Crisis at CDC: Public Safety Data Cut Off

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission will no longer collect data on various injuries due to staff cuts at the CDC. This change, caused by job eliminations under President Trump, reduces critical public health data collection, impacting safety research and policy decisions.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is set to halt the collection of crucial injury data due to recent staff cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This move affects data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, crucial for informing product recalls and public safety standards.

The staff reductions arise from President Donald Trump's decision to cut 10,000 jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services. The changes have disrupted public health research significantly and reduced data collection by NEISS by up to 65%, ending the All Injury Program supporting nationwide injury tracking.

Despite some overlap with other agencies like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the NEISS data is unparalleled in its hospital-level insight into injuries. However, with the CDC's cuts affecting its operation, the future of comprehensive injury data collection is uncertain.

(With inputs from agencies.)