The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a health warning following an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease among passengers who had been on cruises.
The CDC found that eight cases of Legionnaires’ Disease, between November 2022 and April 2024, were connected by a single, unnamed cruise ship.
According to the CDC, the outbreak on the cruise ship is the largest cruise-associated outbreak of the disease since 2008. The CDC investigation found hot tubs were the likely source of the bacterial infections.
The CDC says four additional cases of Legionnaires were found on a second cruise ship, between January and June 2024.
“Epidemiologic, environmental, and laboratory evidence suggests that private balcony hot tubs were the likely source of exposure in two outbreaks among cruise ship passengers,” the CDC report stated.
“These devices are subject to less stringent operating requirements than public hot tubs, and operating protocols were insufficient to prevent Legionella growth.”
The bacteria can affect the lungs, causing a type of pneumonia, with cough, fever, muscle aches and shortness of breath.