Pandemic preparedness ‘dramatically eroding’ under Trump, experts say | US news

In addition to lifeless answers to bird flu and measles outbreaks, in the midst of controversial layoffs for independent consultants and staff, experts are afraid of the US to respond to a pandemia before 2020.

Under the Trump administration, the H5N1, which is less interested than Biden’s team, is not a single influenza virus or even the only bird flu variant with the potential to spark a sponge. However, a subpar reaction against the ongoing US epidemic points to a greater problem: America is not ready for everything that the pathogen cannot be the next.

Angela Rasmussen, an American virologist in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization in Canada, said, ık We couldn’t even maintain the pandemic preparation level – this requires a lot of work as we see from Covid pandem. ” “But now, essentially we don’t have the preparation of the epidemic.”

“I am worried about a series of fronts, Jennifer Nuzzo, Professor of Epidemiology and Pandemik Center Director of the Public Health School School of Public Health.

These concerns include lack of quality information from the authorities, weakened virus monitoring systems and federal, state and local levels reduction.

Nuzzo said, “What I’m most worried about is the accuracy of the information from health institutions,” Nuzzo said.

In the ongoing measles outbreaks, for example, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr underestimated the severity of the disease, spread false information about very effective vaccine to prevent measles and pushed unproven treatments.

“Measles communication gives me deep concerns about what will happen in a pandema, Nuz said Nuzzo. “If a pandem was going to happen today, the only thing we would have to protect ourselves on the first day would be information.”

H5N1 epidemic, starting under the direction of Biden drowned with missing information, which is a problem rising under Trump.

In May, 6 million chickens were killed or removed instead of Ham5N1’s family farms due to H5N1. This is about 95% of the company’s chicken population in the state. Hundreds of workers, including the workers of the prisoner, now dismissed Arizona depends on money for egg shortage.

Nevertheless, even if the H5N1 outbreaks continue to spread to farms and damage food supply, new bird flu cases have not been reported in humans for months.

“I’m worried that we won’t find new infections in humans, Nuz Nuzzo said Nuzzo – and the lack of tests may be guilty.

Ras We don’t test – not because there is no new case, Ras Rassmussen said.

The last bird flu in a person listed On February 23 by the US Disease Control and Prevention Centers (CDC).

At this point, at least 830 people in the US were tested after contacting patients. Such tests are how the majority of cases (64 out of 70) are found in this outbreak-monitor the health of people who work regularly with infected animals with H5N1.

But then, a few CDC officials who control the bird flu response hot April 1.

Since then only 50 people In the United States, patients were tested after being exposed to animals and no positive case was announced.

It was also difficult to understand the scope of the outbreak and how the virus spread among animals.

“We still don’t have a good picture about the scope and scale of this outbreak – we never really have it. And we can’t contain it until you do it, Ras he said.

“Extremely bad,” he continued. “We don’t have any information about what is happening right now. My next sponge may be starting, and we don’t know where it is, and we don’t have the ability to learn.”

Great decreases in public health labor and resources have led to less monitoring of epidemics known as the disease surveys.

“Cutting this supervision leaves us more in the dark, Nuz said Nuzzo.

In March, CDC returned $ 11.4 billion in Covid financing. This financing was used to monitor, test, instill and answer public health problems at the state, local, regional and tribal level.

“We see that health departments are mixed, Nuz Nuzzo said. “This infrastructure is only eroded significantly.”

International monitoring programs that would take out the outbreaks before expanding the borders were also canceled.

“We accepted all these guards and I am afraid that we are ready to see the results, Nuz said Nuzzo.

Trump’s pressure on migration is also a major difficulty in detecting cases and the treatment of patients during epidemics.

“Considering that many people who are at the most risk are not documented or US citizens, they are strongly seen to report any case, R said Rasmussen. “No one does not want to be tested if they are going to an ice detention facility.”

When cases are not detected, this means that patients cannot access care.

For example, even though it is rare that people get sick with H5N1 – the virus is still a bird of primary, not human, influenza – has a global mortality rate globally among people with known infections of bird flu variant.

It has an uncomfortable effects on the ability of a deadly virus to spread and mutate under radar and to be mutated, to become a human flu without knowing it.

Nuzzo, if such changes are detected, may be the next obstacle to prevent a pandema, Nuzzo Nuzzo said.

“Communication is our most important public health intervention. People need to be able to reach the facts and believe in the journalists to know how to protect themselves. And the communication around the measles outbreaks, our stance with the American people deeply wear.”

Nuzzo devotes time to distribute even other protective measures, such as stocked vaccines and personal protective equipment. “And the flu is a fast -moving disease that can cause too much damage during the months it will take to make a vaccination campaign.”

Nuzzo and Rasmussen said the US government has canceled a $ 766 million agreement with Moderna to investigate and develop a H5N1 vaccine.

Like a new plan to test all vaccines against Salin placebo, Rasmussen said, as a new plan to test all vaccines against Salin placebo, it will make it very difficult to confirm a new vaccine ”and“ especially the speed will have a destructive effect on a rapidly moving pandemic effect ”.

Rasmussen said, “If this virus causes outbreaks from person to person, you don’t have time for it,” he said.

All these policies mean that the US is less prepared for a pandemiye than 2020. And at the same time, it means that the next big one will be prevented even before hitting.

Rasmussen, “actively make people less safe, less healthy and more dead,” he said.