We need state run CDC agencies to protect us against outbreaks

As we are seeing in real time, it is critical that we have a state funded CDC to prevent massive outbreaks like what is happening with the HantaVirus. The hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship — at least 8 illnesses and 3 deaths — is a live example of exactly why this matters. Because the U.S. is no longer formally participating in the WHO, we may face critical delays in receiving surveillance data, contact tracing information, and real-time outbreak response coordination. That is not a hypothetical risk. It is happening right now. Trump's recent comments implying a link between vaccines and autism are dangerous and scientifically illiterate. Decades of research have found no such connection. Gutting the CDC's scientific workforce while spreading pseudoscience from the top of the health apparatus is a policy choice that will cost lives. Restore the expertise, restore the international partnerships, and remove the people responsible for dismantling them.