April 16 (UPI) -- The federal government's Vessel Sanitation Program continues its health inspections of cruise ships despite recent staff reductions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"This work has not stopped as the VSP is primarily staffed by [U.S. Public Health Service officers]," a CDC spokesperson told Food Safety News.
Those commissioned officers were not among those who were released from the CDC amid the Trump administration's reduction of the federal workforce.
The inspections are being carried out by half the number of inspectors, though, Food Safety News reported on Wednesday.
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The USPHS has a dozen inspectors to conduct safety inspections of cruise ships while they are docked at U.S. ports, which is down from 24 inspectors.
Cruise ship firms fund the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program through fees charged to their passengers and no taxpayer dollars pay for the service.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. recently announced he would fire 10,000 of the agency's staff, and the CDC has released 2,400 people.
The staffing reductions caused some media outlets to incorrectly report the Vessel Sanitation Program had been eliminated, but the reductions do make the work more challenging.
"It really compromises everything and makes it difficult for them to travel globally and do those inspections in Europe or wherever it might be," Erik Svendsen, director of the CDC's Division of Environmental Health, Science and Practice, told USA Today.
Svendsen is among CDC staffers who are on administrative leave until June and will not be employed afterward.
He said USPHS officers board cruise ships to complete the health inspections that help ensure the vessels are safe for passengers.
Officials for the Cruise Lines International Association trade organization said its members are continuing to follow established safety guidelines as required by the Vessel Sanitation Program.
"Our current understanding from the CDC is that the Vessel Sanitation Program, which is voluntary and funded by the cruise industry, will continue to operate," CLIA officials told USA Today in a prepared statement.
"Additionally, public reports have noted that the program is administered and staffed primarily by commissioned U.S. Public Health officers, so we expect some programmatic activities to continue in some capacity," the statement said.
The CDC says about 12.5 million passengers embarked from ports in North America in 2022 and face an elevated risk of contagious diseases.
"Traveling on cruise ships exposes people to new environments and high volumes of people, including other travelers," the CDC says.
"This exposure can create the risk for illness from contaminated food or water or, more commonly, through person-to-person contact."
