Weekly CDC News Overview – November 9-15, 2025

This is a brief overview of major news about CDC from the past week (November 9-15, 2025). 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.

Vaccine Policy Vacuums and Advisory Fights at CDC

This week highlighted how CDC’s vaccine guidance and advisory processes continue to fragment, with advisory panels reconsidering long-standing childhood recommendations and frontline clinicians struggling to fill communication gaps about COVID and influenza vaccines.

• JAMA published a commentary arguing that CDC’s move to “shared clinical decision-making” for COVID-19 vaccination represents an abdication of responsibility, warning that ambiguity in guidance can widen inequities and undermine public confidence.
• Ars Technica reported on a CDC vaccine advisory panel that critics describe as “dubious,” stating that some members appear intent on dismantling parts of the pediatric vaccine schedule rather than modernizing it.
• The Hill noted that CDC’s vaccine advisory panel is preparing to revisit recommendations for the hepatitis B vaccine and other childhood shots next month, amid concerns from clinicians and lawmakers about potential weakening of protections for infants.
• MedPage Today added further detail on the hepatitis B discussion, explaining that panel members are weighing schedule changes despite strong evidence that early-life vaccination has sharply reduced chronic infection and related liver disease.
• The Washington Post reported that “childhood shots” are set for more scrutiny, describing how political appointees and outside activists are pressing federal advisers to reconsider long-standing requirements that have kept measles, pertussis, and other infections in check.
• WSHU Public Radio examined whether New Yorkers can still obtain COVID-19 vaccines, finding that shifting CDC guidance and supply disruptions have left many patients confused about eligibility, locations, and insurance coverage.
• The Guardian reported that pediatricians are trying to fill a “vaccine messaging void” left by CDC during a severe influenza season, as clinicians field questions that would typically be answered through clear federal communication.
• CIDRAP detailed concerns about a mismatched “subclade K” influenza strain and described an “absent CDC,” quoting experts who fear that weaker surveillance and muted guidance will leave states poorly prepared for the coming months.

Anti-Vaccine Movement, RFK Jr., and Pressure on Federal Health Agencies

Multiple stories chart how anti-vaccine activism, including the political rise of RFK Jr., is reshaping the environment in which CDC, FDA, and other agencies operate, with direct implications for vaccine policy, scientific communication, and internal agency leadership.

• Politico described how anti-vaccine activists, emboldened by influence in Republican politics, remain unsatisfied and are now targeting advisory panels and agency leadership positions that shape vaccine policy.
• The Washington Post reported from a conference where speakers declared that “God is an anti-vaxxer,” illustrating how religious narratives are being used to legitimize opposition to vaccination and to celebrate RFK Jr.’s political ascent.
• The Atlantic offered an inside account of RFK Jr.’s core supporters, describing how some activists are growing restless as they wait for more concrete policy wins on vaccines and public health regulation.
• Medscape discussed strategies for fighting digital misinformation in public health, emphasizing that agencies such as CDC must pair transparent data sharing with partnerships in social media and community organizations.
• STAT reported that two senior FDA officials are quietly reshaping vaccine regulation, raising questions about how scientific evidence versus political pressure will guide decisions on safety, efficacy, and labeling.
• The Wall Street Journal detailed how RFK Jr. has discussed curbing the role of the FDA commissioner after internal complaints about management style, highlighting tension between political leadership and career regulators.
• NPR reviewed a new book, “Fair Doses,” in which Seth Berkley assesses COVID-19 vaccine rollout and pandemic preparedness, arguing that global failures in equity and coordination should inform future CDC and U.S. policy.

Infant Formula Botulism Outbreak Tests Food Safety and CDC Capacity

The ByHeart infant formula–associated botulism outbreak became a focal point for concerns about FDA oversight, CDC surveillance, and the broader safety net for families who rely on donated or subsidized formula.

