Vaccines, CDC, and Public Health News

For news on the Ebola outbreak see our Ebola page HERE.

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Mon, June 22, 2026:

• Flu cases rise to 222 at Texas base in outbreak blamed on Hegseth scrapping of vaccine mandate - Hill

Wed, June 17, 2026:

• Inside the push to keep RFK Jr.’s vaccine agenda alive. The public effort to revamp U.S. vaccine policy has quieted. Behind the scenes is a different story. - WP

Thurs, May 7, 2026:

• Hantavirus Response Shows How Trump Cuts Have Compromised U.S. Preparedness. The Trump administration has slashed funding for infectious disease research and has far fewer employees, including disease detectives, to respond to outbreaks. - NYT

Tues, May 5, 2026:

• F.D.A. Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe - NYT

Tues, April 28, 2026:

• RFK Jr. is holding up $600M in vaccines for poor countries. The distributor of the shots said it would cost tens of thousands of lives. - Politico

Mon, April 27, 2026:

• U.S. Government Will Stop Paying for Test Strips to Detect Deadly Drugs

  In a letter to states and other grant recipients, the Trump administration says the strips encourage drug use. - NYT

Wed, April 22, 2026:

• The CDC won’t publish a report showing the efficacy of the covid-19 vaccine.

  According to the report: The vaccine reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations among healthy adults by about half this past winter. - WP

Tues, April 21, 2026:

• Measles Took My Daughter. This Is What I Want Everyone to Know. - NYT

• Kennedy Refuses to Commit to Backing New C.D.C. Director on Vaccines - NYT

Mon, April 20, 2026:

• As Measles Takes Toll on Kids, Anti-Vaxxers Have Change of Heart

  Enough parents are quietly embracing the MMR that it’s helping to slow the outbreaks. - Bloomberg

Thurs, April 16, 2026:

• RFK Jr. Admits Vaccine Might Have Stopped Child Measles Death - Bloomberg

Tues, April 14, 2026:

• More Americans doubt vaccine safety than trust it, POLITICO Poll finds.

  Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s views are commonplace across the land. - Politico

Thurs, March 26, 2026:

• Kennedy’s Vaccine Agenda Hits Roadblocks, Diminishing His Clout

  Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism is posing challenges for the Trump administration. Top health jobs are unfilled, and a court has blocked his vaccine schedule changes. - NYT

Fri, March 20, 2026:

• The assumption that hospitals can easily absorb an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases is flawed and dangerous. - NYT

Mon, March 16, 2026:

• Judge Blocks RFK Jr.’s Efforts to Reshape U.S. Vaccine Policy. The blocked changes include: altering the childhood immunization schedule, firing the entirety of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee and changing COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. - NOTUS

Thurs, March 5, 2026:

• Why it matters that the government is messing with health databases. There is no replacement for reliable data from federal government databases. - WP

Thurs, Feb 26, 2026:

• Trump’s surgeon general pick, Casey Means, still lacks votes for confirmation

  Two Republican senators told POLITICO they were undecided after Means faced tough questions on her vaccine views at a nomination hearing. - Politico

• A Vaccine Skeptic as Surgeon General. Casey Means won’t restore confidence in public-health advice. - WSJ Ed. Bd.

• RFK Jr.’s war on vaccines is coming for the elderly. The miseries of aging are more linked to late-life infections than was previously understood. - WP

Wed, Feb 25, 2026:

• Surgeon general nominee won’t say she urges vaccination - Axios

Tues, Feb 24, 2026:

• As measles cases climb, these 9 diseases threaten comebacks - WP

• States sue Trump administration over changes to childhood vaccine recommendations - AP

Mon, Feb 23, 2026:

• CDC deputy director abruptly departs agency - CNN

Wed, Feb 18, 2026:

• White House taps Jay Bhattacharya, CDC critic, to lead agency for now - WP

• N.I.H. Director Will Temporarily Run C.D.C. in Leadership Shake-Up. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya will serve as the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention until President Trump appoints a permanent director. - NYT

• F.D.A. Reverses Decision and Agrees to Review Moderna’s Flu Vaccine. Moderna held further discussions with regulators and announced that the agency would accept the company’s application for approval of its flu vaccine that uses mRNA technology. - NYT

