Should Marty Makary take the reins at the FDA, transitioning from gadfly to the head of an agency that regulates a fifth of the U.S. economy, he would have to engage in the thorny challenges of governing.
Category: Public Health
KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: The State of Federal Health Agencies Is Uncertain
The Supreme Court opined for the first time that Trump administration officials may be exceeding their authority to reshape the federal government by refusing to honor completed contracts, even as lower-court judges started blocking efforts to fire workers, freeze funding, and cancel ongoing contracts. Meanwhile, public health officials are alarmed at the Department of Health and Human Services’ public handling of Texas’ widening measles outbreak, particularly the secretary’s less-than-full endorsement of vaccines. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Stephanie Armour of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
For Seniors With Hoarding Disorder, a Support Group Helps Confront Stigma and Isolation
Hoarding disorder disproportionately affects older people. As baby boomers age, it is a growing public health concern. Effective treatments are scarce, and treating hoarding can require expensive interventions that drain municipal resources. Some experts fear a coming crisis.
CDC sends 'disease detectives' as measles cases rise: 5 notes
The CDC has deployed a team of epidemiologists to West Texas as the state battles a growing measles outbreak, according to an agency post on X.
CDC Firings Undermine Public Health Work Far Beyond Washington
The Trump administration’s sudden firings have gutted training programs across the nation that bolstered state and local public health departments.
1 in 6 children will have obesity by 2050, study finds
New research indicates that global obesity rates will substantially increase between 2022 and 2030, with 15.6% of those ages 5 to 14 expected to have the chronic disease by 2050.
Vaccine meeting cancellation draws concerns: 5 respiratory illness updates
The CDC reported that acute respiratory illness levels remain moderate across the U.S., with influenza-related emergency department visits still high, RSV visits at moderate levels and COVID-19 visits considered at low levels.
Flu shot effectiveness this season: 4 key takeaways
Preliminary estimates show the flu vaccine was up to 55% effective at preventing hospitalizations among adults this season, according to a Feb. 27 CDC report.
1st death confirmed in measles outbreak: 4 updates
An unvaccinated school-age child in Texas became the first known U.S. measles fatality since 2015, The Washington Post reported Feb. 26.
CDC probes hospitalizations after chikungunya vaccination
Five older adults have been hospitalized after receiving the chikungunya vaccine, Ixchiq, prompting the CDC to launch an investigation.
