn't deserve all the criticism.

The cruise operator previously faced criticism for removing Antarctica from a ship's itinerary after everyone had boarded. But the recent stranding is not as unique as that situation, since passengers are forewarned about the boarding deadlines.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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Cruise ship carrying 1,500 passengers stuck in port due to passengers’ visa problems

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A cruise ship reportedly carrying 1,500 passengers was stuck Wednesday in the Spanish northeastern port of Barcelona due to the visa problems of a group of Bolivian passengers who were due to disembark there, officials said.

Authorities say 69 Bolivians were not being allowed to leave the ship because they lacked valid documents to enter the European border-free Schengen area. Solange Duarte, a Bolivian diplomat in Barcelona, told The Associated Press she received reports some of the stranded Bolivians had been duped into obtaining fake visas but had no further information.

“We have asked the families to indicate who has processed this visa and we have not gotten answers,” she said, adding she heard it was possible the Bolivians would be transferred to a different ship.

Spain’s national police was looking into the possibility of a fake visa scam, Duarte said.

Spanish state news agency Efe and other media said some 1,500 passengers were on board the MSC Armony hoping to continue the cruise to Croatia.

Bolivia’s deputy foreign affairs minister, Fernando Pérez, said the country was waiting “to see what the Spanish authorities decide what to do.”

A statement from the Bolivian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said the Bolivian Embassy in Spain and the country’s Consulate General in Barcelona “are carrying out the pertinent steps to address this case,” coordinating with Spanish authorities, as well as with the MSC Cruises Company.

MSC Cruises said in a statement the Bolivians included families and children.

It said the “passengers appeared to have proper documentation upon boarding in Brazil. We have been informed by the authorities that the visas are not valid for entry into the Schengen area. As a result, passengers have not been able to disembark in Barcelona, which was their final destination.”

The company said the ship remained in port while it works with authorities to facilitate the process.

The Schengen area is an ID-check-free travel zone comprising 29 European countries, most from the European Union.

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Bird flu pandemic could be ‘100 times worse’ than covid, scientists warn.

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A bird flu pandemic with the potential to be “100 times worse than COVID” may be on the horizon after a rare human case was discovered in Texas, experts have warned.

The H5N1 avian flu has spread rapidly since a new strain was detected in 2020, affecting wild birds in every state, as well as in commercial poultry and backyard flocks.

But it has now even been detected in mammals, with cattle herds across four states becoming infected, and on Monday federal health officials announced that a dairy worker in Texas caught the virus.

“This virus [has been] on the top of the pandemic list for many, many years and probably decades,” Dr. Suresh Kuchipudi, a bird flu researcher from Pittsburgh, said at a recent panel discussing the issue, according to the Daily Mail.

“And now we’re getting dangerously close to this virus potentially causing a pandemic.”

He noted that the H5N1 virus has already been detected in species throughout the world and “has shown the ability to infect a range of mammalian hosts , including humans.”

“So therefore, in my view, I think this is a virus that has the greatest pandemic threat [that is] playing out in plain sight and globally present,” Kuchipudi said.

John Fulton, a pharmaceutical industry consultant for vaccines and the founder of Canada-based BioNiagara who organized the meeting, also expressed his concerns, the Mail reports.

“This appears to be 100 times worse than COVID — or it could be if it mutates and maintains its high case fatality rate,” he said.

“Once it’s mutated to infect humans, we can only hope that the [fatality rate] drops.”

Around 52% of humans who have contracted H5N1 since 2003 have died, according to the World Health Organization.

For comparison, COVID currently kills less than 0.1% of those it infects — though at the start of the pandemic, the fatality rate was around 20%.

Symptoms of the bird flu are similar to those of other flus, including cough, body aches, and fever.

Some people may not develop noticeable symptoms, but others can develop severe, life-threatening pneumonia.

The dairy worker in Texas who was infected has reported “eye redness (consistent with conjunctivitis)” as their only symptom, the Centers for Disease Control noted.

“The patient was told to isolate and is being treated with an antiviral drug for [the] flu,” the CDC said.

