Critical disease labs are being closed.
Several critical laboratories within the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have ceased operations following a wave of layoffs, prompting serious concerns about the country’s ability to monitor and respond to outbreaks of dangerous infections, including viral hepatitis and antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea. Among those dismissed were all 27 specialists working in the nation’s sole facility equipped for high-level genetic testing related to hepatitis outbreaks. This team was actively investigating a multi-state outbreak when the dismissals occurred.
Scott Becker, who leads the Association of Public Health Laboratories, described the situation as akin to “flying blind” in terms of national disease surveillance. The organization has formally appealed to U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., urging the reinstatement of these experts. Their letter emphasized that the capabilities lost with these layoffs were unique and not replicated elsewhere in the Department of Health and Human Services.
The layoffs also shuttered a CDC facility responsible for monitoring antibiotic-resistant strains of gonorrhea, often referred to as “super gonorrhea.” In total, 2,400 CDC staff members were dismissed, including the entire team in the Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) lab. That lab was the only one in the U.S. conducting comprehensive testing to assess the effectiveness of antibiotics against resistant strains of gonorrhea.
CDC labs have been instrumental in tracking hepatitis C, which is known to cause severe liver complications. Recent outbreaks have been linked to various facilities such as dialysis centers and prisons. One such investigation in Florida had identified nine related cases, and CDC experts were using genetic sequencing to trace the spread and determine whether others had contracted the same strain.
The surge in hepatitis C cases over the past two decades has been significant, according to infectious disease specialist Dr. Judith Feinberg. She explained that the CDC’s lab work allowed public health officials to trace transmission patterns and guide policy decisions. With tens of thousands of Americans contracting viral hepatitis annually, and the disease being a leading cause of liver cancer, the loss of these labs is considered a major setback. Experts, including Emory University’s Dr. Colleen Kelley, warn that without these labs, critical trends in infectious disease outbreaks could go undetected, leaving the nation vulnerable to unchecked epidemics.
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