The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has temporarily halted diagnostic testing for over two dozen infectious diseases, including rabies, human herpesvirus, and parasitic infections such as those causing 'snail fever' and 'sloth fever'. The suspension, announced on Monday, affects tests that the agency normally provides to support state and local public health laboratories lacking the necessary capabilities.
The CDC stated that the pause is part of a routine review to uphold high-quality laboratory testing. A spokesperson said the agency anticipates some tests will resume in the coming weeks and is coordinating alternative testing through other labs. However, the disruption comes amid severe staffing shortages, with the CDC losing an estimated 20% to 25% of its workforce over the past year due to layoffs, retirements, resignations, and expiring temporary roles.
According to reports, the rabies team will have only one expert capable of providing clinical guidance by July, while the poxvirus team will have none. The poxvirus and rabies units have each lost about half their staff, and the malaria division has been cut even more severely, according to the National Public Health Coalition, a group of current and former CDC employees.
The staffing crisis follows upheaval last year when over a thousand CDC employees were fired under the Trump administration, a move partially reversed days later. In June, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. controversially replaced all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, leading to a federal judge ruling the move likely violated federal law. As a result, the US now lacks a functioning vaccine advisory committee, and key vaccines, including updated flu and COVID-19 shots and the RSV vaccine for infants, are no longer recommended.
