Advocates and health care experts are decrying the recent mass layoffs at U.S. health agencies and the funding cuts to hepatitis-related studies, prevention services and more.

 

In recent weeks, the Department of Health and Human Services has significantly reduced staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration and other federal health agencies. For details, see “Federal Health Department Reorganizes and Slashes Staff.”

 

HIV, cancer and infectious disease programs—including initiatives that fight hepatitis outbreaks and tuberculosis—all took a hit, according to The Associated Press (AP).

 

Indeed, the Trump administration reportedly fired staff that led efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat in the United States by 2030. What’s more, at least four directors of the NIH’s 27 institutes and centers were put on administrative leave earlier this month, according to the AP.

 

“[On March 28], the Trump administration continued its decimation of our nation’s response not only to HIV but to hepatitis and [sexually transmitted infections],” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, in a news release. “While we wait to learn specifics on how many staff who support CDC’s HIV and hepatitis prevention programs will be eliminated, all staff at the government’s central coordinating office, which develops strategic plans, coordinates agency actions, collects and communicates vital data, administers the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative and oversees the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, have been fired.”

 

Viral hepatitis is a serious but preventable public health threat that can increase one’s risk for liver disease, cancer and death. Viral hepatitis kills thousands of Americans annually and is the leading cause of liver cancer, according to the CDC. Hepatitis A and hepatitis B are preventable via vaccine, and hepatitis C can be cured.

 

“These cuts—both proposed and already enacted—will exacerbate health challenges for people living with chronic hepatitis B by reducing access to essential prevention, testing and treatment services. And these cuts will disproportionately harm our most vulnerable populations,” said Hepatitis B Foundation president Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH, in a foundation statement.

 

What’s more, funding cuts limit access to essential services, impair national surveillance efforts and hamstring community-based programs. Cuts are also impacting staffing at local health departments, particularly workers conducting outreach and education regarding hepatitis prevention and treatment.

 

“America needs a strong, well-funded federal scientific and public health infrastructure. Confusion, fear and poor preparedness will be the consequence of the changes that have been so rapidly imposed, putting us all at risk,” Cohen concluded. “We urge our nation’s leaders to act swiftly and decisively to reverse these damaging decisions. Together, we can forge a path forward that protects health and saves lives.”

 

For more, click #Federal Funding or #Viral Hepatitis. There, you’ll see headlines such as “Trump Turns Homelessness Response Away From Housing, Toward Forced Treatment,” “HIV Service Providers Prepare for Federal Funding Cuts” and “Report Highlights Hepatitis Incidence in Philadelphia.”