MIKE STOBBE Medical Writer, Author at The Rapid City Post

What is atrial fibrillation and how is it treated?

February 7, 2026

Atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, is becoming more common, but doctors say treatments are improving. The condition is a quivering or irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots, stroke and heart failure. Experts say more than 10 million Americans have it, mostly older adults. Symptoms include a pounding heartbeat and shortness of breath. Smartwatches and other devices are helping with diagnosis. Causes include genetics, high blood pressure and stress. Treatments range from medications to procedures like ablation. Experts recommend a healthy lifestyle to lower the risk.

US births dropped last year, suggesting the 2024 uptick was short-lived

February 6, 2026

U.S. births slightly decreased in 2025. That’s according to new provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It reports just over 3.6 million births, about 24,000 fewer than in 2024. This decline aligns with expert predictions that the 2024 increase wouldn’t start an upward trend. The CDC updated its data last week, covering nearly all of the babies born in 2025. Final numbers may add only a few thousand more. Despite efforts to encourage births, like expanding in vitro fertilization access, the fertility rate has been declining. Economic conditions and uncertainty continue to impact childbearing decisions.

FILE - A radiologist uses a magnifying glass to check mammograms for breast cancer in Los Angeles, May 6, 2010. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Pandemic disruptions to health care worsened cancer survival, study suggests

February 5, 2026

A new study reveals that cancer patients diagnosed during the early COVID-19 pandemic had worse short-term survival rates than a similar group before the pandemic. Published by the medical journal JAMA Oncology, the study shows that people diagnosed in 2020 and 2021 had lower survival rates than those diagnosed between 2015 and 2019. Researchers found this trend across various cancers, regardless of the stage at diagnosis. The study suggests that disruptions to the health care system likely contributed to these outcomes. COVID-19 forced many to postpone cancer screenings, impacting early detection and treatment. One expert says the study highlights the importance of understanding COVID-19’s impact to prepare for future pandemics.

FILE - People are silhouetted against the sky at sunset as they run at Shawnee Mission Park, Sept. 26, 2024, in Shawnee, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

US life expectancy hit an all-time high in 2024, CDC says

January 28, 2026

U.S. life expectancy has hit the highest mark in American history. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday reported that life expectancy rose to 79 years in 2024. It’s the result of the dissipation of the COVID-19 pandemic — and also waning death rates from all of the nation’s top killers, including heart disease, cancer and drug overdoses. Preliminary statistics suggest a continued improvement in 2025. Life expectancy is an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year might expect to live, given death rates at that time. It’s a fundamental measure of a population’s health.

FILE - A pharmacist gives a patient a flu shot in Miami on Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Daniel Kozin, File)

US flu activity fell for a second week. But experts worry the season is far from over

January 16, 2026

Health experts say the U.S. flu season appears to be waning with two straight weeks of decline in measures of flu activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday posted the latest data showing a big drop in flu hospitalizations and a smaller but significant decrease in medical office visits due to flu-like illness. The number of states reporting high flu activity also fell — from 44 to 36. But that doesn’t mean the season is over, especially for the flu. CDC officials noted second surges in flu activity often occur after the winter holidays.

FILE - People rally on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in support of some 185 researchers and other employees of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Morgantown, W.Va., who received reduction-in-force notices as part of a larger push by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to dismiss 10,000 federal employees. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Hundreds of laid-off researchers at US workplace safety center are being reinstated

January 14, 2026

Federal officials are reinstating hundreds of U.S. health workers who were laid off last year from a small health agency that aims to protect workers. Last April, President Donald Trump’s administration gutted the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Agency scientists, engineers and others conduct research and recommend ways to prevent work-related injury, illness, disability and death. Government officials laid off close to 900 of the agency’s 1,000 employees. Some employees were brought back last year after legal challenges and political pressure. Union officials say all of the terminations are being rescinded. A U.S. Health Department spokesman Wednesday said Trump’s Republican administration is “committed to protecting essential services.”

