• The CDC randomly inspects and scores cruise ships to prevent the spread of stomach viruses.
• The average score of vessels in 2024 is 95.9 out of 100 — 85 or less is considered failing.
• The nine dirtiest ships scored between 86 to 89. Two others failed but passed in later reviews.

A "B" is considered a passing grade on most exams.

For cruise ships, scoring an 85 out of 100 on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program review is considered a failure.

In 2024, the CDC reported 13 bacterial and viral outbreaks on ships. Most incidents were of norovirus, a highly contagious bug that quickly spreads through tainted food, water, surfaces, or people.

Best not to be a victim. Its main symptoms — vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and stomach pain — can quickly ruin a vacation.

To mitigate these outbreaks, the CDC conducts random and unannounced sanitary inspections on cruise ships. The public health agency then scores the vessel from zero to 100, with outcomes of 85 or lower considered inadequate.

The review includes checking common spaces like pools and children's activity centers. Obvious issues like vermin and improperly stored food will cost points. As will subtler problems, such as buffet handwashing stations with lights less than 110 lux and produce stickers left where cleaned cooking equipment is stored.

The CDC has performed 151 inspections in 2024, including repeat inspections on 23 ships. The average score is about 95.9. 27 vessels achieved perfect marks, while two failed but later passed in later reviews.

Nine vessels didn't break into the 90s range, including Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection's ultra-luxury Evrima:

1. Hanseatic Inspiration — Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, scored 89 (inspected October 28, previously received a 62 on September 29)
2. Carnival Elation — Carnival Cruise Line, scored 89 (inspected March 14)
3. Adventure of the Seas — Royal Caribbean International, scored 89 (inspected January 23)
4. National Geographic Sea Bird — Lindblad Expeditions, scored 88 (inspected July 25)
5. Carnival Miracle — Carnival Cruise Line, scored 88 (inspected April 21)
6. MSC Magnifica — MSC Cruises, scored 86 (inspected May 17)
7. Evrima — Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, scored 86 (inspected February 9)
8. Carnival Breeze — Carnival Cruise Line, scored 86 (inspected March 21)
9. Caribbean Princess — Princess Cruises, scored 86 (inspected March 20)

Crystal Serenity received an 89 on February 2 but was bumped to a 90 seven months later. Similarly, Margaritaville at Sea Paradise received a failing score of 83 on May 1 but passed a subsequent inspection with a 92 on July 2.

What the cruise lines have said

A spokesperson for Hapag-Lloyd told Business Insider that Hanseatic Inspiration's initial lower score was a "very unfortunate incident" that didn't reflect the company's operational standards. "We have been consistently meeting strict hygiene requirements worldwide for many years with exemplary results," they said.

Following the inspection, the cruise line addressed the ship's "operational aspects" to meet its quality standards, as showcased in the vessel's follow-up passing score in October.

The spokesperson said lingering issues are "being addressed and will be completed in a timely manner," and the company will continue to improve its "quality management processes" particularly with regard to the requirements of the CDC."

Similarly, a spokesperson for MSC Cruises told BI in October it had implemented an "improvement plan" on MSC Magnifica according to the CDC inspector's suggestions. Many of the changes were immediate and only needed "minor" efforts, it said. The cruise line said that it believes Magnifica's score "is not a true reflection of the ship as it is today" and would "welcome any future inspection."

MSC noted that many of its ships frequently achieve above 90, including the MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seashore, which both received perfect marks in 2024.

Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Lindblad Expeditions, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, and Princess Cruises didn't respond to a request for comment.

The Louisiana resident infected with H5N1 bird flu is hospitalized in critical condition and suffering from severe respiratory symptoms, the Louisiana health department revealed Wednesday.

The health department had reported the presumptive positive case on Friday and noted the person was hospitalized, as Ars reported. But a spokesperson had, at the time, declined to provide Ars with the patient's condition or further details, citing patient confidentiality and an ongoing public health investigation.

This morning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it had confirmed the state's H5N1 testing and determined that the case "marks the first instance of severe illness linked to the virus in the United States."

Read full article

Comments

There's nothing quite like a deep dive into the shallow, vomitous puddles of children's splash pads. Even toeing the edge is enough to have one longing for the unsettling warmth of a kiddie pool. But the brave souls at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have done it, wading into 25 years' worth of records on gastrointestinal outbreaks linked to the wellsprings of fecal pathogens. And they unsurprisingly found enough retch-inducing results to make any modern-day John Snows want to start removing some water handles.

Between 1997 and 2022, splash pads across the country were linked to at least 60 outbreaks, with the largest sickening over 2,000 water frolickers in one go. In all, the outbreaks led to at least 10,611 illnesses, 152 hospitalizations, and 99 emergency department visits. People, mostly children, were sickened with pathogens including Cryptosporidium, Camplyobacter jejuni, Giardia duodenalis, Salmonella, Shigella, and norovirus, according to the analysis, published Tuesday in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The tallies of outbreaks and illnesses are likely undercounts, given reporting delays and missed connections.

