Public Health

The CDC is dolling out $262.5 million over five years to research centers across the U.S. The goal? To develop a national network that can forecast infectious disease outbreaks, something akin to the National Weather Service, according to a Sept.…

As global temperatures warm, infection-causing bacteria that thrives in both saltwater and freshwater — like Vibrio vulnificus and Naegleria fowleri — are increasing too, and with it, so is the risk to humans, The New York Times reported Sept. 20. 

HHS in partnership with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality announced it will allocate nine grant awards of $1 million each, for five years, to support long COVID clinics. 

Starting Sept. 25, Americans will again be able to order free COVID-19 tests through the federal government. The news comes amid the ninth consecutive week of COVID-19 hospital admissions increasing across the U.S. 

All pregnant individuals should have their blood pressure checked during every single prenatal visit, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends. 

The CDC will award Boston-based Northeastern University $17.5 million over the next five years to create an innovation center designed to help communities detect and prepare for future infectious disease outbreaks. 

The COVID-19 uptick in some parts of the country may have peaked, recent wastewater surveillance data suggests. 

The White House is planning to create a new federal office dedicated to gun violence prevention, The Washington Post first reported Sept. 19. 

More than 20,500 patients with COVID-19 were admitted to U.S. hospitals for the week ending Sept. 9, according to the latest CDC update. 

The World Health Organization on Sept. 19 published its first-ever report on high blood pressure — a condition behind 10.8 million avoidable deaths every year, according to the report.