The country's top disease detectives have stopped running some of their scariest tests. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has temporarily halted lab testing for rabies and pox viruses—including the family that covers smallpox and mpox—after staffing cuts left the agency without enough specialists to run the programs and advise states. The pause is part of a broader review of more than 500 diagnostic tests the CDC offers to back up state and local labs, many of which can't do the work on their own, the New York Times reports. But widespread layoffs, hiring freezes, and unfilled positions have gutted the rabies and pox teams: By July, just one rabies expert will remain, and there will be no pox virus specialists, one official said.
Federal health officials say the outage won't last. A Department of Health and Human Services spokesman said that some tests should be back online in weeks and that the CDC will help states find alternatives in the meantime. A few state labs, including those in New York and California, can run certain rabies tests, and many can do preliminary work on pox viruses. But the CDC historically has confirmed diagnoses and tracked these infections nationwide—functions experts say are essential at a time of bird flu worries and upcoming mass gatherings such as the World Cup and the US semiquincentennial. In the event of an unexpected emergency, said former New York state lab director Jill Taylor, there would be a problem.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