Mon, Feb 16, 2026:
Vaccine Makers Curtail Research and Cut Jobs. Federal policies under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that are hostile to vaccines have “sent a chill through the entire industry,” one scientist said. - NYT

Fri, Feb 13, 2026:
Kennedy Allies Target States to Overturn Vaccine Mandates for Schoolchildren. Proponents of vaccines warn that the efforts will further dismantle the immunization infrastructure and lead to more outbreaks of disease. - NYT
Doctors bear the burden as ‘medical freedom’ fuels worst US measles outbreak in 30 years - Reuters

Thurs, Feb 12, 2026:
Where to find evidence-based adult vaccine recommendations. Adults should also stay up-to-date with vaccines. Here’s where to go for trusted guidance. - WP

Tues, Feb 10, 2026:
The vaccine maker Moderna said on Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration had notified the company that the agency would not review its mRNA flu vaccine, the latest sign of federal health policy that has become hostile to vaccine development. - NYT

Sun, Feb 8, 2026:
Divide between RFK Jr. and Medicare-Medicaid Administrator Mehmet Oz?
Oz urges public to take the measles vaccine as U.S. cases rise. - PBS
‘Take the vaccine, please,’ Dr. Mehmet Oz says in an appeal as measles cases rise - AP

Thurs, Jan 29, 2026:
US vaccine changes lead some parents to question other newborn care - Reuters

Tues, Jan 27, 2026:
Trump Policies at Odds With Emerging Understanding of Covid’s Long-Term Harm - KFF

Sat, Jan 24, 2026:
More funding chaos: The Trump administration thrust state and local health departments into confusion Saturday, temporarily pausing a roughly $5 billion grant that funds workers involved in community outreach, emergency preparedness, and disease outbreaks. - WP

Fri, Jan 23, 2026:
Rejecting Decades of Science, Vaccine Panel Chair Says Polio and Other Shots Should Be Optional - NYT

Mon, Jan 19, 2026:
Lawsuit contests RFK Jr.’s new vaccine guidance for children. Several public health organizations accused the health secretary of packing a key advisory committee with vaccine skeptics, arguing its latest guidance should be voided. - WP

Thurs, Jan 15, 2026:
How RFK Jr. plans to bankrupt vaccine manufacturers. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to flood the vaccine injury compensation program to hurt vaccine access in the U.S. - WP

Tues, Jan 13, 2026:
New RFK Jr. pick for vaccine panel: ‘I was not anti-vaccine. I am now.’ - WP

Sat, Jan 10, 2026:
The CDC now recommends that U.S. children get a single dose of a vaccine against human papilloma virus at age 11, rather than the recommended two or three doses. It also ended longstanding guidance that children receive vaccines against the flu, rotavirus, meningococcal disease and hepatitis A. And more than 80% of the 310 measles cases reported in South Carolina are among unvaccinated people. - Reuters

Fri, Jan 9, 2026:
RFK Jr.’s Reckless Vaccine Experiment Puts Children at Risk - Bloomberg Ed. Bd.

Wed, Jan 7, 2026:
The big plan behind Kennedy’s overhaul of childhood vaccines. Here’s how the downgrading of shots could make it easier for people who claim vaccine injuries to sue for millions, driving manufacturers from the market. - Politico

Mon, Jan 5, 2026:
US drops the number of vaccines it recommends for every child - AP

Wed, Dec 31, 2025:
U.S. vaccination rates are plunging. Rocked by pandemic politics, the nation’s shield against infectious disease is shrinking. - WP

Tues, Dec 30, 2025:
How RFK Jr. upended the public health system - WP

Tues, Dec 23, 2025:
Trump, FDA Make Misleading International Vaccine Schedule Comparisons - FactCheck

Mon, Dec 15, 2025:
Measles cases surging as US approaches ’embarrassing’ milestone – Hill
For a quarter-century, the United States held a quiet but important line: measles was eliminated here. Not controlled. Not rare. Eliminated. That distinction mattered because it meant outbreaks didn’t last, and children didn’t die from a disease we already know how to prevent. That line is now on the verge of disappearing.

