WASHINGTON -- Just hours into the government shutdown on Monday, the world of scientific research began feeling the pain.


Across the country, federal agencies shut their doors and required non-essential personnel to drop their work. The result was something akin to short-term paralysis, not just for officials in those institutions but also for the large community of researchers and academics that depends on them.


At the University of Hawaii, work on a vaccination for rat lungworm disease -- a gastrointestinal infection[1] that causes eosinophilic meningitis in humans -- was put on hold when scientists were suddenly prohibited from accessing the facilities where they do a large portion of their work.


Dr. Susan Jarvi, an associate professor at the university's campus in Hilo, said the shutdown could mean a major setback for her research, which has gone on for roughly two years now. One of two researchers in the state looking into rat lungworm disease, she is currently testing whether a vaccine developed in Spain could prove effective on rats in Hawaii.


"People have died from rat lungworm disease," she said, underscoring the consequences of a virus that is prevalent in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands but is relatively unknown in the continental United States. "We've had suicides. We have had children die."


But since a chunk of her work is done at buildings operated by the United States Department of Agriculture, and because as a state employee she is not designated as essential personnel, she suddenly found herself without a lab on Monday.


"Does a government shutdown hinder us? Of course," she said. "Anyone working with federal scientists is going to be impacted in some way."


Research like Jarvi's is one of the first victims of a shutdown. While many federal agencies are taking steps to ensure that programs continue unaffected -- despite the inability of Congress to come to a funding agreement -- certain cuts have to be made[2] .


At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials are now unable to support a seasonal influenza program. At the Food and Drug Administration, the majority of "food safety, nutrition and cosmetic activities" are no longer being supported. And at the National Institutes of Health, patients applying for clinical treatment will no longer be accepted.


On Monday, NIH Director Francis Collins said that about 200 such patients[3] have found themselves on the outside looking in -- wanting treatment at the NIH but denied a spot because of the shutdown.


The repercussions of the shutdown were felt in smaller doses as well. Another HuffPost reader named Alice Schulte wrote that her son, a scientist with the United States Geological Survey who lives in Anchorage, Alaska, was locked out of his office on Monday, along with all of his colleagues.


"They are in limbo," Schulte wrote in an email. "Will they be allowed to continue vital research projects? Will they recover lost pay? He has a very young family to support."


Should the shutdown last only a few days, the doors of federal buildings will reopen; the uncertainty of these situations will dissipate, and, perhaps, researchers forced to stay at home will get back pay for their missed time.


But the damage done to medicine and science will be harder to fix, those in the field stressed. Research can often be time-dependent, and missing a few days has consequences. In some case, entire events will be canceled with little opportunity to make them up.


Ellen Beckjord, an assistant professor in the Biobehavioral Medicine in Oncology Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, told HuffPost that the National Cancer Institute canceled a conference on cancer prevention that was supposed to take place Tuesday and Wednesday simply because of the potential for a shutdown. The event had been planed more than a year in advance.


When it became clear that an agreement in Congress wasn't coming, the NCI told attendees -- mostly researchers and practitioners from across the country -- not to show up.


"It is deeply disappointing," Beckjord said. "We are hoping to reschedule before the end of the calendar year, but there are no guarantees."


"It’s been a hard day," she added. "Academic medicine is no day at the beach. It doesn’t help matters when the rug gets torn out from under you like this. I’m frustrated with government at every level, and feel angry and sad about the state of politics in America."


HuffPost Readers: If you work for the government, or will otherwise be affected by the government shutdown, we want to hear from you. If you're willing to discuss your perspective, please click here[4] and fill out our short survey. Or, you can email us here[5] to share your story.


Disclosure: This reporter's wife is a federal employee who has been furloughed during the government shutdown.



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  • Barack Obama


    President Barack Obama pauses while speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, about the government shutdown. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a protracted dispute over Obama's signature health care law reached a boiling point, forcing some 800,000 federal workers off the job. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)




  • Senate Republicans


    Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (2ndR), speaks while flanked by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) (R), Sen. John Thune (R-SD) (2nd-L) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-PA) (L) after the Senate Republican policy luncheon, on Capitol Hill, October 1, 2013 in Washington D.C. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)




  • House Republicans


    House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., left, looks on as Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 in Washington. Congress was unable to reach a midnight deadline to keep the government funded, triggering the first government shutdown in more than 17 years. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)