FILE - Jonathan Dumke, a senior forensic chemist with the Drug Enforcement Administration, holds vials of fentanyl pills at a DEA research laboratory on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Northern Virginia. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)

US overdose deaths fell through most of 2025, federal data reveals

January 14, 2026

U.S. overdose deaths fell through the most of last year, suggesting a lasting improvement in an epidemic that had been worsening for decades. Overdose deaths have been falling for more than two years now in the most extended drop in decades, the new data indicates. However, the decline also shows signs of leveling off a bit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted the data Wednesday. It shows that an estimated 73,000 people died from overdoses in the 12-month period that ended August 2025, down about 21% from the previous 12-month period. Experts are cautiously optimistic the trend will last.

FILE - Pharmacy manager Aylen Amestoy administers a patient with a seasonal flu vaccine at a CVS Pharmacy in Miami, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Some flu measures decline, but it’s not clear this severe season has peaked

January 9, 2026

U.S. flu infections are showing signs of a slight decline, but health officials say it’s not clear that this severe flu season has peaked. New government data posted Friday covered flu activity through last week. It showed declines in medical office visits due to flu-like illness and in the number of states reporting high flu activity. But flu deaths and hospitalizations rose. By some measures this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter. That was one of the harshest in recent history. And experts believe there’s more suffering ahead.

FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2018 file photo, a nurse prepares a flu shot at the Salvation Army in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Flu season surged in the US over the holiday and already rivals last winter’s harsh epidemic

January 5, 2026

U.S. flu infections are still surging, and health officials are calling it a severe season that is likely to get worse. New government data posted Monday shows that by some measures this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter. That was one of the harshest seasons in recent history. Forty-five states were reporting high or very high flu activity during the week of Christmas. That’s up from 30 states the week before. A new version of the flu virus — known as the subclade K variant — is accounting for many of the cases.

FILE - This 1981 electron microscope image made available by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows hepatitis B virus particles, indicated in orange. (Dr. Erskine Palmer/CDC via AP, File)

US awards no-bid contract to Denmark scientists studying hepatitis B vaccine in African babies

December 19, 2025

The Trump administration has awarded a $1.6 million, no-bid contract a Danish university to study hepatitis B vaccinations on newborns in Africa. The unusual contract has been awarded to scientists who have been cited by anti-vaccine activists and whose work has been questioned by leading public health experts. Some experts suggested the research plan is unethical, because it will withhold vaccines that work from some newborns at high risk for infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded the grant to a research team at the University of Southern Denmark. The Associated Press has learned the award did not undergo a customary ethics review.

FILE - Students walk the halls at a high school in Philadelphia on Aug. 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

Teen drug use remains low, but survey finds small rise in heroin and cocaine use

December 17, 2025

A national survey shows teen use of alcohol, nicotine and marijuana remains at record lows. The findings released Wednesday reveal two-thirds of 12th graders reported no use of these substances in the past 30 days. That’s a significant drop from 30 years ago. Among 10th graders, 82% reported no recent use, and 91% of eighth graders said the same. However, there are slight increases in heroin and cocaine use. The survey, conducted by the University of Michigan, involved about 24,000 students from February to June. Teen drug use has been gradually declining for decades.

FILE - This electron microscope image provided by the National Institutes of Health shows human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) virions, colorized blue, and anti-RSV F protein/gold antibodies, colorized yellow, shedding from the surface of human lung cells. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH via AP, File)

Winter virus season so far is not too bad, but doctors worry about suffering to come

December 12, 2025

It may feel like you are surrounded by sniffles and coughs, but flu season activity is still low in many parts of the U.S. New government data posted Friday shows that as of last week, flu activity was high in four states — Colorado, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York — and minimal or low in most others. And so far, the annual cold-weather waves of COVID-19 and RSV seem to be relatively mild. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported its latest data on Friday.

