Weekly CDC News Overview – December 7-13, 2025

This is a brief overview of major news about CDC from the past week. In this overview, I describe the major themes from news coverage about CDC, reference important insights and events, and include hyperlinks to all relevant news articles.

Immunization policy problems, with hepatitis B at the center

Multiple reports focused on the CDC’s vaccine advisory process and the practical consequences of changing long-standing, evidence-based recommendations. The most immediate concern is how a shift away from routine hepatitis B vaccination at birth could create inconsistent care across hospitals and states, and erode public trust in how immunization policy is made.

• Reuters reported that vaccine advisers appointed by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommended limiting routine hepatitis B vaccination for newborns, a departure from decades of universal vaccination policy. The article emphasized concerns from clinicians that risk-based approaches can miss infections because maternal status is not always known or correctly documented. It also highlighted how experts view this as a rollback of a prevention strategy that helped drive down hepatitis B infections in the U.S.
• KFF Health News reported that the ACIP vote to end the universal newborn hepatitis B recommendation has become a flashpoint for broader disputes about immunization policy and legitimacy. One clinician captured the lived experience of “silent” infection: “I was 18, healthy, in college. And suddenly I had a chronic illness I didn’t even know about,” Su Wang told KFF Health News.
• Reuters reported additional details on the policy reversal debate, including public comments from clinicians and policymakers. Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician who has treated hepatitis B, wrote that the change “is a mistake,” adding: “Before the birth dose was recommended, 20,000 newborns a year were infected with hepatitis B. Now, it’s fewer than 20,” according to Reuters.

COVID vaccine safety and regulation disputes collide with evidence on benefit

This week’s coverage juxtaposed two realities: an active debate inside federal health agencies about vaccine risk communication and regulatory posture, and continued CDC evidence that updated COVID vaccines can meaningfully reduce severe outcomes in children. The risk is that public arguments over warnings and unverified claims drown out the basic question families and clinicians need answered: what is the net benefit for specific age and risk groups right now.

• Reuters reported that the FDA is investigating deaths that may be related to COVID-19 vaccination across age groups, in the context of heightened scrutiny and limited public detail about the underlying data. The report noted manufacturer statements maintaining vaccine safety and described the uncertainty created when internal analyses are discussed publicly without full supporting documentation.
• Reuters reported that the FDA intends to place a “black box” warning on COVID-19 vaccines, citing CNN’s reporting and describing it as the agency’s most serious warning category. The practical consequence is not just what the label says, but how clinicians, health systems, and the public interpret the signal amid ongoing disputes about evidence standards.
• CDC’s MMWR reported updated estimates that the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine provided additional protection against COVID-19-associated emergency department and urgent care encounters among children. The report quantified effectiveness by age group and time since vaccination, offering a concrete counterweight to generalized claims about harms.

Measles resurgence underscores the consequences of declining coverage

Measles coverage this week offered a familiar warning: when vaccination rates fall below the thresholds needed for herd protection, outbreaks grow quickly, and containment becomes disruptive. The operational costs show up as quarantines, school disruptions, and urgent catch-up vaccination efforts, all of which are harder to sustain when public trust is fragile.

• Scientific American reported that U.S. measles outbreaks in 2025 have brought the country closer to losing its measles-free status, citing CDC tallies and describing South Carolina as the epicenter of an accelerating outbreak. The piece emphasized that two doses of MMR are highly effective, and that declines in community vaccination rates are the key driver of renewed spread.
• The Associated Press reported on quarantines tied to outbreaks in South Carolina and the Utah-Arizona border region, and described how clusters of under-vaccination allow measles to propagate despite overall national access to an effective vaccine.
• South Carolina’s Department of Public Health reported outbreak updates and case counts, underscoring the importance of timely local surveillance dashboards during fast-moving events.

Countering vaccine-autism misinformation, with global evidence and local fallout

As vaccine skepticism remains politically salient, credible institutions continue to reiterate what the best evidence shows. The problem is not just misinformation itself, but the downstream administrative burden it creates for clinicians and public health leaders who have to spend time rebutting settled questions instead of focusing on coverage, access, and outbreak control.

• The World Health Organization reported that its Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety reviewed evidence from studies published between 2010 and August 2025 and reaffirmed there is no causal link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders. The statement explicitly reiterated prior WHO conclusions from 2002, 2004, and 2012.
• Reuters reported additional context on the WHO review, including the committee’s assessment that studies suggesting an association had methodological flaws and high risk of bias, while higher-quality evidence does not support a causal relationship.

Data integrity and leadership churn as a public health capacity issue

When experts leave government, programs lose continuity, and the public suffers. When data collection is constrained or reframed under political pressure, surveillance becomes less actionable for local decision-makers who still have to run programs in real communities.

• KFF Health News reported on an HIV physician who resigned after refusing to comply with directives to remove references to transgender people from surveillance and publications. The article described how surveillance categories and reporting decisions can materially affect whether disparities are measured, understood, and addressed.
• The CDC Data Project reported that, based on its compilation of publicly available information, leadership turnover has been widespread across CDC centers and offices in 2025, with charts intended to show the scale and distribution of vacancies and acting roles. Whatever one thinks of the project’s framing, its core point is practical: persistent churn complicates day-to-day operations.

Outbreak response beyond vaccines: infant botulism and consumer product safety

This week’s reporting on infant botulism linked to infant formula highlighted the continuing importance of outbreak investigation, product tracing, and clear public guidance to clinicians and families.

• CDC reported an investigation update on an infant botulism outbreak, including basic clinical warning signs and ongoing case-finding across a longer time window than many families would expect from a “new” outbreak notice.
• The FDA reported outbreak details, including the scope of reported illnesses and the status of the investigation, emphasizing that laboratory confirmation for some cases was ongoing.
• The Associated Press reported that the investigation and recall expanded to include all ByHeart products made since its launch, illustrating how outbreak investigations can broaden as new epidemiologic links are discovered.