  • Capitol Protesters


    A protester covers his mouth with a dollar bill as he joins others in a demonstration in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on October 1, 2013 urging congress to pass the budget bill. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Lincoln Memorial


    A US Park Police officer watches at left as a National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)




  • Chuck Hagel


    U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel listens on speaker phone during a conversation with Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and other senior Defense Department officials about the U.S. government shutdown, at his hotel in Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday Oct. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)




  • American Cemetery


    A notice advising visitors that the American Cemetery is closed due to the partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government hangs from the gates of the cemetery in Suresnes, west of Paris, Tuesday Oct. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)




  • President Barack Obama


    U.S. President Barack Obama delivers remarks about the launch of the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces and the first federal government shutdown in 17 years as he's joined by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (R) and Americans who will benefit from the Affordable Care Act in the Rose Garden of the White House October 1, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)




  • National Parks


    Park Ranger Scott Rolfes locks a gate closing a road over the dam at Saylorville Lake, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in Saylorville, Iowa. About 800,000 federal workers are being forced off the job in the first government shutdown in 17 years, suspending most nonessential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)




  • MLK Jr. Monument


    A U.S. Park Service worker hammers a iron stake into the ground to install a fence around the Martin Luther King Monument in Washington, D.C., October 1, 2013, as the first U.S. Federal government shutdown since 1995 begins. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Smithsonian Museums


    Fay Wagstaff, right, and her mother Fernanda Wagstaff of El Paso, Texas., sit outside the closed Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)




  • Everglades National Park


    Park Ranger Christine MacKarvich mans the Shark Valley entrance booth in Everglades National Park, early Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. She was told to report to work but had been warned that a call from the park service would shut the park down. The partial government shutdown that began Tuesday left many federal workers uncertain of their financial future, with many facing unpaid furloughs or delays in paychecks. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)




  • Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas)


    U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) (R) talks to a military veteran at the World War II Memorial during a government shutdown October 1, 2013 in Washington, D.C. The memorial was temporary opened to veteran groups arrived on Honor Flights on a day trip to visit the nation's capital. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)




  • Denis McDonough


    White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough listens to President Barack Obama deliver remarks about the launch of the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplaces and the first federal government shutdown in 17 years in the Rose Garden of the White House October 1, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)




  • Liberty Bell


    Visitors to Independence National Historical Park are reflected in the window of the closed building housing the Liberty Bell, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)




  • Statue Of Liberty


    A park ranger, who declined to give his name, reads a sign announcing the closing of the Statue of Liberty, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)




  • Lincoln Memorial


    A U.S. Park Police officer ties police tape to a hand rail closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)




  • Statue Of Liberty


    A tour operator uses a megaphone to announce that the Statue of Liberty is closed due to a government shutdown, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 in New York. The shutdown, the first since the winter of 1995-96, closed national parks across the nation. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)




  • Castle Clinton


    A government employee steps out of an opening in a door at Castle Clinton National Monument in lower Manhattan, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)




  • Statue Of Liberty


    People look at a sign for informing that the Statue of Liberty is closed due to the government shutdown in Battery Park on October 1, 2013 in New York City. Federal museums and parks across the nation are closed starting today due to a government shutdown for the first time in nearly two decades. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)




  • Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial


    US Park Rangers place barricades in front of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC, October 1, 2013, as all National Parks closed due to a US government shutdown. (JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)




  • National Gallery Of Art


    A group of art students take up the staircase of the National Art Gallery as it is closed due to Federal government shutdown in Washington, DC, on October 1, 2013. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Clinton Presidential Library


    Visitors walk from the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Ark., after being informed that the building is closed Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 because of the government shutdown. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)




  • Ebenezer Baptist Church


    A man walks past a sign on the doors of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta notifying visitors that the church is closed because of the government shutdown, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)




  • World War II Memorial


    A US military war veteran visits the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on October 1, 2013. The US Park Service opened the area to the veterans who are brought to Washington to visit and reflect at their memorials. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)




  • World War II Memorial


    U.S. military war veteran takes photos at the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on October 1, 2013. The U.S. Park Service opened the area to the veterans who are brought to Washington to visit and reflect at their memorials. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.)