FILE - A man walks along a trail during sunset near Manhattan, Kan., on Nov. 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

US suicide rate fell in 2024 after hovering at high level

December 10, 2025

The U.S. suicide rate has fallen after years of hovering at some of the highest levels ever reported, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But some experts say it’s hard to know exactly why suicides fell last year, or whether the decline will continue. The CDC says a little over 48,800 suicide deaths were reported in 2024. That’s roughly 500 fewer than the year before. The overall rate dropped to 13.7 per 100,000 people. Suicide was the nation’s 10th leading cause of death in 2024.

FILE - Committee member Vicky Pebsworth, speaks during a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the CDC, Sept. 18, 2025, in Chamblee, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

US vaccine advisers say not all babies need a hepatitis B shot at birth

December 5, 2025

A federal vaccine advisory committee has voted to end a longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born. For decades, the government has advised that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection right after birth. The shots are widely considered to be a public health success for preventing thousands of illnesses. But U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s committee voted Friday to recommend the birth dose only for babies whose mothers test positive. For other babies, it will be up to the parents and their doctors to decide if a birth dose is appropriate.

FILE - U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during the Western Governors' Association meeting Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rebecca Noble, File)

What to know about the hepatitis B shot — and why Trump officials are targeting it

December 3, 2025

A federal vaccine advisory committee this week is expected to discuss whether newborns should still get the hepatitis B vaccine — the first shot found to prevent cancer. Federal health recommendations now suggest that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection in their first day of life, but U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s committee on Thursday is expected to change that. Changing the recommendation would contradict previous public health advice, and some medical and public health experts are alarmed. It’s not clear what the committee is considering, but the American Academy of Pediatrics will still urge a birth dose.

FILE - Dr. Martin Kulldorff speaks during a meeting of the Advisory Committee in Immunization Practices at the CDC, June 25, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Chairman of vaccine committee leaves for new HHS job

December 1, 2025

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has replaced the head of his controversial vaccine advisory committee. Federal officials announced Monday that Martin Kulldorff is leaving the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for a leadership role within the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Kirk Milhoan, who has blamed vaccines for causing cardiovascular disease, will become the new chair. Kennedy had previously fired the entire 17-member panel and replaced it with a group that includes several anti-vaccine voices. The committee is scheduled to meet later this week.

FILE - Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a news conference on the Autism report by the CDC at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)

CDC website is changed to raise suspicions of a vaccines-autism link

November 20, 2025

The Trump administration has revised a website to contradict the scientific consensus that vaccines do not cause autism. The update to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage has sparked outrage among public health and autism experts. The Autism Science Foundation criticized the changes, calling them anti-vaccine rhetoric. Decades of studies have shown no link between vaccines and autism. Former CDC officials have expressed concern, saying the CDC’s information on vaccine safety can no longer be trusted. The change is the latest move by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to foster uncertainty about long-held scientific consensus.

Washington resident is infected with a different type of bird flu

November 14, 2025

Health officials in Washington state report a resident has contracted bird flu, marking the first U.S. human case since February. The person, an older adult with underlying health conditions, remains hospitalized. Officials confirm the infection is from the H5N5 strain, a first in humans. Experts, including Richard Webby from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, say H5N5 poses no greater threat than the H5N1 strain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states there’s no increased risk to public health. The patient, from Grays Harbor County, likely contracted the virus from domestic or wild birds. The investigation is ongoing.

FILEW - This undated photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a female Lone Star tick, which despite its Texas-sounding name, is found mainly in the Southeast. (James Gathany/CDC via AP)

Scientists document a death from a meat allergy tied to certain ticks

November 14, 2025

Researchers are reporting what they believe is the first documented death from a meat allergy triggered by tick bites. A 47-year-old New Jersey man died last year from alpha-gal syndrome. That’s a red meat allergy linked to Lone Star tick bites. More than 100,000 people in the U.S. have developed this allergy since 2010. The case report, published this week, describes the man’s severe reaction after eating meat. Experts say other deaths may have occurred but went unrecognized. The syndrome is considered a growing threat due to the expanding range of the Lone Star tick and increased awareness among doctors.

