Meetings & Announcements

Key points

VSP meets periodically with cruise industry partners for information sharing and updates on areas of common interest.

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Ankündigungen

VSP mission revised to more accurately describe program work

For more than a decade, the program has been working beyond acute gastroenteritis (for example, Legionella mitigation, vector control, air quality, recreational water facility safety). The mission revision, announced at the 2024 annual meeting, reflects program work more accurately. Learn about the eight areas we inspect on cruise ships.

Revised mission: The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) helps the cruise ship industry prevent and control the introduction and spread of environmentally associated illnesses and hazards on cruise ships. We accomplish our mission by:

  • Inspecting cruise ships in periodic, unannounced environmental public health inspections
  • Reviewing ship design plans for compliance with VSP's environmental public health construction standards
  • Collecting data and monitoring environmentally associated illnesses and hazards
  • Investigating and responding to illness outbreaks
  • Training cruise ship employees on environmental public health practices
  • Building the evidence for environmental public health practices through innovative and collaborative research

2024 annual public meeting: August 5, 2024

Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, 1881 SE 17th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

Agenda

9:00–10:30 am: Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) Review and Updates (CAPT Luis O. Rodríguez, Chief, VSP; CDR Drew Kupper, Operations Team Lead, VSP; and Stefanie White, Epidemiology and Outbreak Response Team Lead, VSP)

10:30–10:55 am: Update on Construction Consultations: Inspections, Plan Reviews, and Equipment Reviews (CDR Jessica Pharo and LCDR Scott Miller, Environmental Health Officers, VSP)

10:55–11:05 am: Break

11:05–11:30 am: VSP Variances (CDR Beth Osterink, Environmental Health Officer, VSP)

11:30 am–12:00 pm: CDC's Calicivirus Lab Update (Preeti Chhabra, CDC Calicivirus Lab)

12:00–1:00 pm: Lunch

1:00–1:45 pm: Food Safety Culture (CDR Adam Kramer, Environmental Health Officer, CDC)

1:45–2:15 pm: Legionella Prevention on Cruise Ships (William (Chris) Edens, CDC Legionella and Atypical Pathogens Team)

2:15–2:45 pm: U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cruise Ship National Center of Expertise (NCOE) Update (CDR Jason Kling, USCG Cruise Ship NCOE)

2:45–3:00 pm: Break

3:00–3:25 pm: Federal Interstate Travel Program (ITP) Update (Joseph Morin and LCDR Amanda Schaupp, ITP, U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

3:25–3:50 pm: Open Discussion (Presenters and Attendees)

3:50–4:15 pm: Division of Global Migration and Health (DGMH) Maritime Updates (Janise Hernandez and Luis R. Rodriguez, Maritime Activity Section, Miami Port Health Station)

4:15–4:25 pm: Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)—Industry Commitment to Public Health (Jethro Beck, Vice President, Global Maritime Policy, CLIA)

4:25–4:30 pm: Open Remarks and Meeting Closing (CAPT Luis O. Rodríguez, Chief, VSP)

Manual revision meetings: August 6–7, 2024

Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, 1881 SE 17th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

August 6, VSP Operations Manual

9:00–12:00 pm: Review Change Request Forms for Chapters 3 to 6—VSP

12:00–1:00 pm: Lunch

1:00–4:30 pm: Review Change Request Forms for Chapters 7 to 13—VSP

August 7, VSP Construction Guidelines

9:00 am–1:00 pm: Review Change Request Forms—VSP

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Content Source:
National Center for Environmental Health