While some health experts suggest that the next pandemic could be between five and 10 years away, what that pandemic could be caused by and if the U.S. will be ready for it are separate questions.
Category: Public Health
FDA warns of infection risk from 26 eye drop products
The FDA issued an alert Oct. 27 warning consumers to stop using 26 over-the-counter eye drop products because of the potential risk of eye infection that could lead to partial vision loss or blindness.
New COVID strain dominant in US: 4 notes
A new COVID-19 variant, HV.1, is now dominant in the U.S., accounting for more than 25% of cases, according to the latest CDC data.
CDC director greenlights mpox, meningitis vaccines
CDC Director Mandy Cohen, MD, signed off on new committee recommendations for two vaccines: mpox and meningitis.
Detecting COVID-19 gets murkier ahead of winter months
A quarter of the nation’s CDC-sponsored wastewater testing sites are shut down indefinitely as the agency looks to replace the firm it has worked with on wastewater surveillance since 2020, sparking concerns among public health officials that the natio…
A New Era of Vaccines Leaves Old Questions About Prices Unanswered
The CDC’s RSV vaccination recommendations beg the question: How much should an immunization that will possibly be given to millions of Americans cost to be truly valuable?
CDC panel recommends broader use of mpox vaccine
A CDC vaccine advisory group recommended the two-dose mpox vaccine for people 18 and older who are at higher risk, according to an Oct. 25 report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: The New Speaker’s (Limited) Record on Health
The House finally has a new speaker: Mike Johnson (R-La). He’s a relative newcomer who’s been a lower-level member of the House GOP leadership. And while he’s an outspoken opponent of abortion and same-sex marriage, his record on other health issues is scant. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health appears on track to be getting a new director, and Georgia’s Medicaid work requirement experiment is off to a very slow start. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.
CDC advisory panel OKs Pfizer's 5 in 1 meningitis vaccine
The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices formally recommended Pfizer’s meningitis vaccine Oct. 25, five days after the FDA granted it full approval.
Doubts Abound About a New Alzheimer’s Blood Test
Quest Diagnostics is selling a blood test online to consumers. But results may not be reliable or easy to interpret. And it isn’t covered by insurance.