2 new malaria treatments announced as drug resistance grows

November 12, 2025

Researchers are reporting two promising approaches to counteract malaria’s growing drug resistance. Switzerland-based Novartis has released results for a new experimental drug called GanLum. Tested in 12 African countries, it shows a cure rate of over 97% and seems to block the spread of malaria. It is more than a year away from availability. Meanwhile, another study in West Africa found that a single dose of four widely available malaria drugs proved effective. These findings were presented Wednesday at a conference in Toronto. The new treatments could complement existing efforts like mosquito nets and vaccines.

FILE - This 1966 microscope photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli, the organism responsible for causing the disease tuberculosis. (Elizabeth S. Mingioli/CDC via AP, File)

Global tuberculosis diagnoses rise to a record, but deaths fall, WHO reports

November 12, 2025

The number of people diagnosed with tuberculosis worldwide rose again last year, eclipsing 2023’s record total. About 8.3 million people across the globe were reported as newly diagnosed with TB in 2024. The World Health Organization notes that not all infections are diagnosed and that the new numbers represent 78% of the estimated number of actual new cases. Globally, the number of deaths caused by TB fell in 2024. Tuberculosis cases in the U.S. continued to rise last year, reaching the highest level in more than a dozen years. The vast majority of U.S. TB cases are diagnosed in people born in other countries.

FILE - A sign marks the entrance to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, Aug. 27, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

Government shutdown means many CDC experts are skipping a pivotal meeting on infectious disease

October 20, 2025

An annual conference about infectious diseases is seeing a dramatic attendance decline, in part because Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experts can’t participate. IDWeek is being held in Atlanta. Experts are discussing the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of threats including bird flu, superbugs, measles, HIV and worrisome germs that most people have never heard about. The CDC typically sends scores of researchers and outbreak investigators. But nearly all had to miss the conference because of the government shutdown. Federal scientists aren’t being paid and conference appearances are postponed unless they are funded outside of annual government budgets.

FILE - Vials of the Jynneos vaccine for monkeypox are taken from a cooler at a vaccinations site, Aug. 29, 2022, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File)

California mpox cases raise concerns. But health officials say the risk remains low

October 16, 2025

Investigators suspect that two Californians diagnosed with mpox may be the first U.S. cases resulting from the local spread of a different version of the virus. The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services this week confirmed the case through testing at a state lab. Los Angeles County officials on Thursday said they too had such a case. These are not the first U.S. cases of what is known as clade I mpox. Six U.S. cases were reported previously. But the earlier cases were international travelers who were believed to have been infected abroad. Health officials stress that the risk to the public remains low.

Committee member Dr. Martin Kulldorf, speaks during a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the CDC on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in Chamblee, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

CDC stops recommending COVID-19 shots for all, leaves decision to patients

October 6, 2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has adopted recommendations by a new group of vaccine advisers, and has stopped recommending COVID-19 shots for anyone. The government health agency has announced the change Monday, saying people should decide for themselves in consultation with a medical professional. That goes along with a decision last month by an advisory panel handpicked by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Before this year, U.S. health officials recommended annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans ages 6 months and older.

FILE - This 1971 microscope photo provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria, which causes the sexually-transmitted disease gonorrhea. (CDC via AP, File)

Sexually transmitted disease cases fall, but not syphilis in newborns

September 24, 2025

New government data shows another decline in sexually transmitted disease rates for U.S. adults, but also a continued rise in syphilis in newborns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday posted the provisional data for 2024. It shows a third consecutive year of decline in gonorrhea cases. It also shows a second consecutive year of fewer adult cases of chlamydia and the most infectious forms of syphilis. But health officials have not yet been able to turn around the rise in congenital syphilis cases, in which infected moms pass the disease on to their babies. Those cases were up by less than 2% from 2023. But health experts say no cases should be happening.

