CDC

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

FDA Launches New Probe Into Covid Vaccine Safety Claims

Agency scrutinizes reports involving child deaths, pregnant women after shots

(Newser) - The Food and Drug Administration is taking a closer look at reports of deaths among young people and pregnant women following COVID-19 vaccinations—an inquiry that comes despite years of global research affirming the vaccines' strong safety record, reports the New York Times . The new review appears to reflect...

Health Officials Send Up a Red Flag on West Nile Virus

Cases are 40% higher than normal, with health officials warning to protect oneself against skeeters

(Newser) - West Nile virus infections are intense so far this year, with case counts running 40% higher than normal, health officials say. More than 770 cases, including about 490 severe cases, were reported as of early September, according to CDC data posted this week. About 550 cases—350 of them severe—...

It's a Notable Change to America's Top 10 Killers

COVID no longer a top 10 cause of death

(Newser) - COVID has been a top 10 killer since 2020—but CDC data released Wednesday shows it fell off the list in 2024. ABC News reports that suicide took COVID's place among the top 10 leading causes of death last year. The report also found the death rate dipped...

'Kissing Bug' Sickness Now Endemic in US

CDC confirms cases of Chagas' disease across at least 8 states, mainly in the South

(Newser) - Chagas' disease, commonly referred to as "kissing bug" disease, is now officially recognized as endemic in the United States, according to the CDC. This means the disease, long associated with Latin America, is now consistently present in parts of the US, especially the South, per the Washington Post...

Tests Suggest More Workers Are Using Fentanyl

Positivity rate in random tests has doubled since 2020

(Newser) - A growing share of American workers are testing positive for fentanyl in random workplace drug checks, according to new data from Quest Diagnostics. The lab analyzed more than 8 million urine tests and found that 1.13% were positive for fentanyl in 2024, up from 0.91% the previous...

Ousted CDC Chief Accuses Kennedy of Vaccine 'Sabotage'

Susan Monarez says she was fired for trying to counter attempts to 'compromise science'

(Newser) - Susan Monarez lasted only 29 days in her job as head of the CDC before being fired last week . In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Monarez writes that she lost her job because she refused to go along with health secretary Robert F. Kennedy's plan to "compromise science....

Washington, Oregon, California Form Vaccine Alliance

Goings-on at the CDC 'will lead to severe health consequences,' governors say

(Newser) - The Democratic governors of Washington state, Oregon, and California announced Wednesday that they have created an alliance to establish their own recommendations for who should receive vaccines because they believe the Trump administration is putting Americans' health at risk by politicizing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the...

1K HHS Staffers Sign Letter Urging RFK Jr. to Go

The American people have been 'put at risk,' per the letter

(Newser) - Over 1,000 current and former Health and Human Services staffers have signed their names to a letter released Wednesday that calls for HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to go, claiming his leadership endangers public health. In a letter sent to Kennedy and members of Congress, the Hill...

Trump Demands Makers 'Justify Success' of COVID Vaccines

He says RFK Jr., CDC are 'ripping themselves apart'

(Newser) - President Trump took to his social media platform Monday with a question for pharmaceutical companies: can they "justify the success" of their COVID-19 vaccines?
  • "It is very important that the Drug Companies justify the success of their various Covid Drugs," Trump said in a Truth Social
...

Trump Picks RFK Jr. Deputy as Acting CDC Director
Trump Picks RFK Jr. Deputy
as Acting CDC Director
THE RUNDOWN
Aug 29, 2025 6:28 AM CDT

Trump Picks RFK Jr. Deputy as Acting CDC Director

Hundreds of CDC workers salute leaders who resigned in protest

(Newser) - There's a new person in charge at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—and he may be a lot more aligned with the views of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccines than Susan Monarez, who was fired less than a month after she was confirmed. The Washington Post...

