Artificial intelligence is rapidly shaping public health communication, offering both opportunities and challenges. While AI can scale trusted messaging, it also carries risks of misinformation and bias if not carefully guided. Arclet, a public health communications platform, is exploring how AI can responsibly support communicators without replacing them. Their upcoming free webinar, Human F…

Florida’s health department announced that its plan to scale back school vaccine mandates will not take effect for about 90 days and, for now, applies only to a limited set of vaccines such as hepatitis B and chickenpox. Vaccines for measles, polio, and other highly transmissible diseases remain required unless changed by legislation. Public health experts warn that reducing vaccine requireme…

The FDA has approved the latest COVID-19 vaccines but introduced new restrictions, limiting eligibility to individuals 65 and older or those with underlying health conditions. This marks a significant shift from earlier guidance that made vaccines widely available to nearly all age groups. Public health experts caution that the change could create confusion and reduce access, particularly for…

Health insurance costs are expected to rise significantly in 2026, with coverage potentially shrinking for patients, particularly in individual marketplaces. Insurers cite rising utilization of care, increased emergency visits, more mental health claims, and expensive prescription drugs—including GLP-1 obesity and diabetes treatments and rare-gene therapies costing millions—as key drivers. Fe…

The recent executive order eliminating federal agencies’ ability to use disparate impact analysis represents a major setback for public health equity. For decades, disparate impact has served as a critical legal tool to address structural inequities in health care, education, housing, and beyond—such as requiring hospitals to provide interpreters for patients with limited English proficiency an…

The CDC reports a nationwide rise in COVID-19 activity as the Labor Day holiday approached, with test positivity rates nearing 10% and several states exceeding 15%. While deaths and hospitalizations remain stable, officials attribute the uptick to new variants, waning immunity, and seasonal gatherings. The agency noted that emergency department visits for COVID-19 are increasing across all age…

The White House appointed Jim O’Neill as acting director of the CDC following the departure of Susan Monarez, sparking significant concern across the public health community. O’Neill, a longtime tech investor and HHS deputy, has no medical background but close ties to major political donors. His past statements advocating for reduced FDA oversight and freer health care markets have drawn scruti…

The CDC is navigating a period of unprecedented strain following a mass shooting at its Atlanta headquarters, harassment of staff, and the recent elimination of over 600 positions, including programs in maternal-child health, oral health, global HIV prevention, and violence prevention. Simultaneously, the agency announced a new panel to review COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, raising concerns among empl…

The Mississippi Department of Health has declared a public health emergency in response to alarming infant mortality rates, with 9.7 deaths per 1,000 births in 2024—the state’s highest rate in over a decade and more than 60% above the national average. Since 2014, more than 3,500 Mississippi infants have died before their first birthday. State health officials outlined strategies including ex…