Listen: Healthbeat staff talk vaccinations, bird flu and other public health stories on ‘What the Health’

Healthbeat staff dropped in on the “What the Health” podcast with Julie Rovner at KFF Health News in Washington, D.C., to talk about our work on public health and what stories to be watching.

Healthbeat Editor in Chief Charlene Pacenti, national reporter Amy Maxmen, and New York reporter Eliza Fawcett discuss vaccination rates - from Covid to childhood shots - bird flu, the importance of community trust in the public health system, and changes expected under a new administration in Washington.

The episode, “Public Health and the Dairy Cow in the Room,” was released Tuesday.

KFF Health News is Healthbeat’s national reporting partner.

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Many drugstores in Georgia say they will require a prescription for the updated Covid vaccine until a federal committee makes firm recommendations on who should get the shot.

On Friday, the agency declared the end of the outbreak, which has resulted in 114 cases, including 90 hospitalizations and seven deaths.

It’s not just the bugs: Recent events, from a bus crash in upstate New York to the close of a Legionnaires’ outbreak, show how fragile our systems can be, and how directly that fragility impacts our health.

New standards for school lunches and hospital meals include a ban on processed meats and restrictions on artificial colors, additives, and preservatives.

Three senior leaders who work on immunization and infectious diseases left their jobs in defiance of Trump administration policies they say jeopardize scientific integrity.

Drawing on her own fears as a new parent, Karen Ernst says that understanding people's concerns is the first step to stronger vaccine trust.