Who's Running the CDC? It's a Little Unclear
'Tense' Clash With RFK Jr.
Led to CDC Chief's Trouble
the rundown
Aug 28, 2025 11:20 AM CDT

'Tense' Clash With RFK Jr. Led to CDC Chief's Trouble

White House says Susan Monarez is fired, but she is waiting to hear from Trump directly

(Newser) - The CDC was in a strange state of limbo Thursday: It remains unclear who is leading the health agency. On Wednesday, a White House spokesperson said Susan Monarez had been fired as head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Monarez's attorneys shot back at that: because...

FDA Introduces New Restrictions for Fall COVID Shots

Approval doesn't cover younger, healthy adults

(Newser) - The FDA has given the green light to updated COVID vaccines for this fall, but not for everybody. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Wednesday that the agency's latest approval only covers adults 65 and up, plus anyone—child or adult—with at least...

Hundreds of Staffers Losing Jobs at the CDC

Layoffs come amid worker anger at response to shooting at HQ in Atlanta

(Newser) - Two stories in the news suggest that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a tense place to work at the moment:
  • Layoffs: The Washington Post reports that between 500 and 600 CDC staffers received permanent layoff notices this week. The agency has not confirmed the number.
  • Letter to
...

AAP Splits With CDC on COVID Vaccine Guidance for Kids

American Academy of Pediatrics still strongly recommends COVID shots for those up to 2 years

(Newser) - ]For the first time in 30 years, the American Academy of Pediatrics is substantially diverging from US government vaccine recommendations, the AP reports. The group's new COVID-19 recommendations—released Tuesday—come amid a tumultuous year for public health, as vaccine skeptics have come into power in the new Trump...

A Day on the Lake May Have Led to 'Brain-Eating' Infection

Missouri resident hospitalized, linked to rare N. fowleri amoeba found in warm fresh water

(Newser) - A Missouri resident is in the hospital after contracting a rare and deadly "brain-eating" infection, according to state health officials. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said in a recent news release that the unidentified patient likely encountered Naegleria fowleri —a microscopic amoeba that can...

Shooter Fired 180 Times at CDC Buildings

Kennedy visits agency's campus in Atlanta

(Newser) - The man who attacked the CDC headquarters in Atlanta on Friday fired more than 180 shots into the campus and broke about 150 windows, with bullets piercing "blast-resistant" windows and spattering glass shards into numerous rooms, according to information circulated internally at the agency. It may take weeks or...

After Shooting, CDC Staff Wants End to Vaccine Misinformation

Gunman had sought mental health help, investigators say

(Newser) - The Georgia man who opened fire at CDC headquarters in Atlanta on Friday was obsessed with his belief that the COVID vaccine had caused his own health problems, law enforcement officials said. Police officer David Rose was killed in the attack on an institution that has been the focus...

Officer, Suspect Dead After Shooting Near Emory, CDC

Gunfire sparks campus lockdown, road closures near school, government agency

(Newser) - A suspect and a DeKalb County police officer are dead following a shooting incident near Emory University and the CDC in Atlanta, officials confirmed Friday, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . The situation unfolded late Friday afternoon, beginning with reports of gunfire near the Emory Point CVS, just across from university...

'Something Is Off' Regarding Flesh-Eating Pathogen in US

Warm coastal waters fuel rise in deadly Vibrio vulnificus infections across the Southeast

(Newser) - Cases of deadly "flesh-eating" bacteria are climbing along the southeastern US coastline, with at least 10 deaths reported in Florida, Louisiana, and North Carolina so far this year. The culprit: Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria that thrives in warm, salty water and can slip into the body through even...

Ultraprocessed Foods Aren't Healthy. But We Still Eat Them

In fact, they dominate the American diet, especially for kids

(Newser) - Americans are consuming slightly fewer ultraprocessed foods than in recent years, new CDC data shows—but more than half of daily calories still come from these factory-made foods, leaving experts little cause for celebration. The latest data, pulled from 2021 to 2023, shows that ultraprocessed foods made up 53%...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
Most Read on Newser