Flu season may be starting, but feds on furlough can't track it

[Robb]

Oh well THIS is just grand.

(snip)

But (FluNearYou and Google Flu Trends) provide only a tiny portion of the flu picture in the U.S., nothing like the CDC’s robust FluView surveillance system that tracks the nation’s influenza ills. That site hasn’t been updated since the shutdown began on Tuesday, which means the latest data available to the public runs only through Sept. 21.

That’s to be expected with about 9,000 of the CDC’s nearly 13,000 employees on furlough, said CDC spokeswoman Barbara Reynolds. Although the agency is still collecting national flu data, the information won’t be analyzed or reported until the shutdown ends.

“We won’t have the national picture,” Reynolds said.

In addition, the CDC won’t be able to do the work to tell whether this year’s flu strains are susceptible to antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu used to treat them. And the agency won’t be able to say whether the 135 million doses of vaccine already produced this year are a good match for circulating strains of the virus.

Read More: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/flu-season-may-be-starting-feds-furlough-cant-track-it-8C11329868

FWIW, I got my trivalent jab yesterday, and recommend it as ever.

[Niceguy1]

1. this is probably

The first time most people have heard of the website.

[dipsydoodle]

2. Mine's a freebee here in the UK

due to age . Later this month I think. We're also due to get free Shingles jabs too. Not to give it us : to prevent it from occuring.

[locks]

3. Thanks for the info

CDC also won't be tracking the food-born diseases of which we've had so many across the nation the last few years. This is a small part of the great work being done around the world in conjunction with WHO, Carter Fund, Gates and hundreds of NGOs and governments to prevent killer diseases and deaths. My granddaughter worked in Kenya for almost three years and went to many African countries, Russia, and India to help them with their research and is now furloughed in the middle of needed research projects in Atlanta. How can we not be furious when the wealthy conservatives and the reps who have gold standard health care make fun of a slimdown which is hurting so many of us?