In years before outbreak, investment in public health fell

In the decade before the coronavirus outbreak, state and local officials across the United States made steady and sometimes dramatic cuts to their first line of defense against pandemics and other public health emergencies.

Funding for public health was slashed at the federal level and for state and local departments after the 2008 recession caused serious budget problems. But as the economy recovered, public health funding did not.

A shortfall persisted despite several alarming outbreaks, from H1N1 to Ebola, and experts say that’s left the U.S. more vulnerable now to COVID-19.