I live in Michigan, and right now, I can’t eat bagged lettuce or breathe clean air outside.
As you likely know, there is currently a parasite outbreak connected to produce in Michigan. Although it has now spread to more than 30 states, Michigan is the epicenter. And because of the wildfires in Canada, intense smoke has blown into our state. Today felt pretty strange.
When it comes to the parasite in particular, people are rightly concerned about how many people have been let go from federal agencies, particularly the CDC and FDA, including some of the people who monitor our food.
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to attend a public health meeting in Michigan, and I found myself thinking about the ways that public health workers are unsung heroes.
You don’t really know what public health professionals have been preventing until they’re gone. Most of the time, we have no idea how many disasters have been averted simply because people have the expertise, conduct the research, and practice the monitoring that keeps us safe.
I think, in this situation and in many others, we’re likely to find out the hard way.
So I want to thank the people who work in public health, who don’t often receive the recognition they deserve. We also know that funding doesn’t always follow protections people can’t see they’re receiving. But public health is a vital need and a social benefit for us all. We should fund the workers. We should fund the research. We should fund the monitoring.
Smuggling Grace 