By Blake Jackson
Thousands of employees have been laid off from U.S. federal health agencies such as the CDC and FDA. These staff cuts include workers from the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, which is important for animal food and drug safety.
Experts fear these layoffs will hurt the country's ability to handle diseases like avian flu. Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, said the FDA’s veterinary centre plays a key role in helping state labs test and share data. His lab uses this network to track issues like antimicrobial resistance.
“The agency is still there, but there aren’t people there to make it run in most cases that are directly related to animal and public health,” said Poulsen.
Poulsen recently applied for funding to begin testing raw pet food for bird flu. The FDA found that raw food has passed the virus to cats. The national lab network helps make sure all states test the same way, ensuring accurate and shared results across the country.
He said that many experts were surprised by how severe the layoffs were. If similar cuts happen at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), it may affect key services like the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
“Everything’s really on the table as a potential for an immediate cut,” he said. “How can we make sure we don’t lose our expertise in that and then build back (services) better?”
Recently, the avian flu was confirmed on a poultry farm in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. The virus affected about 40,000 birds. State and federal officials are responding together, and farm workers are being monitored for symptoms.
In February, the USDA shared a new plan to fight bird flu and reduce egg prices. They are fast-tracking vaccine development and looking at ways to reduce bird losses while keeping food safe.
So far, USDA policies remain the same, but experts hope they will soon receive clearer guidance.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-wikoski
Categories: Wisconsin, Livestock, Poultry