The agency and “the whole  U.S. government is taking this situation very seriously,” CDC Director Mandy Cohen told the Washington Post.

She maintained that the virus does not pose much of a risk to the general public, noting that the dairy worker was in direct contact with infected cattle, and the US Department of Agriculture has said there are currently no changes that would make it more transmissible to humans. 

“While cases among humans in direct contact with infected animals are possible, this indicates that the current risk to the public remains low,” the department said in a statement over the weekend.

But the fact that the virus has now been found in cattle could mean that it is starting to mutate, Cohen told the Washington Post.

“We had not seen avian flu in cattle prior to last week. That is new,” she said. “It is a reservoir for [the] virus to circulate and potentially change.

If the virus does mutate enough to infect humans it could spread rapidly, the European Food Safety Authority warned on Wednesday, according to Fox News.

“If avian A [H5N1] influenza viruses acquire the ability to spread efficiently among humans, large-scale transmission could occur due to the lack of immune defenses against H5 viruses in humans,” the Food Safety Authority said.

To prevent any potential spread, the US is already testing components used to create a vaccine for the virus, and two candidate vaccine viruses appear to be well-matched to protect against H5N1, the Washington Post reports.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also said the Biden administration is monitoring the threat.

“We take the health and safety of the American people seriously,” she said at her briefing on Wednesday. “It is very important to this president.

“Our top priority is to keep communities healthy, safe and informed.”

With Post wires

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The CDC inspects and scores cruise ships — here’s what those scores mean

Editor's Note

On a cruise ship, you share common areas with a couple of hundred, or thousand, of your closest friends. It's important to know these spaces are clean and safe for every passenger.

Luckily, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the Vessel Sanitation Program to ensure cleanliness and sanitation on cruise ships . This program educates, tracks and responds to outbreaks on ships across the industry, with the main focus on gastrointestinal illnesses.

Below is an overview of what the VSP does to protect you and your loved ones from a crippling sickness that could keep you locked in your stateroom during what should be a beautiful and relaxing getaway .

Want to learn more about cruise lines, itineraries and deals? Sign up for the biweekly TPG Cruise newsletter .

What is the Vessel Sanitation Program?

The main goal of the Vessel Sanitation Program is to help the cruise industry prevent and control the introduction, transmission and spread of gastrointestinal illnesses, such as norovirus. The program operates within the CDC and is under the authority of the Public Health Service Act.

The cruise ships under VSP jurisdiction are those that have a foreign itinerary with U.S. ports and carry 13 or more passengers. The ships are given a score, with a maximum of 100. Eighty-five and below is considered a failing score.

VSP's purpose is to train cruise ship employees on public health practices. It also provides health education and reliable and current public health information to a larger audience, including the cruise ship industry, the traveling public, public health professionals, state and local health authorities and the media, according to the CDC's website .

Related reading: 15 ways that cruising newbies waste money on their first cruise

The inspection categories

Source: CDC

How often are cruise ships evaluated?

The inspections are periodical and unannounced, with the goal of inspecting operational sanitation. Under the program, cruise ships are inspected two times a year.

The CDC notes that "If a ship sails outside of the United States for an extended period, it may not be inspected twice a year, but it will be inspected again when it returns to the United States."

So rest assured, the ships will be checked if they are under the VSP's jurisdiction.

Related reading: Trip wrecked: 7 ways to prepare for any kind of travel disaster

Who got the best scores?

