The recent cuts to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have left the country less prepared for disease outbreaks, according to former officials. The rapid dismantling of the public health system at all levels means the US is in worse shape than it was before the Covid pandemic, they say.
The CDC has lost much of its funding for battling parasites, which are notable global killers. Experts were tasked with monitoring potential outbreaks and lending expertise to help stop crises in their tracks, but their funding was decimated, and many were laid off or resigned without being replaced.
Dan Jernigan, former director of the CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said, "Are we ready for the next big pandemic? My answer is no."
Debra Houry, former chief medical officer of the CDC, told the Guardian, "Unfortunately, we’re really moving in the wrong direction."
The CDC laboratory specializing in cyclospora, for instance, has fallen from 11 people to three. It’s the same with other pathogens: There are very few mpox and Ebola experts left on staff.
At the same time, millions in funding for mRNA vaccines, which would be significant for battling the next pandemic, has been cut. More than half of US states have passed laws limiting public health actions during emergencies. And outbreaks are intensifying: The US just surpassed last year’s measles tally.
Houry said, "When you’ve got 30% less workforce, that’s 30% less people able to respond, and when you’re losing specific experts with backgrounds in some of these rare diseases, there’s not the capacity then."
The cuts have also affected the ability to manage complex crises, including a multi-state response like the cyclosporiasis outbreak. The US will continue seeing pathogens that could have been contained earlier or prevented altogether because of these cuts.
Houry said, "It was a time to try to get right-sized, not oversized. And unfortunately, reverting back to more of the 2019 size leaves us woefully underprepared to respond to outbreaks, as we’re seeing."
In the absence and confusion of federal leadership, other organizations are taking the lead. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officers coordinates regular calls for the state health officials, and regional organizations like the Northeast Public Health Collaborative and the West Coast Health Alliance have formed to collaborate on vaccination and crisis management.
Houry said, "Now you’re starting to see more regional alliances forming to better track things. Like with measles – we very much see that it doesn’t stay within a city or state. So as a result of this moment, we’re seeing others step in to fill the gap."
