As respiratory virus season begins, federal shutdown leaves critical gap in surveillance

Key federal reports on flu, Covid-19 and RSV haven’t been updated in nearly a month, even as virus activity starts to pick up. Anthony Behar/Sipa/AP

The federal government shutdown has brought respiratory virus surveillance to a halt at the national level, leaving local governments, health systems and the general public with critical blind spots as the season starts to ramp up.

Key federal reports on flu, Covid-19 and RSV haven’t been updated in nearly a month, even as virus activity picks up.

These viruses kill tens of thousands of people in the US each year and hospitalize hundreds of thousands more, but they typically follow seasonal patterns and don’t spread as quickly as diseases like measles.

During a shutdown, national disease surveillance reports are updated only if they “pro