In the past two years, here are the cruise ships that received the maximum score of 100 and their date of inspection:

• Aurora , P&O Cruises, 09/24/2018
• Carnival Valor , Carnival Cruise Line, 02/24/2020
• Celebrity Reflection , Celebrity Cruises, 12/09/2019
• Disney Dream , Disney Cruise Line, 11/29/2019
• Disney Wonder , Disney Cruise Line, 10/20/2019
• Nieuw Amsterdam , Holland America Line, 06/17/2019
• Norwegian Sky , Norwegian Cruise Line, 12/02/2019
• Rhapsody of the Seas , Royal Caribbean International, 02/09/2019
• Ruby Princess , Princess Cruises, 08/31/2019
• Sea Princess , Princess Cruises, 08/19/2018
• Seabourn Quest , Seabourn, 11/04/2018
• Viking Sea , Viking, 10/23/2019
• Viking Sky , Viking, 02/21/2020
• Viking Star , Viking, 10/15/2018

Related reading: Which cruise brand is best for you? A guide to the most popular lines

Worst cruise ship scores

Here are the bottom nine cruise ship scores from the past two years. Remember that 85 and below is a failing grade. Click on the accompanying link to see a breakdown of each score:

• World Odyssey , CMI Ship Mgmt, 01/03/2019, score: 89
• MS Grand Classica , Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, 10/26/2019, score: 88
• Oceania Sirena , Oceania Cruises, 01/20/2019, score: 88
• Seven Seas Mariner , Regent Seven Seas Cruises, 02/01/2020, score: 88
• Victory I , Victory I Partners, Ltd., c/o Cruise Mgmt Intl Inc, 07/31/2019, score: 88
• Kydon , Ferries Del Caribe, 06/10/2019, score: 87
• Queen Victoria , Cunard Line, 01/21/2019, score: 87
• National Geographic Sea Lion , Lindblad Expeditions, 07/06/2019, score: 86
• Norwegian Epic , Norwegian Cruise Line, 02/06/2020, score: 86

Bottom line

Nobody wants to spend the majority of their vacation doubled over in their room, while everyone else experiences once-in-a-lifetime excursions. Not only is it a waste of time and money, but it could be dangerous for your health.

Check out recent VSP scores for a cruise ship you plan to board. These scores allow you to cruise in peace, so you can take the trip of your dreams without the fear of being wracked with an illness.

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9-1-1 boss breaks down the deadly cruise ship disaster finale — and what didn't make the final cut

The ABC first-responder drama's co-creator and showrunner, Tim Minear, also teases what's to come in season 7.

After three hours of pirates, explosions, and lots of water , 9-1-1 fans finally know who survived the epic, three-part season 7 premiere .

"It all happened really fast," co-creator and showrunner Tim Minear tells Entertainment Weekly of completing the cruise ship disaster episodes. "It was very difficult, and you always have that moment where you're just like, 'Am I going to be able to pull this off?'"

It may have felt quick, but getting Bobby ( Peter Krause ) and Athena ( Angela Bassett ) out of that sinking vessel actually took months of filming... and none of it on an actual cruise ship. As the series moves forward on dry land (though on one very wet driveway, with the Bachelor crossover coming next week ), we asked Minear to break down the deadly three-epsiode event, reveal what ideas never made it to air, and tease what's to come in the rest of season 7.

Chris Willard/Disney

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This was a big undertaking...

TIM MINEAR: Shooting Bobby and Athena on a honeymoon cruise was more challenging than many things I've done on this show in the last seven seasons. We never got an actual cruise ship, so we had to shoot in hotels and on different types of vessels, and then [use] special effects and CGI. But just the idea of that surprised me. I thought that would be easy: You'd rent a cruise ship, you'd shoot on it for three days, you'd get a lot of stuff on the decks. But it just didn't turn out that way. It was very difficult to get a cruise ship. No cruise line wanted to be associated with a capsized ship, which I guess I can understand.

Well it all made for a very dramatic three episodes. So many massive sets, so much rising water.

The water's not actually rising, the set is sinking! The set was built on a gimbal inside a water tank. We would slowly lower the set into the tank, and it gives the effect that the water's rising around them. And the casino set.... The lowering of the table with Norman [played by Daniel Roebuck] on it, that was complicated to write, and it was very complicated to shoot. But that's Peter up there. Peter is climbing across those ropes up there — that delighted me.

The other thing that absolutely delighted me was that Angela Bassett was game for anything. She went into that water. When the bomb goes off in episode 2, and she goes flying against that wall, she actually did it! There's a stunt woman in there too, but Angela, she was game for anything.

