As the flu cripples the US, the nation's epidemic war room the CDC is facing debilitating uncertainty in the wake of the government shutdown on Friday night. This year’s particularly aggressive H3N2 strain of flu and only moderately effective vaccine have kept the CDC busy for the last several months. Now, 63 percent of the CDC’s staff has put placed on furlough, a temporary work suspension, amid what experts speculate may be the height of the flu epidemic. Hospitals around the country rely on the guidance, supplies and support of federal agencies, especially during dangerous epidemics like the flu. The shutdown leaves the CDC, NIH and all US hospitals in a shroud of mystery during an already elusive flu season.

Source: Daily Mail January 22, 2018 19:27 UTC