To the editor:

Last week, for the first time in over 60 years, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, or MMWR, was not released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The MMWR is the CDC’s primary outlet for sharing information about outbreaks, chronic and infectious diseases, and vaccines. Absence of the MMWR means that critical information is not being relayed to state and local public health departments and health care providers on a timely basis, which can result in delays in responding to emerging threats, such as the H5N1 (bird flu) outbreak and the largest tuberculosis outbreak ever in the U.S. that is currently occurring in nearby Wyandotte County. The question we should all be asking is “why?” Why is this source of vital information to protect the health of the public being withheld, information that in the past helped to eliminate diseases such as measles, smallpox, polio and tetanus? I am questioning my elected representatives about this critical lapse in communication, and hope that other citizens will, as well.

Dot Nary,

Lawrence