Was there anything you wanted to do with this disaster that you weren't able to?

There was one scene that I did have to cut, that I was sad to cut. It was when Wes [played by Denzel Johnson] opens the door and that fireball comes out. Originally in the script, they still continued in that direction, and when they looked into that room, it was an upside down restaurant and the water was on fire. And so it's like, "How do we get to the other side of the restaurant and stop the gas that is feeding this fire?" And in the scene, in the script, Lola [played by Romy Rosemont] actually dives under the fire and swims under the water to turn it off. It was very Shelley Winters [in The Poseidon Adventure .]

Time and money just prohibited that from happening, so I made a little bit more of Wes' death. And then did give Lola an opportunity to retrieve the flare gun later in the episode, so she still got to go underwater. But that was a moment that I was sad to lose. And I know Romy was too, but she still got a little bit of action there at the end.

So now that Bobby and Athena are rescued, what can you tease about the rest of the season?

I just finished locking episode 4 and I was like, "Hmm, there's no natural disasters. Things aren't blowing up all over the place." But there is the Bachelor crossover, so we have that to look forward to. And now we get to spend a little time breathing with the 118 and dig into their personal stories a little bit more. Yeah, I don't know how much I should spoil.... Definitely a beloved character will be returning in episode 4, I can put it that way....

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

9-1-1 airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Sign up for  Entertainment Weekly 's free daily newsletter   to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Why  9-1-1  boss 'wasn't really interested' in Buck dating death doula Natalia — and what's to come in season 7
• 9-1-1 's Oliver Stark and Ryan Guzman on Buck and Eddie's 'open, sensitive, and vulnerable' season 7 dynamic
• Inside the epic  9-1-1  season 7 premiere: The shipwreck, the romances, the drama

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March 27, 2024 - Baltimore Key Bridge collapse

By Kathleen Magramo , Antoinette Radford, Alisha Ebrahimji , Maureen Chowdhury , Elise Hammond , Tori B. Powell and Aditi Sangal , CNN

Our live coverage of the Baltimore bridge collapse has moved here .

Here's what you should know about the Key Bridge collapse

From CNN staff

Officials recovered the bodies of two construction workers who were on Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge when it collapsed early Tuesday morning after a 984-foot-long cargo ship collided into a pillar.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore called the collapse Wednesday " a global crisis ."

"The national economy and the world's economy depends on the Port of Baltimore. The port handles more cars and more farm equipment than any other port in the country," Moore said.

Here's what you should know:

• The victims: The six people who are presumed dead were from Mexico Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, according to Col. Roland L. Butler Jr, the superintendent of Maryland State Police. Two bodies were recovered and have been identified as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes from Mexico and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera from Guatemala. The two workers were filling potholes on the bridge and were later found trapped in a red pickup truck in about 25 feet of water, Butler said. The FBI is handling notifying the victims' families, Butler said.
• Recovery efforts: Authorities are pausing search efforts for the four other workers who are presumed dead, because additional vehicles are encased in concrete and other debris, making it unsafe for divers, Butler said. Once salvage operations clear the debris, divers will search for more remains, he said.
• The investigation: The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the fatal incident, according to the agency's chair Jennifer Homendy. During a Wednesday news conference, Homendy said there were 21 crew members and two pilots on board the Dali cargo ship when it crashed into the bridge. She also said a senior NTSB hazmat investigator identified 56 containers of hazardous material, and that some containers are in the water. The agency received six hours of voyage data from the ship and the investigation could take 12 to 24 months to complete, Homendy said. She emphasized that NTSB will not analyze information collected or provide conclusions while on scene of the collapse.
• Looking forward: Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said rebuilding the bridge will not be "quick or easy" but that it will get done. He said there are four main focus points ahead: reopening the port, dealing with supply chain issues until its reopening, rebuilding the bridge and dealing with traffic issues until the bridge is rebuilt. Biden  pledged the full support  of the federal government in the response and recovery efforts. His administration has already conveyed a sense of urgency to open up federal funding to remove debris and ultimately rebuild the bridge. Maryland has submitted a request to the Biden administration for emergency relief funds "to assist in our work going forward," Moore said Wednesday.

