Health Policy

Universal infant and childhood vaccination against hepatitis B, recommended since 1991, has reduced by 99% the number of reported cases among U.S. children, adolescents, and young adults.

Meanwhile, flu and RSV cases are increasing across the city and state.

Losing its measles-free status could be expensive for the U.S. A new study estimates that an outbreak the size of the one in West Texas earlier this year, with 762 cases and 99 hospitalizations, costs about $12.6 million.

The ACIP is also expected Friday to be briefed on the childhood immunization schedule by a vaccine critic, drawing outrage from U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy. "The ACIP is totally discredited," Cassidy said.

A CDC vaccine advisory committee – whose members were replaced with appointees of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – is scheduled to take another series of votes that could reshape longstanding recommendations to protect babies against the cancer-causing hepatitis B virus.

The hepatitis B virus is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids, even in microscopic amounts, and the virus can survive on surfaces for a week.

The leader of the Association of Food and Drug Officials told Healthbeat that the FDA has been slow to share distribution lists for recalled ByHeart formula. “I’m not sure they recognize the sense of urgency,” he said.

The law's broad language threatens the state’s ability to prevent illness and death from infectious diseases, and, if replicated elsewhere, it could unravel decades of progress in public health.

The screenings are not required, but are highly recommended for new arrivals from other countries. They include vision and hearing tests, as well as those for infectious diseases.

The subsidies, introduced during the pandemic and later extended, made health insurance more affordable for millions. If they expire at the end of the year, health care will become more expensive for millions.

Even when screenings are free, transportation, work schedules, fear, and other barriers can keep women from getting tested. A Morehouse team wants to change that.

Lori Freeman talks to Healthbeat about CDC disruptions, funding cuts, and what city and county officials can learn from red state colleagues.

WIC, a separate program for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and infants, has enough funds to continue to operate through the first week of December, officials say

A new state health report finds fewer high school students are using cigarettes, e‑cigarettes, or other tobacco products last year.

Through shrouded bureaucratic maneuvers, White House budget director Russell Vought and DOGE have quietly undercut outbreak response, HIV treatment, and dementia care in communities across America.

The fund has provided nearly $2.2 billion to states, territories, major cities, and other entities over the past 17 years to ready health care systems for the next pandemic, cyberattack, or mass-casualty event.

Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease that’s particularly dangerous for the youngest infants.

Funds for SNAP, WIC, and Head Start run out on Saturday, affecting over 1 million people in Georgia.

Trump’s budget bill slashes nearly 20% from SNAP through 2034. Separate from any temporary SNAP stoppages due to the federal shutdown, the law cuts off access for refugees and other immigrant groups who are in the country lawfully.

Also in the Global Health Checkup: Bird flu in Europe, Fiji free of trachoma, Rift Valley Fever in Senegal, and what happens when malaria aid is cut.