Though previous outbreak-based studies have provided bursts of data, the new analysis is the first to provide a comprehensive catalog of all the documented outbreaks since splash pads erupted in the 1990s. Together, they provide a clear, stomach-churning explanation of how the outbreaks keep happening. Basically, small children go into the watery playgrounds while they're sick and spread their germs.

Read full article

Comments

College football fans called the final week of the 2024 regular season "hate week" because of the number of rivalry games that were scheduled across the nation on Friday and Saturday.

Nobody could have expected the handful of fights that broke out between teams because of their rivals planting a flag in the middle of their field. It started with the end of the Michigan-Ohio State game, it continued with the North Carolina-North Carolina State game and ended with Florida-Florida State. Even Arizona State got in on the action as a Sun Devils player planted a pitchfork in the middle of the Wildcats’ field.

Tensions running high was a bit of an understatement.

There were plenty of winners and losers through the weekend. Let’s take a look at who has earned those titles.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

South Carolina: The Gamecocks keep rolling thanks to a win over Clemson late in the fourth quarter. This team is playing its best right now, and the win over the Tigers keeps them in the conversation for a potential playoff berth. Even though it will be tough for them to sneak in during the final rankings, Shane Beamer has put his team in position for one more round of chaos next weekend. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers has been a dynamic force during this winning streak, and his future is bright. Big win over Dabo Swinney. 

Syracuse: Talk about causing chaos in the ACC. That's exactly what Syracuse did on Saturday with its win over Miami. The Hurricanes were cruising to the conference title game but will be sitting at home next week after losing on Saturday, giving Clemson the spot against SMU. Head coach Fran Brown did buddy Dabo Swinney a favor against Miami, and the 'Cuse finished the regular season with a monster win. You didn’t think we'd get through the weekend without some type of madness, right? 

Penn State: Penn State needed some help to get into the Big 10 title game, and they got it when Michigan beat Ohio State. But the Nittany Lions also took care of their own business with a dominant win over Maryland, and they could now end up being a big favorite in the championship game.

Texas: Year 1 in the SEC has been smooth sailing for the Longhorns and withstanding a feisty Texas A&M team on the road looked easy. Arch Manning even made another exciting cameo as the team has plenty to look forward to.

Notre Dame: The fighting Irish are headed to the playoffs. Notre Dame punched its ticket to the inaugural 12-team playoff after fending off USC in the fourth quarter on Saturday for the team’s 10th straight win. With its highest ranking since 2020, Notre Dame will still likely host a first-round CFP game.

Kyle McCord: Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord balled out in their 42-38 upset win over No. 6 Miami, rallying the team for a 21-point comeback. The comeback was the largest in the school’s history. McCord threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns in the win, but McCord won in another way as well. He got to watch Ohio State, the school he transferred out of, lose a heartbreaker to Michigan with their new quarterback, Will Howard, struggling in the loss. After the game, McCord said, "Everything comes full circle," thankful to be on the winning side on Saturday.

Ohio State: What an absolute blunder by the Buckeyes on Saturday against Michigan. Entering the game as more than 20-point favorites, the Wolverines wrecked Ryan Day once again, bringing him to 0-4 against Michigan as the Buckeyes head coach. Not only did Ohio State lose, they also lost out on a chance to play for a Big Ten title, which now goes to Penn State. I don't care how Ryan Day wants to spin this one, he's now on the hot seat in Columbus, and a first-round loss in the College Football Playoff could potentially have him looking for an exit out of Ohio.

Texas A&M: All of that talk about the renewal of the Texas rivalry, and the Aggies forgot to show up. Thanks in large part to the Longhorns defense, Texas A&M scored just seven points (off of a pick-six) while having multiple opportunities to score in the second half. Sure, the atmosphere was fantastic, but Steve Sarkisian brought this Texas team to College Station looking for blood, and they left with a spot in the SEC Championship. The Aggies finished the season 8-4, and the final home game turned into a dud offensively.

Auburn: Auburn became a punching bag for a frustrated Alabama team, looking defeated and depleted against their bitter rival in a forgettable Iron Bowl matchup. Auburn had the chance to put Alabama's playoff hopes completely on ice, but now the Crimson Tide at least have the ability to pray for some love from the committee.

Kansas: Kansas managed to win three consecutive games over ranked opponents entering Saturday's game against Baylor. But the Jayhawks stumbled in its season finale on the road. The 45-17 loss to Baylor also means that the Jayhawks will not qualify for a bowl game.

Ryan Day: It was an ugly scene at Ohio Stadium on Saturday afternoon after the Michigan Wolverines stunned the Buckeyes with a 13-10 win to secure their fourth straight win over their bitter rival. Speculation over Day’s job security began almost immediately after the massive postgame scuffle between the players on the field was settled. The Buckeyes were favored by 21 points, the widest point spread for this rivalry since 1978, according to ESPN Stats and Info.

Flags: Don't be surprised if flags are banned from the sidelines in 2025. On two occasions, all-out brawls occurred because teams wanted to plant their flag at midfield on the road. Even an Arizona State player almost got himself in big trouble after sticking a trident at midfield in Arizona. What's supposed to be harmless fun has become anything but. Although maybe the home teams should do a better job of defending their territory.

The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.