Fri, Dec 12, 2025:
FDA intends to put its most serious warning on Covid vaccines, sources say – CNN

Thurs, Dec 11, 2025:
Hundreds quarantined as South Carolina measles outbreak accelerates. A state epidemiologist said the spike in cases came in the wake of Thanksgiving travel and a lack of vaccinations. – WP

Fri, Dec 5, 2025:
Trump orders review of childhood vaccine schedule, calls U.S. an ‘outlier’. His announcement came hours after CDC advisers eliminated a long-standing recommendation for every newborn to receive a hepatitis B shot. – WP
The newly appointed chair of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel privately expressed concerns about the committee’s independence, according to a transcript of remarks obtained by POLITICO
The CDC’s change to hepatitis B vaccination is even worse than it seems. The new recommendations portend even more harmful shifts ahead. – WP

Thurs, Dec 4, 2025:
Top Senate health leader calls CDC vaccine panel ‘totally discredited’ – Stat

Tues, Dec 2 2025:
Vaccine Committee May Make Significant Changes to Childhood Schedule. Comments by President Trump, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and some panelists suggest the committee is likely to delay hepatitis B shots and discuss revising the use of other vaccines. – NYT

Tues, Nov 25, 2025:
Louisiana health official who is critical of COVID vaccines tapped as CDC’s No. 2 – The Hill

Sun, Nov 23, 2025:
RFK Jr. Turns the CDC Against Vaccines. The agency’s website is revised to spread autism fears, despite serious science finding no link. – WSJ

Thurs, Nov 20, 2025:
CDC ‘vaccine safety’ webpage changed to contradict scientific conclusion that vaccines don’t cause autism – PBS
Revised CDC Website About Autism and Vaccines Is Not Evidence-Based – FactCheck.org

Wed, Nov 19, 2025:
A Small Texas Think Tank Cultivated Covid Dissidents. Now They’re Running US Health Policy. – KFF

Thurs, Nov 13, 2025:
Five key questions about GLP-1 weight loss medicines. What we don’t yet know about GLP-1s — and why it’s important to find out. – WP

Fri, Nov 7, 2025:
Wielding Obscure Budget Tools, Trump’s ‘Reaper’ Vought Sows Turmoil in Public Health – KFF

Thurs, Nov 6, 2025:
Trump unveils deal to expand coverage and lower costs on obesity drugs – AP

Tues, Nov 4, 2025:
Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine sales tumble after government guidance on the shots narrows – AP

Sat, Oct 11, 2025:
HHS rehiring some people fired through reduction-in-force efforts. A Trump administration legal document said HHS initially targeted 1,000 to 1,200 employees for dismissal, and people speaking with POLITICO say the firings focused on the CDC. – Politico

Mon, Oct 6, 2025:
CDC endorses RFK Jr. vaccine panel recommendations. The Trump administration’s move formalizes advice to soften or eliminate previous policies. – Politico

Thurs, Sept 25, 2025:
Five troubling themes that show where CDC vaccine policy is headed – WP/Wen

Tues, Sept 23, 2025:
Trump’s escalating attacks on vaccines shock public health leaders. Trump promoted long-debunked claims that vaccines can cause autism as he called for changes to the childhood immunization schedule sought by anti-vaccine activists. – WP

Wed, Sept 17, 2025:
Major health insurer group says members will continue to cover vaccines, a step that may ease anxiety over access. Move by AHIP comes as an influential advisory panel that could alter federal recommendations is set to meet – Stat
Western States Issue Their Own Vaccine Recommendations to Counter Kennedy. The guidelines, from California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii, mirror those of major medical organizations. – NYT

Thurs, Sept. 10, 2025:
House appropriators snub Kennedy, include mRNA vaccine funding in spending bill – Stat

Fri, Sept 5, 2025:
Operation Warp Speed was one of Trump’s biggest achievements. Then came RFK Jr. and vaccine skeptics – AP
States move to protect vaccines in the face of attempts to remove mandates – AP

Thurs, Sept 4, 2025:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the CDC and Me. I was fired after 29 days because I held the line and insisted on rigorous scientific review. – WSJ

Wed, Sept 3, 2025:
Washington, Oregon and California governors form alliance in rebuke of Trump administration – AP

