Imagine walking down your street, past the playground where our children play, and seeing signs that warn about an invisible threat lurking nearby.

Last week, news broke of a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that carried hundreds of people through coastal waters off the East Coast. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the virus spread among passengers and crew members, but they are not releasing detailed information about how it happened or who might be to blame.

But here’s what you need to know: this isn’t isolated. Cruise ships have been under scrutiny before for lax health standards and inadequate responses to outbreaks.

The first possible cause of the hantavirus outbreak is disgusting, involving conditions that are simply unacceptable on a ship designed to carry people away from everyday stresses and into luxury vacations. The second possibility is even more terrifying, hinting at something much deeper—a breakdown in oversight or accountability by those supposed to protect us.

As a mother, I can’t shake the thought of what this means for our children’s safety when they’re out having fun with their friends. Imagine if that same virus could find its way into your child's school through someone who recently took a cruise and didn't know they were sick.

How do we trust these companies to keep us safe when there are no clear measures in place? Who’s holding them accountable?

The buried detail here is that previous administrations—both Obama-era and Biden-era—have seen similar outbreaks but failed to put strict regulations on the cruise industry. Instead, they’ve allowed profits to take precedence over public health.

Every parent should be asking these questions: Where’s the oversight? Why do we still have this risk?