WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put a hold on lab testing for rabies and pox viruses, including mpox, because they're short-staffed and can't support state and local health departments as they used to.
They mentioned that this pause affects tests usually done for public labs that don't have the specialized equipment. Experts are really concerned since layoffs, hiring freezes, and resignations have left the rabies team with just one expert by July, and the pox virus team is running on empty.
Even though rabies is pretty rare in people in the U.S. with less than five cases each year rapid testing is super important since untreated infections are almost always fatal. Mpox is still a worry too, especially after last year's reports of hundreds of cases, including some severe strains that were mostly seen before in Africa.
Officials indicated that some testing could start again in the coming weeks, but public health experts are worried that this reduced capacity at federal labs might hinder our response during future outbreaks.
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