Thurs, Aug 28, 2025:
5 big collisions between RFK Jr. and CDC scientists before director was fired. In the months before Director Susan Monarez was fired, the CDC faced mass firings, changing vaccine advice and a shooting at its headquarters in Atlanta. – WP

Wed, Aug 27, 2025:
The quiet collapse of America’s pandemic preparedness – Hill

Fri, Aug 22, 2025:
The Problem Isn’t Trust in Vaccines, It’s That People Don’t Know Who to Trust – KFF

Thurs, Aug 14, 2025:
Congress is lukewarm on RFK Jr.’s plans. In the states, they’re catching fire. – Politico

Wed, Aug 6, 2025:
RFK Jr. pulls $500 million in funding for vaccine development – AP
RFK Jr. is slandering mRNA technology. Americans will bear the cost. Canceling research will slow down lifesaving innovation and increase U.S. vulnerability to pandemics. – WP

Mon, Aug 4, 2025:
AMA and other medical associations are kicked out of CDC vaccine workgroups – AP

Thurs, July 17, 2025:
Vaccine divide widens after CDC committee shake-up. Pediatricians hit the Hill to convince lawmakers to support childhood immunizations – Roll Call

Tues, July 15, 2025:
Kennedy Claims Doctors Profit Off Vaccines. In Fact, Many Lose Money on Them. – NYT

Tues, July 8, 2025:
Measles cases reach highest point since the disease was eliminated in U.S. in 2000. An outbreak in West Texas that spread to several other states drove the case counts up substantially. – NBC

Mon, July 7, 2025:
Major medical associations sue Kennedy, Trump administration health leaders for Covid-19 vaccine changes – CNN

Wed, June 25, 2025:
Kennedy Withdraws U.S. Funding Pledge to International Vaccine Agency – NYT
Dr. Atul Gawande, a surgeon who led global health work in the Biden administration, called Mr. Kennedy’s remarks “stunning and calamitous.”
RFK Jr.’s vaccine panel to review childhood immunization schedule. The move could shift long-standing practices of how and when children are immunized in the United States. – WP

Tues, June 24, 2025:
The plan to vaccinate all Americans, despite RFK Jr. The effort comes as the Trump administration has replaced members of the key federal vaccine advisory panel. – WP

Tues, June 10, 2025:
RFK Jr.’s firing of CDC vaccine panel undermines science, could threaten public health, experts say – CNBC

Fri, May 30, 2025:
Contradicting RFK Jr., CDC keeps recommending covid vaccine for kids. Earlier this week, the health and human services secretary said healthy children did not need to get vaccinated for the coronavirus. – WP

Thurs, May 29, 2025:
HHS cancels funding for Moderna to develop vaccines to combat bird flu. The department cited Moderna’s use of the messenger RNA technology, which it said “remains under-tested,” for the cancellation of the funding. – WP

Mon, May 12, 2025:
RFK Jr.’s ‘doublespeak’ on vaccines – WP

Thurs, May 8, 2025:
Trump’s surgeon general nominee not a practicing physician, says “I think vaccine mandates are criminal.” – LATimes

Thurs, April 24, 2025:
Millions of U.S. measles cases forecast over 25 years if shots decline; Measles, once virtually wiped out in the United States, could become commonplace again if declining vaccination rates continue, a new model shows. – WP

Wed, April 23, 2025:
Americans unsure what to believe about the measles vaccine, poll shows; Parents who believe, or lean toward believing, false claims say they delayed or skipped some recommended vaccines for their children. – WP

Wed, March 26, 2025:
Trump administration to cut $11.4 billion in COVID funding from local health departments – CBS

Tues, March 25, 2025:
Measles outbreak sends warning for future of infectious disease; Lawmakers urge health agencies to send consistent message on vaccine uptake – Roll Call

Tues, March 4, 2025:
H5N1 is spreading. America is not ready – WP/Wen
RFK Jr’s botched message on measles – WP

Mon, March 3, 2025:
Top HHS spokesperson quits after clashing with RFK Jr. – Politico

Tues, Feb 18, 2025:
Kennedy says panel will examine childhood vaccine schedule after promising not to change it – AP

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