It's almost impossible to place people on the bow of ship due to the unstable structure, fire official says

 From CNN's Sarah Engel

Baltimore City Fire Chief James Wallace said Wednesday that the cargo ship's bridge structure and containers at the bow remain unstable.

"It's going to be very difficult, if not impossible, and very dangerous, to place people on the bow of that boat right now," Wallace told CNN's Kaitlan Collins.

"Naturally, we're still very cognizant of the fact that there are hazardous materials on board the vessel itself," Wallace said, alluding to the National Transportation Safety Board saying earlier that 56 containers were carrying hazardous materials.

Wallace said his team is relying heavily on aerial recognizance, including drones. "That's the only way we're able to see in," he said.  

He added that the aerial surveillance has "been able to really assure us right now we have no [chemical] reactions on board." 

"It's just utter devastation," NTSB chief says of the bridge collapse site

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, called the site of the Key Bridge collapse "devastating."

"It's pretty devastating, certainly, seeing not just what's going on with the cargo containers, but just looking at what was a bridge span — three bridge spans that is pretty much gone. It's just utter devastation," she said at Wednesday evening's news briefing.

She added that she is thinking of families who lost loved ones and those who are waiting to reunite with their lived ones.

NTSB interviewed the Dali's captain and some other crew members today, agency chief says

The National Transportation Safety Board has interviewed the ship's captain, his mate, the chief engineer and one other engineer today, according to Chair Jennifer Homendy.

The two pilots on board the Dali at the time of collision will be interviewed tomorrow, she added.

Cargo ship's voyage data recorder is basic when compared to an airplane's, NTSB chair says

From CNN's Tori B. Powell

The voyage data recorder on the cargo ship Dali was a "newer model" but is considered basic when compared to that on an airplane, according to National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy.

"But it is very basic compared to say, a flight data recorder, where we would have 1,000 parameters," she said at a news conference on Wednesday.

The NTSB chief investigator Marcel Muise added:

"It's not a ship-wide system recorder, so most of the sensors that are being recorded are from the bridge. So things like GPS, the audio, rudder feedback, rudder commands are recorded on there. But not engineering, the temperature of each cylinder, power distribution sensors."

There were no tug boats with Dali at the time of the collision. That's normal, NTSB chief says

There were no tugs with Dali when the cargo vessel collided with Baltimore's Key Bridge, which is normal protocol, according to National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy.

Remember: At 01:26:39 on Tuesday, Dali's pilot made a general very high frequency (VHF) radio call for tugs in the vicinity to assist, the NTSB investigator Marcel Muise had said.

"The tugs help the vessel leave the dock, leave the port and get into the main ship channel. And then they leave. Once it's on its way, it's a straight shot through the channel. So there are no tugs with the vessel at the time. So they were calling for tugs," she said.

NTSB chair says she saw some containers that were carrying hazardous materials in the water

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said she did see some of the 56 containers that were carrying hazardous materials in the water.

When asked how many

When asked how many containers of hazardous materials were in the water, Homendy said:

"I did see some containers in the water, and some breached significantly on the vessel itself," she said. "I don't have an exact number, but it's something that we can provide in an update."

Homendy said that a preliminary report should be out in two to four weeks.

This post has been updated with more quotes from Homendy.

Bridge did not have any redundancy, unlike the preferred method for building bridges today, NTSB chair says

Baltimore's Key Bridge did not have any redundancy, which is included in the preferred method of building bridges in the present day, according to National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy.

"The bridge is a fracture critical," she explained. "What that means is if a member fails that would likely cause a portion of, or the entire bridge, to collapse, there's no redundancy. The preferred method for building bridges today is that there is redundancy built in, whether that's transmitting loads to another member or some sort of structural redundancy. This bridge did not have redundancy," Homendy said.

There are 17,468 fracture critical bridges in the United States out of 615,000 bridges total, she said, citing the Federal Highway Administration.

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