A reference-integrity audit of 2.5 million biomedical papers and 125.6 million references in PubMed Central identified 4,046 fabricated references across 2,810 papers after multi-database verification and filtering. Fabrication rates rose markedly, from 1 in 2,828 papers in 2023 to 1 in 458 in 2025, a more than 12-fold increase overall. Most affected papers contained one or two fabricated ref…

The Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC) will host its second annual half-day virtual conference on June 2, 2026, bringing together public health practitioners and professionals nationwide to share emerging research and perspectives on advancing public health communications. Sessions will emphasize practical, trauma-informed approaches to building resilience, strategies for advoc…

Researchers and clinicians have renamed polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) to better reflect the condition’s broader hormonal and metabolic impacts and improve patient care. Affecting an estimated 1 in 8 women worldwide, the condition is associated with irregular menstrual cycles, elevated androgen levels, infertility, and increased risk of Typ…

An outbreak of Andes virus, a rare hantavirus variant associated with severe respiratory illness, has been identified among passengers and crew aboard the M/V Hondius cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean, prompting a coordinated international response involving CDC, HHS, the U.S. State Department, and state health departments. Federal agencies are supporting repatriation efforts and conducting e…

Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) new report, Ready or Not 2026, evaluates U.S. public health emergency preparedness across 10 indicators, including workforce mobility, funding stability, laboratory surge capacity, paid sick leave access, and community infrastructure. It finds preparedness is uneven across states, with 20 in a high-performance tier, 17 plus the District of Columbia in a middl…

The FDA authorized its first fruit-flavored e-cigarettes for adult smokers, marking a significant shift in federal vaping policy amid declining youth vaping rates, which are now at a 10-year low. The newly authorized products include mango and blueberry flavors and incorporate smartphone-based age verification and Bluetooth access controls intended to reduce youth access. FDA officials emphas…

A new KFF Health Tracking Poll found broad bipartisan concern about food safety and corporate influence in health policy, extending beyond supporters of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. Three-quarters of U.S. adults said there is insufficient regulation of chemical additives in food, while 64% said the same about agricultural pesticides. Even after hearing that stricter regulat…

Developed by the Public Health Communication Collaborative (PHCC) in partnership with Healthy Eating Research, this new resource, “A Snapshot of Dietary Guidelines for Americans” provides a concise overview of the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), including differences between the 2025 and 2020 editions.   It summarizes recommended foods to support health and reduce chron…

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is urging hospitals and nursing homes to align patient meals with the 2025–30 USDA dietary guidelines, warning that serving items such as sugar-sweetened beverages could jeopardize Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement eligibility. CMS issued updated “Conditions of Participation” guidance emphasizing compliance, though legal experts and die…