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Routine Vaccines May Help Cut Dementia Risk: Studies

Researchers highlight flu, shingles, and RSV for potential brain benefits

(Newser) - A growing body of research suggests that several common vaccines may do more than just prevent infectious diseases—they're also linked to a lower risk of developing dementia. Physicians and researchers point to this as an added incentive for adults, especially older ones, to keep up with routine...

CBP Looked for Plants and Cigars, Found a Skull Instead

Human remains found during routine luggage check at Tampa airport, passenger claims ritual use

(Newser) - Customs officials at Tampa International Airport made a gruesome find in a traveler's bag this week. During what started as a standard baggage inspection, agents uncovered a foil-wrapped bundle containing human bones, including part of a skull. The passenger, whose identity and nationality weren't disclosed, reportedly told...

Kennedy's Panel Adds Dose of Confusion on COVID Shots

Advisers drop recommendation for annual vaccination but recommend checking with doctor first

(Newser) - Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new vaccine advisers on Friday muddied the picture on this fall's COVID-19 vaccinations. The CDC panel declined to recommend the vaccines for anyone, leaving the decision on whether to have the shot up to Americans, the AP reports. At the same...

CDC Panel Plans to Limit MMRV Vaccine for Young Kids

Panel cites seizure risk for kids under 4 in guidance

(Newser) - A CDC advisory panel voted Thursday to alter its stance on the MMRV vaccine, which combines the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine with a varicella, or chickenpox, vaccine. The group suggested that children under 4 should not routinely receive the combo shot due to a slightly increased risk of...

Washington, Oregon, California, Hawaii Form Vaccine Alliance

The states just issued their own vaccine recommendations

(Newser) - Four Democratic-led Western states announced joint recommendations Wednesday about who should be vaccinated for seasonal respiratory viruses, including the flu and COVID-19, saying the Trump administration has jeopardized public health by politicizing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the AP reports. California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii earlier this...

Ousted CDC Director Shares Her Take on What Transpired

Susan Monarez says RFK Jr. wanted 'blanket approval' of vaccine changes

(Newser) - Former CDC Director Susan Monarez appeared before the Senate on Wednesday, detailing the circumstances of her unexpected firing less than a month after her Senate confirmation. Monarez testified that she was removed for refusing to follow directives from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., specifically his...

CDC Committee Is Set for a Big Vote on Hepatitis B Vaccines

Panel is expected to limit shots to babies of infected moms, or delay timing until age 4

(Newser) - A federal panel is preparing to reconsider the long-standing recommendation that all US newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine, a move likely to spark fresh debate over childhood immunization policy. The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is expected to discuss later this week whether to restrict...

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....

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...

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