    US Rep. Michelle Bachmann (L),R-MN, greets a US military war veteran as he arrives to visit the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on October 1, 2013. The US Park Service opened the area to the veterans who are brought to Washington to visit and reflect at their memorials. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)




  • World War II Memorial


    A closure sign is seen as US military war veterans visit the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on October 1, 2013. The US Park Service opened the area to the veterans who are brought to Washington to visit and reflect at their memorials. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Republicans Address The Media


    WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 01: U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) (L), U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) (C) and U.S. Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) (R) speak to the media during a news conference on Capitol Hill, October 1, 2013 in Washington D.C. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)




  • Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial


    U.S. Park Police Officers yell at a biker while closing the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall October 1, 2013 in Washington, D.C. The U.S. government is in a forced shutdown after lawmakers failed to pass a spending bill last night. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Washington Monument


    A U.S. National Parks Service sign is seen on a fence near the Mall in Washington, D.C., on October 1, 2013. The U.S. government shut down Tuesday for the first time in 17 years after a gridlocked Congress failed to reach a federal budget deal amid bitter brinkmanship.(KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)




  • World War II Memorial


    Temporary fencing around the World War II Memorial prevents people from entering the monument on the National Mall October 1, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)




  • Lincoln Memorial


    A U.S. Park Police Officer stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on October 1, 2013. The U.S. lurched into a dreaded government shutdown today for the first time in 17 years, after Congress failed to end a bitter budget row after hours of dizzying brinkmanship. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Jefferson Memorial


    A woman views the Jefferson Memorial from behind barricades in Washington, D.C., on October 1, 2013. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Z-Burger


    An employee at Z-Burger in Washington, DC, prepares food during the lunch hour rush October 1, 2013. The fast-food chain is promising free hamburgers to federal workers who find themselves furloughed after the US government shutsdown Tuesday, its founder and proprietor Peter Tabibian said. (JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)




  • White House Visitor Center


    U.S. National Park Service employee Neil Hewett places a closure sign at the White House Visitor Center in Washington, D.C., on October 1, 2013. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)




  • National Mall


    Tourists ride bicycles down the National Mall in Washington, D.C., October 1, 2013, as the first U.S. Federal government shutdown since 1995 begins. The U.S. Park Police have closed off the mall to vehicle and pedestrian traffic due to the U.S. Government partial shutdown. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Park Service said it is technically illegal to use the mall. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Johnson Space Center


    Cars pass by NASA's Johnson Space Center Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)




  • World War II Memorial


    Korean War veteran Robert Olson, from Iowa, is pushed in his wheelchair by Zach Twedt, also from Iowa, around the National World War II Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)




  • Lake Mead National Recreation Area


    Lake Mead National Recreation Area park maintenance worker Donna Curry locks up a restroom facility at a picnic area inside the park,Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, near Boulder City, Nev. A partial government shutdown, caused by a budget impasse in Congress, has forced the closure of public sites including the nation's national parks. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)




  • Tidal Basin


    A barrier blocks the path along the Tidal Basin in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, that leads to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial which is closed. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)




  • National Zoo


    National Zoological Park Police Officer Will Jones directs visitor Miguel Miranda and his family of Mexico at the entrance of the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, as the zoo is closed due to the government shutdown. Miranda was advised to turn around. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)




  • U.S. Capitol


    The U.S. Capitol is seen behind an area closed for restoration sign on the National Mall in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)




  • White House


    The White House is seen behind a stop sign in Washington, DC, on October 1, 2013. The U.S. government shut down Tuesday for the first time in 17 years after a gridlocked Congress failed to reach a federal budget deal amid bitter brinkmanship. (KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Washington Monument


    The Washington Monument is seen behind a chain fence in Washington, DC, on October 1, 2013. (AREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Capitol Hill


    A rickshaw (pedicab) puller, who's main business is to transport tourists from one attraction to another in the capital, takes a nap near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on October 1, 2013 during the first day of the federal government shutdown. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)




  • The Morning Papers


    A woman buys a copy of the New York Daily News, featuring Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner following, an U.S. government shutdown in New York, October 1, 2013. (EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)




  • Crissy Field


    A cyclist reads a sign announcing the closure of a Park Service facility at Crissy Field due to the partial government shutdown on October 1, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)




  • Fort Point


    A visitor takes a picture of a sign announcing the closure of the Fort Point National Historic Site due to the partial government shutdown on October 1, 2013 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)




  • Harry Reid


    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., left, and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa listens to remarks by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., as they celebrate the start of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, during an event with other lawmakers and people whose lives have been impacted by lack of health insurance, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)




  • Blue Ridge Parkway Folk Art Center


    Resa Mestel, of New York, reacts after finding the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, N.C., closed due to the government shutdown Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)