Experts Warn The Government Shutdown Is Affecting You In A Major, Unexpected Way
HuffPost
This lapse is leaving doctors and the public dangerously in the dark.
The government shutdown has thrown many parts of the country into disarray. Furloughed federal workers aren’t getting paychecks, people on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program aren’t getting their funds and air travel is chaotic as flight cancellations soar.
Another less-obvious problem is also brewing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is a government agency, hasn’t been updating or publishing its nationwide respiratory virus tracking data because of the shutdown. These virus-tracking tools monitor a number of viruses, but notably the flu, COVID-19 and RSV levels throughout the country.
In non-shutdown times, doctors and public health officials then use this data to inform health decisions, send public alerts and monitor sickness in communities.
“This means we are having a hard time accessing data that is important for public health,” said Elisabeth Marnik, the chief science officer at Those Nerdy Girls, an online organization dedicated to sharing accurate health and science information.
“It’s a major challenge,” added Dr. Robert Hopkins, the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