‘Nightmare bacteria’ cases are increasing in the US

September 23, 2025

Government scientists say infection rates from drug-resistant “nightmare bacteria” have been increasing dramatically. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientists say rates rose almost 70% between 2019 and 2023. They published their findings Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. A subgroup of bacteria with a gene that provides a level of drug resistance that is extremely difficult to treat primarily drove the increase. The rate of those cases jumped more than 460% in recent years in 29 states. Once considered exotic, these bacteria are now more common in the U.S.

FILE - Demonstrators rally for support of the CDC during a meeting of the Advisory Committee in Immunization Practices, June 25, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Kennedy’s vaccine committee plans to vote on COVID-19, hepatitis B and chickenpox shots

September 15, 2025

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisory committee meets this week, with votes slated on whether to change recommendations on shots against COVID-19, hepatitis B and chickenpox. It’s not clear what questions the committee plans to vote on. Officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to questions. But some public health experts say they are worried that the votes will raise unwarranted new questions about vaccines in the minds of parents. Perhaps even more consequential would be a vote that restricts a government program from paying for vaccines for low-income families. The committee meets Thursday and Friday in Atlanta.

FILE - U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends a news conference, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen, File)

Trump administration to award a no-bid contract on research into vaccines and autism

September 12, 2025

Federal health officials intend to award a no-bid contract to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to investigate whether there is a link between vaccinations and autism. That’s according to a government procurement notice posted this week. The notice says the Troy, New York-based university is getting the contract because of its “unique ability” to link data on children and mothers. Federal health officials did not immediately respond to questions about the notice, including how much the contract is for or what exactly the researchers intend to do.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a female Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito, also known as the southern house mosquito, sits on a person’s skin before taking a blood meal in 2022. (Lauren Bishop/CDC via AP)

West Nile virus cases running higher than normal, prompting health warnings

September 10, 2025

Health officials say West Nile virus infections are intense this year, with 40% more cases than usual. More than 770 cases have been reported as of early September. Typically, around 550 cases are reported by this time. Most cases occur in August and September, prompting officials to ramp up warnings. The virus was first reported in the U.S. in 1999 and peaked in 2003 with nearly 10,000 cases. Colorado has reported about 150 cases, more than double other states. Officials say a higher share of mosquitoes are carrying the virus this year. People can protect themselves by wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants and by using EPA-registered insect repellents.

A sign marks the entrance to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta, on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

With CDC in chaos, scientists and physicians piece together replacements for agency’s lost work

August 29, 2025

The CDC is in turmoil, with outside groups stepping in to handle work once done by the agency. The upheaval follows Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s sweeping restructuring and downsizing of the Atlanta-based agency. Public health veterans see a leadership crisis fueled by staff losses, budget cuts and political interference. Tensions peaked when the White House ousted Director Susan Monarez, prompting top resignations. Even before her firing, organizations had begun taking on roles once central to CDC: issuing vaccine guidance, sharing data and maintaining health tracking. Experts warn, though, such efforts lack federal resources.

FILE - The campus of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seen in Atlanta, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

HHS moves to strip thousands of federal health workers of union rights

August 22, 2025

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has moved to strip thousands of federal health agency employees of their collective bargaining rights. HHS officials confirmed Friday that the agency is ending union recognition for many employees. It’s the latest move by the Trump administration to end collective bargaining with federal employee unions. Previously affected agencies include the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Environmental Protection Agency. The American Federation of Government Employees argues that strong union contracts support a stable workforce, especially in public health emergencies.

