Experts are raising concern after a leaked FDA memo from CBER leadership asserted, without supporting evidence, that COVID-19 vaccines may have been linked to child deaths. Public health and regulatory specialists warned that the claim relies on unverified VAERS reports, lacks transparency, and departs from standard evidence practices used to assess vaccine safety and performance. Critics emp…

New analysis warns that global progress in reducing deaths among children under five may reverse in 2025 as major cuts to health foreign aid limit access to vaccines, treatments, and basic services. Child mortality fell by half between 2000 and 2020, but disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic slowed gains, and analysts now project an increase of more than 200,000 deaths next year. Researche…

Malaria deaths rose to about 610,000 in 2024, largely among young children in sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting stalled progress after gains in the early 2000s. WHO reported increases in both cases and mortality, with notable jumps in Ethiopia, Madagascar and Yemen, and warned that rising drug and insecticide resistance, climate change and conflict are complicating control efforts. Case incidenc…

Dr. Walter Dowdle, a highly respected CDC leader and microbiologist, passed away on November 17 at age 94. Over his 34-year career, he helped guide the nation through major public health challenges, including early AIDS response, the identification of Legionnaires’ disease, and global efforts to eradicate polio. Dowdle oversaw critical laboratory research, strengthened immunization programs…

Dr. Ralph Lee Abraham has been quietly appointed as the CDC’s principal deputy director, making him the highest-ranked official with a medical degree at the agency. As Louisiana’s former surgeon general, Dr. Abraham halted mass vaccination campaigns and promoted treatments like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, which have been discredited for Covid-19. He has publicly questioned the safety a…

A recent series of papers in The Lancet highlights the growing global public health threat posed by ultra-processed foods, which are linked to chronic conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and higher mortality. Common examples include packaged snacks, sugar-sweetened beverages, ready-to-eat meals, and mass-produced breads. E…

The FDA plans a stricter framework for vaccine approvals after internal review suggested a potential link between coronavirus vaccines and a small number of child deaths, though details remain limited. FDA official Vinay Prasad proposed requiring vaccine makers to provide broader safety and efficacy data, including post-market outcomes, and to reconsider co-administration of multiple vaccines…

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has officially rescinded layoffs issued during the recent government shutdown, restoring 954 employees, including many at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Staff were notified to return to work and will receive retroactive pay covering the shutdown period from October 1 to November 12. The moves follow a federal court ruling that…

Global measles cases have declined 71% between 2000 and 2024, falling to 11 million, thanks to expanded vaccination efforts, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports. Over this period, immunization prevented nearly 59 million deaths, with fatalities dropping 88% to 95,000. Despite these gains, 2024 saw an 8% rise in cases compared with pre-pandemic levels, highlighting vulnerabilities in hea…