成人X站

MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Feds warn of health risks during government shutdown

Oct 4, 2013, 5:20 PM | Updated: Oct 7, 2013, 10:03 am

This Oct. 17, 2012 file photo shows a flu shot administered in Jackson, Miss. More children than ev...

This Oct. 17, 2012 file photo shows a flu shot administered in Jackson, Miss. More children than ever got vaccinated against the flu last year, and health officials are urging families to do even better this time around. But at the CDC, Dr. Tom Frieden is concerned because two-thirds of his employees have been furloughed at the start of the flu season. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)

Federal health experts are warning of dire consequences in a prolonged government shutdown, saying they might not be able to “find and stop things that could kill people.” State health officials are not sure it’s as grave as all that.

At the Centers for Disease Control [CDC], Dr. Tom Frieden is concerned because two-thirds of his employees have been furloughed at the start of the flu season.

“What we won’t know is what’s happening with flu, where is it spreading, what types of flu are spreading, should we be using one medication or another, is it in nursing homes or elsewhere? This really interferes with our ability to protect people.”

The director of the CDC is wary of other outbreaks of illness or infectious disease, too.

“An outbreak of something like legionella pneumonia, we may not detect it, we may not find it, we may not stop it. If there’s an outbreak of foodborne illness that affects people in multiple states, we may not identify it promptly,” said Dr. Frieden.

At the state Department of Health, in Olympia, spokesman Donn Moyer appreciates the concerns at the federal level. But he points out that the state does a lot of its own testing and monitoring.

“If there were something really large and complex, then we would typically rely on CDC to come in and give us some extra help, but in the course of the stuff that we see on a daily basis and the foodborne illnesses and TB testing and that sort of thing, we’re doing that in our own labs every day.”

As for the flu season, Moyer said people will know what’s going on.

“We’ll still do our regular weekly updates on flu activity and monitor lab-confirmed flu deaths and that sort of thing, that work will continue in the state of Washington.”

Last year was the worst in recent memory for pertussis, or whooping cough, in Washington.

“We actually had some CDC investigators who came to help but what they did was they worked on analyzing data to see what they could find out about where things were spreading faster than others, the effectiveness of vaccine and that sort of thing,” said Moyer. “It was more about analysis than it was about disease response.”

The CDC warns that lab response will be slow during the shutdown. Moyer is confident that Washington, its border state neighbors and British Columbia are prepared, in the short term, to handle even large disease outbreaks.

MyNorthwest News

Delridge stabbing...

Tom Brock

17 year old repeatedly stabbed in attack in Seattle’s Delridge neighborhood

Seattle police hope to track down two teenaged suspects after a 17-year-old girl was brutally stabbed early Saturday.

7 minutes ago

ravenna suv mioposto...

MyNorthwest Staff

GALLERY: SUV crashes into Mioposto in Ravenna with patrons inside, injuring several

An SUV crashed into Mioposto, a family-owned pizzeria, bar, and Italian kitchen, in Ravenna Friday night while patrons were dining inside.

2 hours ago

drunk driver parkland...

MyNorthwest Staff

WSP: Woman killed by alleged drunk driver on sidewalk in Parkland

An alleged drunk driver killed a pedestrian after veering off the road on State Route 7 Friday night, WSP confirmed.

3 hours ago

fires fourth of july pierce county...

Frank Sumrall

More than 100 fires reported in Pierce County after Fourth of July celebrations

Multiple fires broke out in the Puget Sound region overnight Friday following Fourth of July celebrations. Fire crews believe聽some were likely fireworks-related.

3 hours ago

missing cruise passenger hike jeneau...

MyNorthwest Staff

Missing cruise passenger found dead near Juneau after Alaska hike

An Alaska Army National Guard helicopter crew found the body of a cruise ship passenger Thursday night after she went for a hike near Juneau.

4 hours ago

rubik's cube seattle...

MyNorthwest Staff

World鈥檚 fastest Rubik鈥檚 Cube solvers face off at Seattle Convention Center

This weekend, the best Rubik's Cube solvers in the world are competing at the Rubik鈥檚 World Cube Association World Championship, held at the Seattle Convention Center.

5 hours ago

Feds warn of health risks during government shutdown