The CDC’s Division of Viral Hepatitis was shuttered amid federal layoffs in April.
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After people started testing positive for hepatitis C in a coastal Florida town in December, state officials collected blood from patients, wrapped their specimens in dry ice and mailed them straight to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Ga.
The hepatitis C virus, which is spread through contact with infected blood and can lead to deadly liver cancer, is notoriously hard to identify. But if anyone could understand what was happening in Florida, it would be the Division of Viral Hepatitis in the CDC’s headquarters.
Using samples from the laboratory’s collection of nearly 1 million frozen specimens, scientists helped make the initial discovery of the hepatitis C virus in the 1980s. In 2020, that research was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
The scientists at the lab knew what they were doing. Quickly, they analyzed the blood from Florida using their custom software and found that nine cases were genetically linked to the same pain clinic, where it was later discovered that a doctor was improperly reusing injection vials. By March, officials in Florida had restricted the doctor’s medical license to limit the spread of the virus and packaged new patient samples to send to the CDC for testing, CDC employees told NPR.
But on April 1, the outbreak investigation was brought to a halt. All 27 of the lab’s scientists received an email from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services informing them that they were losing their jobs. Like thousands of other employees who received similar emails that day, the scientists were told they would be placed on administrative leave until June 2, after which they would no longer work for the CDC.
The email said their duties were “identified as either unnecessary or virtually identical to duties being performed elsewhere in the agency.” But the kind of genetic tracing that the CDC’s lab performs is not conducted by any other lab in the United States or the world, experts interviewed by NPR said.
While the lab remains shuttered, ongoing investigations of current hepatitis outbreaks have been stalled, not just in Florida, but also in Oregon, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Georgia, according to CDC employees who work closely with the Division of Viral Hepatitis. The five CDC employees NPR spoke with requested that their names not be shared for fear of retaliation.
Scientists who specialize in infectious disease told NPR that the lab’s closure puts Americans at a higher risk of contracting viral infections in the future.
“More people get sick, or you don’t recognize outbreaks at all, and they just continue to spread unchecked,” said the Director of Infectious Disease Programs at the Association of Public Health Laboratories, Kelly Wroblewski. “That’s the ultimate risk.”
Although four new samples have already arrived at the lab and three more were waiting in Florida to be sent, none have been tested by the CDC, scientists at the CDC said. Epidemiologists still working at the CDC have been trying to find another place that can do the analysis but have been unsuccessful, an agency employee told NPR.
“Commercial laboratories do not do this because it’s not profitable,” said the employee.
That’s why very few people undertake this task besides us. The collection of Hepatitis samples at the CDC’s headquarters has been instrumental in the development of vaccines and identification of new viral strains. Scientists at the lab have attributed the prevention of numerous outbreaks and the tracing of infections to their work with these samples.
Due to the critical role played by government labs like the Division of Viral Hepatitis in disease prevention, they are rarely closed down. However, recent developments have led to the abrupt closure of the lab, leaving employees with just one day to shut down operations. Moving over a million samples stored in various freezers within the timeframe provided was deemed impossible by the scientists.
The lab’s sophisticated computer program, GHOST, which aids in genomic analysis and outbreak surveillance, is also at risk of being shut down due to the sudden closure of the lab. The system requires in-person maintenance by experts to function optimally and prevent glitches that could impact its effectiveness.
Efforts are being made by scientists to gain access to the lab to prevent the shutdown of vital programs and equipment. The potential loss of expensive equipment and irreplaceable specimens is a major concern for CDC employees.
The lab’s importance was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, where it played a crucial role in testing and understanding the novel virus. Scientists who have worked in the lab express hope of being able to return to continue their life-saving work.
The sudden closure of the lab has raised concerns among employees and scientists about the impact on public health and the loss of valuable research. Efforts are being made to address the situation and potentially reinstate the lab’s operations to continue its vital work in disease prevention and research. sentence in a more concise manner.
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