2 days Ago
The world is facing a growing public health crisis, and Virginia isn’t immune. Tuberculosis (TB) infections are on the rise, and the first known human case of H5N1 avian flu in the U.S.
has been confirmed. These aren’t just distant headlines — they’re immediate threats. If we don’t act now, Virginians will face deadly outbreaks, overwhelmed hospitals, and economic turmoil.
Instead of strengthening the institutions that protect us, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and President Donald Trump want to censor the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and pull the U.
S. out of the World Health Organization (WHO). If they succeed, Virginians will be the ones paying the price.
For a long time, most people thought TB was a disease of the past, but it’s making a dangerous comeback. Drug-resistant strains are spreading fast and Virginia is feeling the impact. The Virginia Department of Health reports rising cases, especially among vulnerable groups such as people experiencing homelessness and those with weakened immune systems.
If left unchecked, TB could spread into schools, workplaces and health care facilities, putting even more people in danger. Censoring the CDC means hiding critical public health data. TB is airborne and highly contagious.
Without clear information, local health departments — which are already underfunded — are left scrambling. Without swift action, Virginia could see larger outbreaks, more hospitalizations and preventable deaths. The news of a human case of H5N1 avian flu in the U.
S. should also set off alarms. Virginia’s poultry industry is huge — worth billions — and a bird flu outbreak could be devastating.
A single outbreak in farms could destroy livestock, drive up food prices and eliminate jobs. But what’s even scarier? If the virus mutates to spread easily between people, we could be on the verge of another pandemic. The WHO plays a key role in tracking and stopping outbreaks such as these before they spiral out of control.
But Trump has already pulled the U.S. out of the WHO once, and Kennedy has pushed similar anti-globalist views.
If they get their way, Virginia will be cut off from lifesaving disease tracking and response efforts. That would leave us exposed to both a health crisis and an economic disaster. Public health decisions should be based on science, not conspiracy theories or political games.
Kennedy and Trump have both spread dangerous misinformation about vaccines, downplayed COVID-19 and attacked public health officials. If they succeed in further weakening the CDC or cutting ties with the WHO for good, Virginians will suffer the consequences. Censoring health agencies destroys trust, delays outbreak responses and costs lives.
If the CDC can’t openly report health threats or issue science-backed guidance, people won’t know what’s happening until it’s too late. Hospitals will be overwhelmed and preventable deaths will skyrocket. Leaving the WHO would be just as reckless.
Diseases don’t stop at state or national borders. Without access to global disease data and coordinated responses, Virginia will be flying blind in the next outbreak. History has proven that isolationism in public health only leads to disaster.
Sign up for Viewpoints, an opinion newsletter We can’t afford to wait until the next pandemic is already here. Now is the time to strengthen our public health system — not weaken it. We need to support the CDC, invest in disease tracking and stay engaged with the WHO.
Transparency, scientific integrity and international cooperation are our best defenses against deadly outbreaks. Virginians deserve leaders who put science and public health first. The resurgence of TB and the threat of avian flu should be a wake-up call.
If we let politicians turn public health into a battleground for misinformation, people will die. Our health, economy and future depend on making sure that doesn’t happen. Jessica Loring DNP, RN, of Virginia Beach has practiced in Virginia for more than 16 years as a nurse specializing in infection prevention and public health.
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