Local health departments worry about government shutdown’s effects on staffing, disease outbreaks and nutrition services

State and local health departments are bracing for how the federal government shutdown could affect their work to keep communities safe and healthy. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

The US government’s shutdown is shaking the nation at a time when public health staffing has already been reduced, the threat of disease outbreaks looms, and both the respiratory virus season and hurricane season are upon us.

State and local health departments are now bracing for how the shutdown could affect their work to keep communities safe and healthy – and some worry about disruptions in communications with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other federal agencies in times of need.

The federal government shut down on Wednesday after a deadlocked Congress failed to reach a funding deal