"To be completely honest, we're not quite sure how these cuts will impact 77 health department or other health departments, or even health departments nationwide," Rhine said. "It is something we're still trying to figure out."

ULLIN, Ill. — The Illinois Department of Public Health is out of millions of dollars after the Trump administration slashed critical funds for infectious disease initiatives.

The administration revoked $125 million in funds previously allocated for the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases Program. The administration also blocked $324 million for future infectious disease initiatives. The funds were awarded under the federal bipartisan CARES Act during President Donald Trump's first term.

The cuts are expected to affect 97 Illinois health departments. Southern Seven Health Department in Ullin is one of them. Community Outreach Coordinator Shawnna Rhine said on Thursday that it's unclear how the loss in those funds will affect the department at this time.

However, she noted the funds were for various initiatives to detect, prevent, and treat infectious diseases: COVID-19, measles, and bird flu. Those funds also help with disease prevention related to fleas and ticks.

The most considerable impact is on health-related studies and vaccinations, which are heavily used to prevent infectious diseases.

Children could be affected the most since they require certain shots to be eligible to attend school. If the cuts affect Southern Seven, Rhine said they might face a vaccination shortage heading into 2026 — which she said isn't uncommon.

"It could be difficult for people to get those services through their local health department. Now, they may still be able to get them through their physician, but local health departments could be impacted by that and could reduce the opportunity for people to get those, those needed services."

Another concern of Rhine's, in light of funding cuts, is the ability to be "pandemic ready." She noted that departments never know when a pandemic will happen. So, by cutting funds, departments can become ill-equipped to respond — mainly because the funding cuts may highly affect vaccination research and supply.

The funding cuts could affect vaccination supplies as well as research. Rhine said it's too early to worry if Southern Seven will be affected by the funding cuts.

With many Illinois Health Departments underfunded, any more cuts could make it difficult for them to provide the public with essential disease prevention services.

Although much is still unknown regarding the impacts, Rhine encourages patients to stay informed about changes at their local health department. She noted that now is not the time to worry, and stated, "We don't want you to be overly concerned that vaccines are not going to be available for you. We've not come to that point."

"If you're not up to date with your measles and some of the other vaccinations that you require, go ahead and contact your local health department. Get those scheduled now," Rhine said. "Talk with your doctor, talk with your local healthcare provider, talk with your health departments, talk with people that you trust to make sure that you're getting what you need as far as those preventative measures."

Southern Seven Health Department in Ullin, Illinois, and 96 other health departments across Illinois could be affected by the recent 125 million funding cuts by the trump administration.