Public Health

The Government Accountability Office is calling on HHS to increase transparency in how it assesses and mitigates risk related to high-risk pathogen research.  In a report released Feb. 19, the GAO said HHS does not consistently disclose key details about…

The CDC is sending three service officers to South Carolina to assist the state in addressing an ongoing measles outbreak, officials with the state health department confirmed to The Hill.  The workers are expected to arrive in South Carolina the…

Public confidence that federal health agencies are providing trustworthy public health information has fallen for the second consecutive year, according to a March 5 survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.  The survey includes responses…

While shooting deaths in the U.S. decreased 14% in 2025 — the largest decline since 2015 — now is not the time to pull back on prevention efforts, healthcare, science and community leaders cautioned March 5. The remarks came during…

For the third time since March 2025, HHS has postponed a planned meeting for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which provides clinical preventive health recommendations to Congress every year.  The USPSTF, which is a volunteer panel of national experts…

In 2024, the U.S. maternal mortality rate was 17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births — the lowest level since 2018, according to a CDC report published March 4.  Five notes: 1. In 2024, there were 649 maternal deaths in the…

Children’s Hospital Association opened a new population health department and appointed Heidi Baskfield as vice president of mental and population health. The department was created to support children’s hospitals in addressing mental, behavioral, and physical health; help unify leadership and…

Measles outbreaks could cost the U.S. healthcare system $1.5 billion annually by 2030 if vaccination rates continue to drop, according to a new analysis from researchers at Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn.  The report, published Feb.…

The World Health Organization has recommended updating all three viral strains included in influenza vaccines for the Northern Hemisphere’s 2026 flu season. The changes include two influenza A strains and one influenza B strain, including a new A(H3N2) variant known…

One in 5 children aged 2 to 19 in the U.S. are living with obesity, marking the highest rate ever recorded, according to newly published data from the CDC. The agency published two reports Feb. 25 examining obesity prevalence in…