Public health news covering disease outbreaks, vaccination campaigns, CDC guidelines, health statistics, and community health initiatives.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed CDC Director Erica Schwartz to remove two Pennsylvania measles deaths from the agency's online tracker during an outbreak sickening 540 people. While deleted from public view, internal records still list them, drawing criticism as unprecedented interference in disease tracking protocols.
Four major US medical groups issued new vaccine guidelines, including an RSV window extension for pregnant people through March. Developed with the University of Minnesota's Vaccine Integrity Project due to a CDC collaboration breakdown, these recommendations urge broader immunization amid frozen federal advice following ACIP restructuring and recent FDA approvals of updated flu and COVID-19 vaccines.
Walmart is recalling Great Value-brand frozen berries across 16 states due to potential E. coli contamination linked to a multistate outbreak. The product, manufactured in Chile, contains strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Consumers are urged to discard or return items, as E. coli O145 can cause severe illness including kidney failure.
CVS Health announced that updated 2026-2027 COVID-19 vaccines are now available at its pharmacies and MinuteClinics across the United States. The shots are offered at no cost to patients with most insurance plans, with walk-ins accepted and appointments available via the CVS app or website.
A major study published in Nature indicates that childhood obesity is rapidly increasing in low and middle-income countries, shifting the epidemic's epicenter away from wealthier nations. Researchers found the sharpest rises in Peru for boys and in Tonga and Samoa for girls, with Indonesia also reporting significant recent gains.
Six Ebola checkpoints in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo stopped reporting last month because staff were not paid. Three additional sites in Ituri province, the outbreak's epicenter, joined the strike on Sunday, disrupting critical screening and infection control efforts. Officials found only 40 of 240 listed workers present, prompting biometric registration reforms.
Suicide death rates among Alaska youths reached a ten-year high in 2025, with 174 deaths recorded between 2016 and 2025. The fatality rate for children aged 10 to 18 nearly six times the national average, with Alaska Native youths facing disproportionately high rates at 47 per 100,000.
Amidst Michigan's cyclospora outbreak, experts suggest farmers markets offer greater produce transparency and traceability. However, health officials caution that local sourcing does not guarantee safety, advising shoppers to inquire about washing and handling practices directly with vendors.
New research by Refugees International links at least 161 deaths in Afghanistan to disruption from US aid cuts over the last 18 months. Half were women who died during pregnancy or childbirth, and 30 were newborn or foetal deaths. The report, based on interviews with nearly 550 healthcare workers, calls the deaths '100 per cent preventable'.
The authors argue that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and CDC are undermining public health trust by politicizing measles death definitions during a Pennsylvania outbreak. They contend that bypassing standard epidemiological processes erodes data consistency and hampers effective state-federal collaboration during disease outbreaks.