Webinar: How Public Health Can Navigate Communications Challenges
Public health communicators are facing growing challenges as organizations navigate new restrictions on language and increased scrutiny of messaging. A recent webinar featuring Dr. Jeff Niederdeppe of Cornell University and Dr. Julie Sweetland of the FrameWorks Institute examined how language, framing, and storytelling shape public understanding, influence funding and policy decisions, and affe…
U.S. Veterans Affairs Agency Plans as Many as 35,000 Health-Care Job Cuts This Month
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs plans to cut up to 35,000 health-care positions this month, largely affecting unfilled roles including doctors, nurses, and support staff. These reductions, described by the agency as “mostly COVID-era roles that are no longer necessary,” aim to streamline the workforce to roughly 372,000 employees—a 10% decrease from last year.
Officials stress the cut…
CDC Rapidly Responds to First Infant Botulism Outbreak Linked to Formula
The CDC swiftly responded to the first-ever outbreak of infant botulism linked to ByHeart infant formula, demonstrating rapid public health action. As of December 10, 2025, 51 infants across 19 states were hospitalized and treated, with no deaths reported. Infant botulism, caused by Clostridium botulinum spores in the gut, can present as feeding difficulties, weak cry, and lack of head control…
American Academy of Pediatrics Releases Updated Vaccine Guidance, Breaking With CDC
The CDC’s vaccine advisory panel has voted to revise its long-standing hepatitis B birth dose recommendation, proposing to delay the first dose until two months of age for infants born to mothers who test negative and to support individualized decision-making with clinicians.
The shift has prompted concern among many experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, which warns that remo…
American Cancer Society Recommends Self-Swab HPV Test for Cervical Cancer Screening
Updated American Cancer Society guidelines now endorse self-administered HPV testing as part of cervical cancer screening, a shift expected to expand access and improve adherence among women who avoid speculum exams. FDA-approved self-swab tests can be completed in clinics or at home and detect the high-risk HPV strains responsible for all cervical cancers.
Screening remains critical, as more…
Faulty CGMs Linked to Seven Deaths, Hundreds of Injuries
Abbott has issued a medical device correction for certain FreeStyle Libre 3 and Libre 3 Plus continuous glucose monitors after internal testing revealed some sensors may report inaccurately low glucose readings. Such errors can lead people with diabetes to make unsafe treatment decisions, including excessive carbohydrate intake or delayed insulin use, posing serious health risks.
An FDA Early…
A Short Social Media Detox Improves Mental Health, a Study Shows
A new study in JAMA Network Open adds strong evidence that even brief reductions in social media use can meaningfully improve mental health, particularly among young adults. Using objective phone data, researchers found that cutting social media from about two hours a day to roughly 30 minutes for one week produced notable drops in anxiety, depression and insomnia symptoms, with the greatest ga…