APIC and SHEA have issued a statement in response to new reports that the CDC has seen staffing losses and operational strain.

The statement reads, in part, that the agency has “lost a third of its workforce, including experienced scientists in its emerging infectious disease and respiratory disease centers.” This “confirms what our members have been experiencing on the front lines. Guidance is slower to arrive, technical assistance is harder to reach, and scientific expertise is thinner at a time when it is most needed.”

They also say, “Healthcare facilities are entering respiratory virus season without updated federal vaccine recommendations. At the same time, they are preparing for measles exposures and monitoring imported threats such as Ebola. Infection prevention does not work without a strong, credible national partner. When that partner is weakened, the burden shifts to already stretched facilities and to state and local health departments.”

APIC and SHEA then urged Congress and the Administration to take three steps: to restore and sustain CDC staffing in infectious disease, healthcare quality promotion, and laboratory programs; to protect the agency’s scientific independence; and to ensure that funds appropriated for state and local public health partners are distributed promptly.”