Federal public health agency
Appears in 17 stories
Modernizing VAERS, the federal vaccine safety reporting database
The federal government opened a dedicated clinic at the National Institutes of Health this month to study and treat people reporting health problems after vaccination. It's the centerpiece of a new agency-wide push by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to document, investigate, and respond to vaccine injuries. An internal memo obtained by NPR says NIH plans an observational study of vaccinated people and possible complications, and may examine vaccine schedules and treatments.
Updated 3 days ago
Tracking outbreak; issued travel alert for three new countries; provided $800K, no field investigators deployed
Florida has tallied 296 locally acquired dengue cases this year, the largest outbreak in the continental United States in decades. The cluster is centered in Hillsborough County, home to Tampa. A state of emergency there now runs through Oct. 15, and crews spray for mosquitoes day and night.
Updated 4 days ago
Canceled Minnesota's Public Health Infrastructure Grant; defendant in lawsuit
Minnesota's 988 crisis line system is now working with $4.2 million in new federal money. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) obligated the award on September 7, and the project period began September 30.
Updated Oct 5
Funder of the four-year State of AD initiative
On October 1, the National Eczema Association released the first national and state-level dataset on atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema. The CDC-funded report spans all 50 states, Washington D.C., every age group, and every major insurance type.
Updated Oct 1
Producer of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and Youth Health in Focus report
One in three American high school students felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2025, down from two in five in 2023 and the lowest share since before the pandemic. The share who seriously considered suicide fell from 20% to 14% in the same two-year stretch.
Updated Sep 25
Maintains U.S. ASD prevalence surveillance
A study published this week in JAMA Pediatrics examined birth cohorts in Denmark and found that the seven-year cumulative incidence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remained stable across 12 consecutive birth cohorts. The finding directly challenges the idea that autism is becoming more common, and instead points to improved detection as the main driver of rising reported rates.
Updated Sep 19
Runs the NHANES survey used in the study
The solvent that removes grease and stains from dry-cleaned clothes is in the blood of 7% of Americans. A new study finds these people are three times more likely to have significant liver fibrosis - the scarring that precedes cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Updated Sep 8
Operating under acting director with significant leadership turnover
Jay Bhattacharya co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration in October 2020, publicly opposing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's pandemic response policies. Five years later, he now controls both the CDC and the National Institutes of Health—the two largest federal public health agencies—making him the most powerful health official in America outside the cabinet.
Updated May 29
Enhanced entry screening now active at Dulles, Atlanta, and Houston; Title 42 restrictions in force for non-citizens from DRC, Uganda, and South Sudan; coordinating evacuations of exposed Americans
WHO Director-General Tedros warned on May 25 that the epidemic is 'outpacing' containment efforts. More than 900 suspected cases and 220 suspected deaths have been recorded across three DRC provinces. The virus has reached parts of North and South Kivu governed by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, whose parallel administration in Goma has blocked use of the city's main airport.
Updated May 25
Primary source for overdose mortality data; released full-year 2025 provisional figures May 2026
U.S. overdose deaths fell for the third straight year in 2025. CDC provisional data released May 2026 projects 69,973 deaths for the full year—down 14% from 2024 and about 38% below the 2022 peak of 112,000.
Updated May 23
Tracking 910 cases across 24 states as of Feb 12
The United States declared measles eliminated in 2000, after decades of vaccination campaigns against the most contagious virus known to infect humans. On January 22, 2026, that status entered jeopardy when the country passed one year and two days of continuous transmission, starting in West Texas.
Updated May 22
Lost 25% of staff in 2025; facing proposed 53% budget cut for FY2026
The U.S. joined the WHO on June 14, 1948, three years after helping design the agency, and became the first to withdraw on January 22, 2026, ending 77 years of involvement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited the WHO's 'failures during the COVID-19 pandemic' and its inability to demonstrate independence from 'inappropriate political influence.' The U.S. left without paying between $130 million and $278 million in disputed dues.
Monitoring outbreak, assessing pandemic risk as 'low' but rising
In March 2024, H5N1 avian influenza appeared in U.S. dairy cattle for the first time. It has since infected over 1,000 herds across 17 states and 70 humans; one person has died.
Updated May 19
Tracking cases, assessing elimination status, and supporting state outbreak responses
Measles, the virus the U.S. declared vanquished in 2000, is back with a vengeance. In 2025 it has infected nearly 2,000 Americans, with runaway outbreaks now in South Carolina's Upstate and the Arizona–Utah border towns, forcing hundreds of mostly unvaccinated students and families into quarantine.
Updated May 11
Holds final authority to adopt ACIP’s new recommendation into the national schedule
In December 2025, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 8–3 to end the universal recommendation for hepatitis B vaccination within 24 hours of birth. The committee was reconstituted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On December 16, 2025, Acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill formally adopted the recommendation.
Updated May 10
Under pressured leadership changes and tasked with implementing revised vaccine guidance
In his second term, President Donald Trump is overhauling U.S. childhood vaccination policy. He argues the country gives too many shots compared with its peers. On December 5, 2025, a federal vaccine advisory panel voted 8–3 to end the longstanding hepatitis B shot recommendation for newborns. Trump signed a memorandum ordering the HHS secretary and CDC director to review the childhood schedule and align it where possible with peer countries' practices.
Adopted ACIP’s revised hepatitis B birth-dose policy on December 16, 2025; reviewing serology testing recommendation
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 8–3 on December 5, 2025 to end the recommendation that every U.S. newborn receive a hepatitis B shot within 24 hours of birth. The committee had been recently overhauled under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; acting CDC Director Jim O'Neill ratified the change on December 16, 2025.
Updated May 9
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