The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the national public health agency of the United States, has released a troubling list of the top 10 dirtiest cruise ships of 2024, based on health inspections carried out on 114 vessels.

The results showed unhygienic conditions with sludge, maggots, and other health risks. It was discovered that these ships, which were intended to provide tourists with a relaxing escape, had severe hygiene problems that can cause disease outbreaks.

When making a cruise reservation, the CDC advises guests to review the health inspection record of the ship. In order to protect travellers’ safety and wellbeing and avoid any unpleasant shocks while on vacation, these inspections are crucial.

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The findings of the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program, which rates cruise ships on a scale of 0 to 100 for cleanliness in an effort to prevent gastrointestinal illnesses, were released. Of these, 10 ships scored worse than 89. A score of 85 or lower is considered “not satisfactory,” according to the organisation.

According to the CDC, travelling on cruise ships exposes people to new environments and high volumes of people, including other ravelers. This exposure can create the risk for illness from contaminated food or water or, more commonly, through person-to-person contact. The agency helps the cruise ship industry prevent and control gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses on cruise ships.

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a health advisory concerning a significant rise in cases of parvovirus B19, commonly known as the Fifth Disease or “slapped cheek” illness due to the characteristic reddening of the cheeks it causes. This illness can be especially hazardous for pregnant women, according to the agency.

The CDC examined individuals with IgM antibodies, which indicate a recent infection, and found that the greatest increase occurred among children aged 5-9, with cases rising from “15% during 2022-2024 to 40% in June 2024.” Across all age groups, the prevalence of these antibodies increased from 3% during 2022-2024 to 10% in June 2024, the People reported.

The CDC states that parvovirus B19 is “highly transmissible in respiratory droplets.” Symptoms such as fever and malaise typically develop about a week after exposure. During the second week, the distinctive facial rash appears, often accompanied by body pain.

While most people only need supportive care, pregnant women face a risk of “adverse fetal outcomes,” including fetal anaemia, non-immune hydrops (which can strain the heart), or fetal loss. The risk is greatest if a pregnant woman contracts parvovirus between weeks 9 and 20 of pregnancy.

One case highlighted by NBC News involves Abby Parks, a teacher from Springfield, Illinois, who contracted parvovirus B19 at 18 weeks pregnant, resulting in fetal anaemia. She was hospitalized and received blood transfusions, which she believes were “lifesaving” for her fetus. “If that anaemia had persisted, with that low blood count, the baby could have died,” Parks said.

The CDC has received reports from clinicians observing “more than the expected number” of pregnant individuals with parvovirus B19, including cases of severe fetal anaemia requiring transfusions or resulting in pregnancy loss.

The agency advises that pregnant individuals seek medical care if exposed to parvovirus B19. However, the patient is no longer contagious once the characteristic facial rash appears.

Now at 30 weeks, Parks says she and her fetus are under close monitoring, describing the illness as “truly the most difficult experience to go through.” She adds, “He wasn’t guaranteed to come through the fetal anaemia.”

A health alert has been issued in the state of Arizona, in the United States, after a rodent-borne hantavirus killed four people. The virus spreads to humans through droplets from the urine, saliva, or faeces of the rats.

From January to July, the Arizona Department of Health Services documented seven instances of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, a serious and occasionally lethal respiratory disease.

Two cases related to this deadly virus have also been found in California. The virus, primarily carried by deer mice in the Grand Canyon State, causes symptoms such as fever, headache, and muscle pain, which can rapidly progress to difficulty breathing. While hantavirus is not spread from person to person, it can occur in various regions and is not limited to a specific area.

According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hantaviruses are a family of viruses spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied disease syndromes in people worldwide. This can cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), the CDC website says.

Symptoms:

Hantavirus symptoms start with fatigue, fever, muscle aches, headaches, chills, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Late symptoms include coughing and shortness of breath, with a 38% mortality rate for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) symptoms appear 1-8 weeks post-exposure, causing headaches, pain, fever, chills, nausea, and blurred vision. Severe cases may lead to low blood pressure, shock, vascular leakage, and kidney failure. Recovery can take weeks or months.

Treatment:

The CDC says there is no specific treatment, cure, or vaccine for hantavirus infection. However, if the infected are recognised early on and are provided medical care in an intensive care unit, they may do better. In intensive care, patients are intubated and given oxygen therapy to help them through the period of severe respiratory distress.

Prevention:

According to the Centres for Disease Control, rodent control is the primary necessity to prevent hantavirus infections. Contact with rodent urine, droppings, saliva, and nesting materials should be avoided when cleaning rodent-infested areas.