The shutdown of the US federal government that began October 1, is having a wide spread impact on science and research. In addition to worker furloughs, researchers cannot access their labs, travel to meetings, or engage in fieldwork. Some extramural researchers report they are also unable to complete fieldwork. Grant processing, reviews and meetings have also been postponed. However, the CDC did recall 30 employees to investigate a salmonella outbreak that has affected 18 states. At the NIH, clinical trial enrollment and patient treatment at the agency’s hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, have been halted, except for a few patients. The DOE national labs are expected to start closures this month to conserve funds. FDA meetings with pharmaceutical companies may be delayed, and the CDC is suspending a program to track influenza. In some cases, university labs have been able to take over projects, such as data collection on the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus.

Source: The Scientist