CORRECTS THAT OFFICER WAS KILLED, NOT WOUNDED - A memorial is seen in the aftermath of a shooting near the CDC where DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose was killed while responding, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Georgia man may have tried to enter CDC campus two days before he attacked agency

August 21, 2025

An internal CDC email reveals that the Georgia man who shot at CDC buildings on Aug. 8 likely tried to enter the campus two days earlier. Security video suggests Patrick Joseph White attempted entry on Aug. 6 but was turned away. The email, viewed by The Associated Press, states that law enforcement believes it was White. White blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for his depression. He killed a police officer and fired over 180 shots before killing himself. No one at CDC was injured. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says its investigation is ongoing.

At least 600 CDC employees are getting final termination notices, union says

August 20, 2025

At least 600 employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are receiving permanent termination notices. The notes come in the wake of a recent court decision that protected some CDC employees from layoffs but not others. Many have been on administrative leave since the U.S. Health and Human Services Department sent layoff notices to thousands of employees at federal health agencies in April. But now, according to a union that represents CDC employees, at least 600 have been fired. The permanent cuts include about 100 people who worked in violence prevention.

This electron microscope image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in 2005. (Janice Haney Carr/CDC via AP)

How to protect yourself from Vibrio vulnificus, the bacteria found in some coastal waters

August 20, 2025

States are warning beachgoers about a summertime surge in infections from a frightening, flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters. Vibrio vulnificus are becoming an annual threat along the Gulf Coast and — increasingly — up the Eastern Seaboard. Vibrio bacteria thrive in seawater and in the mix of fresh and saltwater found in estuaries and lagoons. Most infections are reported from May to October. Some people become infected by eating eat raw or undercooked shellfish — particularly oysters. But a large percentage fall ill when the person is in ocean or brackish water and the bacteria enter the body through small breaks in the skin.

FILE - A pharmacist holds a Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine shot on Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

US pediatricians’ new COVID-19 shot recommendations differ from CDC advice

August 18, 2025

For the first time in 30 years, the American Academy of Pediatrics is substantially diverging from U.S. government vaccine recommendations. The group’s new COVID-19 recommendations were released Tuesday. They come amid a tumultuous year for public health, as vaccine skeptics have come into power in the new Trump administration and government guidance has become increasingly confusing. The AAP is strongly recommending COVID-19 shots for children ages 6 months to 2 years. Guidance established under U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doesn’t recommend the shots for healthy children of any age but says kids may get the shots in consultation with physicians.

FILE - A sign outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention campus in Atlanta is seen as a meeting of the Advisory Committee in Immunization Practices takes place on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

AMA and other medical associations are kicked out of CDC vaccine workgroups

August 4, 2025

U.S. health officials have told more than a half-dozen of the nation’s top medical organizations that they will no longer help establish vaccination recommendations. The government told the organizations on Thursday via email that their experts are being disinvited from the workgroups that have been the backbone of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The organizations include the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Several of the organizations issued a statement asking the administration to reconsider, saying it was irresponsible to remove them from the process.

Secretary of Health & Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks alongside U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, during a ceremony announcing that major U.S. ice cream makers will phase out artificial colors by the end of 2027, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Monday, July 14, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Ousted vaccine panel members say rigorous science is being abandoned

July 30, 2025

Seventeen experts ousted from a U.S. vaccine committee are expressing little faith in what the panel has become. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, accusing them of being too aligned with manufacturers. He replaced them with a smaller group that includes several vaccine skeptics. In a commentary published Wednesday, the ousted members criticize Kennedy and the new panel for abandoning rigorous scientific review. They propose alternative ways to maintain sound vaccine recommendations, such as involving professional organizations.

FILE - The toes of a baby are seen at a hospital in McAllen, Texas, on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

The US fertility rate reached a new low in 2024, CDC data shows

July 23, 2025

New federal data shows the fertility rate in the U.S. dropped to an all-time low in 2024 with less than 1.6 kids per woman. The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a fertility rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself, which is about 2.1 kids per woman. But it has been sliding in America for close to two decades with more women waiting longer to have children or never taking that step at all. One expert says there’s no reason to be alarmed because there are still more births than deaths in the U.S.

