Washington Post: This flu season keeps getting deadlier, and a shutdown will make things worse
The U.S. is facing a deadly flu season, and the Trump shutdown will only make it worse. The Washington Post reports that more than 8,500 CDC employees will be furloughed as a result of the shutdown, impacting CDC’s ability to monitor the flu and ensure there are enough antiviral supplies:
“A bad flu season that has hit the entire continental United States has yet to peak and already has caused the deaths of more children than what normally would be expected at this time of the year, according to officials and the latest data released Friday.”
“‘Pretty much the entire country is getting hit pretty hard at the same time,’ said Lynette Brammer, who heads the domestic influenza surveillance team at the CDC. ‘Flu activity is still going up.’”
“In addition, she said, ‘we're seeing more pediatric deaths than we would expect to see at this time of year.’”
“A federal government shutdown could complicate CDC's ability to know, in real time, whether flu cases are continuing to increase. Personnel like Brammer, who works in the annual influenza program, are among the 63 percent of agency employees who would be furloughed, according to the updated 2018 contingency plan from the Health and Human Services Department. Throughout CDC, more than 8,500 employees would be furloughed.”
“Spot shortages of prescription antiviral drugs persist, she said, despite CDC's work with manufacturers to ensure sufficient supplies. It's not clear whether the agency personnel working on that will be able to stay on duty during a shutdown.”
“CDC would not be able to support most noncommunicable disease prevention programs, continuous updating of disease treatment and prevention recommendations, and technical assistance and other support to state and local partners, Harben said.”
“When the government was shut down in 2013, antiviral supplies for flu weren't affected because the action took place in early October at the start of flu season. At the time, CDC kept on the employees who respond to an infectious disease outbreak but had to furlough those tracking and monitoring outbreaks. ‘It was really, really foolish,’ said Tom Frieden, who was CDC director from 2009 to January 2017 and is now chief executive of a global health initiative called Resolve to Save Lives.”
“What’s more, furloughed employees were forbidden to check their emails or do work at home. ‘This was the one time when I thought, ‘I just don’t know if I can do my job of protecting Americans,’ Frieden said.”
“‘Pretty much the entire country is getting hit pretty hard at the same time,’ said Lynette Brammer, who heads the domestic influenza surveillance team at the CDC. ‘Flu activity is still going up.’”
“In addition, she said, ‘we're seeing more pediatric deaths than we would expect to see at this time of year.’”
“A federal government shutdown could complicate CDC's ability to know, in real time, whether flu cases are continuing to increase. Personnel like Brammer, who works in the annual influenza program, are among the 63 percent of agency employees who would be furloughed, according to the updated 2018 contingency plan from the Health and Human Services Department. Throughout CDC, more than 8,500 employees would be furloughed.”
“Spot shortages of prescription antiviral drugs persist, she said, despite CDC's work with manufacturers to ensure sufficient supplies. It's not clear whether the agency personnel working on that will be able to stay on duty during a shutdown.”
“CDC would not be able to support most noncommunicable disease prevention programs, continuous updating of disease treatment and prevention recommendations, and technical assistance and other support to state and local partners, Harben said.”
“When the government was shut down in 2013, antiviral supplies for flu weren't affected because the action took place in early October at the start of flu season. At the time, CDC kept on the employees who respond to an infectious disease outbreak but had to furlough those tracking and monitoring outbreaks. ‘It was really, really foolish,’ said Tom Frieden, who was CDC director from 2009 to January 2017 and is now chief executive of a global health initiative called Resolve to Save Lives.”
“What’s more, furloughed employees were forbidden to check their emails or do work at home. ‘This was the one time when I thought, ‘I just don’t know if I can do my job of protecting Americans,’ Frieden said.”