The largest measles outbreak in decades is not the only serious illness to break out under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s tenure as Health and Human Services secretary. Now comes norovirus – just as Kennedy has gutted the very department that could help prevent it.
CBS News has the details of Quack Kennedy’s latest threat to public health:
All of the full-time employees in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program are now off the job, multiple officials tell CBS News, gutting the agency’s ability to investigate outbreaks and conduct health inspections on cruise ships. A smaller group of 12 U.S. Public Health Service officers will remain.
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The cuts come as the U.S. has been battling a record surge of norovirus, largely driven by a new strain of the virus.
At least a dozen outbreaks have been documented so far this year on cruise ships, mostly from norovirus. Some of those outbreaks have made headlines for sickening dozens or even hundreds of people. There were 18 total outbreaks listed for all of last year.
This is not going to save the taxpayers any money because, as CBS noted, cruise ship companies pay for the program. But the epidemiologist leading the response to the outbreak was also laid off. CBS also reported that the staff was “in the middle of responding to two outbreaks when they were let go, an official said.”
The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported it was told by a CDC spokesperson, “Critical programs in the CDC will continue under Secretary Kennedy’s vision to streamline HHS to better serve Americans.”
You have to wonder what that spokesperson considers a “critical program continuing.” According to CBS, “Only one epidemiologist remains in the program’s team to investigate outbreaks, one official said, and was still in the early stages of their training.”
As for “Kennedy’s vision to streamline HHS,” it seems very unlikely he has any – other than to kowtow to the also-unqualified Elon Musk and his billionaire-tax-cut-seeking DOGE bros. Just this week, Kennedy told CBS News “I’m not familiar” with the $11 billion in cuts to his department regarding infectious disease and other programs. Kennedy didn’t show any urgency to become familiar with them, either.