FILE - Dr. Henry Heimlich describes the maneuver he developed to help clear obstructions from the windpipes of choking victims, during an interview in his home in Cincinnati on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Al Behrman, File)

More elderly Americans are choking to death. Are these devices the answer?

July 14, 2025

Each year, choking claims the lives of more than 4,100 Americans who are 65 or older. It’s the most vulnerable age group, accounting for about three-quarters of U.S. choking deaths. A number of companies are marketing antichoking devices to the elderly. They vary in design, but generally the devices look like a face mask attached to a tube or bellows, with a handle at the end. Medical professionals have been debating whether to endorse the products, saying more research is needed. Experts — and even antichoking device manufacturers — say that back blows and abdominal thrusts should always be tried first.

FILE - Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event Nov. 1, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

Doctors and public health organizations sue Kennedy over vaccine policy change

July 7, 2025

Doctors groups and public health organizations are suing the U.S. government over the decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for most children and pregnant women. The plaintiffs include the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association — along with an unnamed pregnant doctor who works in a hospital. The federal lawsuit was filed in Boston. in late May, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he was removing COVID-19 shots from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women. A number of health experts accused Kennedy of disregarding the scientific review process that has been in place for decades. HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon says Kennedy “stands by his CDC reforms.”

FILE - A woman uses a walker as she heads to her room at a senior care home in Calistoga, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

Older adults in the US are increasingly dying from unintentional falls

June 17, 2025

Older U.S. adults are increasingly dying from unintentional falls, and white people account for the vast majority of the deaths. That’s according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was published Wednesday. More than 41,000 retirement-age Americans died of falls in 2023. From 2003 to 2023, death rates from falls rose more than 70% for adults ages 65 to 74. The rate increased more than 75% for people 75 to 84, and more than doubled for seniors 85 and older. The CDC researchers did not try to answer why death rates from falls are increasing.

FILE - Robert Kennedy Jr., center, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Health and Human Services Department, walks between meetings with senators on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Dismissed members of CDC vaccine committee call Kennedy’s actions ‘destabilizing’

June 16, 2025

The 17 experts recently dismissed from a government vaccine advisory panel say Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is making “destabilizing decisions” that could lead to more preventable disease spread. Kennedy last week announced he would “retire” the influential panel that guides U.S. vaccine policy the panel. Two days later, he named eight new people to it. The former panelists all signed onto a commentary published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Kennedy, a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before becoming the U.S. government’s top health official, has accused the committee of being too closely aligned with vaccine manufacturers and of rubber-stamping vaccines.

FILE - A sign stands at an entrance to the main campus of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)

Hundreds of laid-off CDC employees are being reinstated

June 11, 2025

More than 460 laid-off employees at the nation’s top public health agency are being reinstated. That’s according to a union representing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed reinstatement notices went out, but provided few details. About 2,400 CDC employees lost their jobs in a wave of cuts across federal health agencies in early April. Whole CDC programs were essentially shut down. An estimated 200 of the reinstated workers are based in a CDC center focused on sexually transmitted diseases. Also reinstated were dozens of employees at the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health.

FILE - Health department staff members enter the Andrews County Health Department measles clinic carrying doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Andrews, Texas. (AP Photo/Annie Rice, File)

All international travelers should get measles vaccinations, CDC says

June 2, 2025

U.S. health officials have changed their advice to international travelers about measles, saying Americans should be vaccinated against the disease no matter where they travel in the world. U.S. residents are recommended to get measles-mumps-rubella shots, anyway. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously emphasized the importance of vaccination for travelers going to countries with outbreaks. Last week, the CDC updated its guidance to call for vaccinations for travelers going to any other country at all. One expert says the agency is acknowledging that travel itself can lead to measles exposures.

MIKE STOBBE Medical Writer.