Category: Health Policy
H.H.S. Takes a First Step Toward Restoring Vaccine Advisory Committee
NYT A federal judge last month questioned the legitimacy of the panel and overturned its recent work. A notice suggests that it may be revived on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s terms. The Health Department is quietly laying the groundwork to revive a vaccine advisory committee whose membership and decisions were frozen last month by a federal judge. […]
Apr 8, 2026
The White House Delays CDC Pick
Infectious Disease Advisor The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) remains without a permanent leader. It has had three different leaders during the current Trump administration and on Wednesday, the White House missed its deadline for nominating a candidate. Federal law limits someone to serve in an acting role for 210 days in […]
Apr 1, 2026
CDC temporarily pauses rabies, pox virus testing
American Hospital Association The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has temporarily paused rabies and pox virus testing, according to an update on its website March 30. The pox virus family consists of several viruses, including smallpox and mpox. The CDC typically confirms infections for rabies and pox viruses, among several other infectious diseases. Continue reading
Apr 1, 2026
Health Groups Hailed a Vaccine Ruling, but Their Relief May Be Short-Lived
NYT Lawyers for both sides in the federal lawsuit, brought by six medical organizations, are trying to understand the ramifications of the judge’s decision. When a federal judge on Monday blocked the changes in vaccine policy set in motion by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the last year, public health groups hailed the […]
Mar 25, 2026
FDA’s top infectious disease regulator to depart agency
STAT Adam Sherwat’s office has faced scrutiny from top FDA official Tracy Beth Høeg. The Food and Drug Administration official in charge of reviewing infectious disease products is leaving the agency, according to an email viewed by STAT. Adam Sherwat, the director of the Office of Infectious Diseases in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation […]
Mar 18, 2026
FDA Launches New Combined Adverse Event Database
MedPage Today System will replace safety databases monitoring drugs, devices, food, and more. “The FDA’s previous adverse event reporting systems were outdated and fragmented and made important data difficult to access,” FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, said in the release. “These clunky systems also wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and created blind spots in […]
Mar 11, 2026
NIH director launches “Scientific Freedom” lectures with non-scientist
ARS Technica On Tuesday, word spread that the National Institutes of Health was launching a series of what it’s calling “Scientific Freedom Lectures,” with the first scheduled for March 20. The “freedom” theme echoes one of the major concerns of the director of the NIH, Jay Bhattacharya, who feels he suffered outrageous censorship of his ideas […]
Mar 11, 2026
The global fallout of RFK Jr’s vaccine policies
NPR In his role as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is changing how the United States approaches vaccines. But those changes aren’t limited to the United States. This episode, NPR global health correspondent Gabrielle Emanuel shares two examples of how the global public health landscape may be shifting. First, the United States’ […]
Mar 4, 2026
N.I.H. Director Will Temporarily Run C.D.C. in Leadership Shake-Up
NYT Dr. Jay Bhattacharya will serve as the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until President Trump appoints a permanent director. The director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, will take on the additional role of acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two administration […]
Feb 18, 2026
The CDC just sidelined these childhood vaccines. Here’s what they prevent
NPR The federal government has drastically scaled back the number of recommended childhood immunizations, sidelining six routine vaccines that have safeguarded millions from serious diseases, long-term disability, and death. Just three of the six immunizations the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it will no longer routinely recommend — against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, […]
Jan 14, 2026