As hospitals navigate a severe virus season, measles is emerging as another infectious disease threat.
Category: Public Health
1st Ohio human bird flu case detected: 4 updates
A farmer in Mercer County, Ohio, has tested positive for H5N1 influenza, marking the state’s first human case of bird flu.
Flu deaths surpass COVID-19 for 1st time since pandemic began: 5 updates
For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, more people in the U.S. died of influenza than from COVID-19, according to CDC data for the week ending Jan. 25.
Urgent CDC Data and Analyses on Influenza and Bird Flu Go Missing as Outbreaks Escalate
Delays in urgent CDC analyses of seasonal flu and bird flu, and the agency’s silence, will harm Americans as outbreaks escalate, doctors and public health experts warn.
Louisiana halts mass vaccination efforts: 5 notes
The Louisiana Department of Health has terminated mass vaccination campaigns and barred public health workers from recommending seasonal vaccines, The Times-Picayune reported Feb. 13.
KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: Courts Try To Curb Health Cuts
Some of the Trump administration’s dramatic funding and policy shifts are facing major pushback for the first time — not from Congress, but from the courts. Federal judges around the country are attempting to pump the brakes on efforts to freeze government spending, shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, eliminate access to health-related webpages and datasets, and limit grant funding provided by the National Institutes of Health. Meanwhile, Congress is off to a slow start in trying to turn President Donald Trump’s agenda into legislation, although Medicaid is clearly high on the list for potential funding cuts. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Maya Goldman of Axios News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Mark McClellan, director of the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy and a former health official during the George W. Bush administration, about the impact of cutting funding to research universities.
Officials warn of growing measles outbreak in Texas
Nine people have been hospitalized amid a measles outbreak in Gaines County, Texas, The Washington Post reported Feb. 13.
Republican States Claim Zero Abortions. A Red-State Doctor Calls That ‘Ludicrous.’
In several red states, officials say few or no abortions happened in 2023, raising alarm among researchers about the politicization of vital statistics.
Nevada dairy worker infected with new bird flu strain: 5 things to know
A new strain of bird flu, D1.1, has spread from dairy cows to a human in Nevada, marking a significant development in the ongoing outbreak, according to the CDC.
Gun-related injuries cost healthcare $1.06B in 2019: 3 study notes
The cost of hospitalizations for firearm-related injuries exceeded $1.05 billion in 2019, according to a recent study.