• ABC News reported that CDC confirmed two additional infants hospitalized in a multistate botulism outbreak, as ByHeart expanded its voluntary recall and federal officials urged caregivers to check lot numbers and report illnesses promptly.
• The New York Times described how the infant formula recall has widened as the botulism outbreak grows, noting complex communication between FDA, CDC, state health departments, and retailers about which products are affected.
• The New York Times also reported that the formula company tied to the outbreak had known problems, raising questions about why earlier warnings did not prompt faster corrective action or more aggressive federal oversight.
• STAT quoted food safety experts who called ByHeart’s response “bizarre,” describing mixed messages to parents and highlighting how confusing communication can compound anxiety during outbreaks involving infants.
• Healthbeat reported that recalled formula had been distributed to groups serving unhoused and at-risk families, underscoring the need for rapid recall notification systems that reach shelters, food banks, and mutual aid organizations.
• CSPI issued a statement arguing that fired CDC workers should be reinstated to help respond to the infant formula outbreak, framing staffing cuts as a direct threat to outbreak investigation and policy development.

Shutdown Aftershocks and Turmoil in the Federal Public Health Workforce

As the federal government moved to end the shutdown, coverage revealed deep anxiety among federal health workers, including those at CDC and NIH, about job security, political interference, and the long-term impact on recruitment and retention.

• The New York Times and The Washington Post provided live and same-day coverage of Senate votes to advance measures ending the shutdown, noting particular concern about interruptions to CDC surveillance and emergency response.
• CBS News followed the weekend negotiations to resolve the impasse, emphasizing how prolonged uncertainty hampered planning for winter respiratory season and ongoing outbreak investigations.
• WRDW (Augusta) reported that furloughed CDC employees had received “back to work” notifications, capturing relief at returning to duty mixed with frustration about repeated disruptions.
• AP News featured a video with a former CDC worker visiting as staff returned, highlighting personal stories of stress, delayed research, and concerns about the next funding standoff.
• Healthbeat described how CDC workers are building an internal safety net, creating mutual aid and support systems to help colleagues manage financial strain, burnout, and uncertainty about future layoffs.
• New York Magazine portrayed “working at the CDC” as a “living hell,” with staff alleging gaslighting, surveillance, and layoffs under the RFK Jr. administration, and warning that such conditions will drive away experienced scientists.
• MedPage Today reported on how funding uncertainty is hurting U.S. health research, describing paused projects and staff departures that will affect CDC collaborations with academic and clinical partners.
• The New York Times profiled an NIH worker placed on administrative leave after criticizing Trump health policies, underscoring a chilling effect on scientific speech within federal agencies.
• The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is preparing to fire a worker over a television interview about SNAP, reinforcing fears among federal staff that public discussion of policy trade-offs can carry serious personal risk.
• The New York Times summarized the broader aftermath in “The Shutdown Is Over. But for Federal Workers, the Anxiety Persists,” describing a workforce that feels devalued and uncertain about the stability of their missions.

Resurgent Infectious Diseases Amid Fragile Surveillance

Measles, pertussis, polio, avian influenza, and Marburg virus all featured in this week’s coverage, underscoring how erosion of vaccination and surveillance systems is allowing both old and new pathogens to reemerge.

• CNN reported that Canada has lost its measles elimination status amid a large outbreak, warning that declining vaccination coverage and frequent travel could put the United States at similar risk.
• NBC News asked whether the United States will be next to lose measles elimination, citing localized outbreaks and pockets of low coverage that CDC and state health departments are struggling to address.
• WYFF News 4 reported eight new measles cases in a South Carolina outbreak, bringing the total to more than forty and prompting intensified contact tracing and vaccination clinics.
• The Texas Tribune noted that whooping cough cases in Texas are at their highest level in eleven years, highlighting the consequences of delayed childhood vaccination and weakened routine immunization systems.
• Reuters reported that a wild form of poliovirus was detected in a German sewage sample, a reminder that global eradication remains unfinished and that environmental surveillance must be maintained.
• The Washington Post covered the first U.S. human case of avian influenza in nine months, detected in Washington state, and described how state and federal officials are monitoring for additional cases and potential animal-to-human spread.
• The Washington Post also reported that Ethiopia has experienced its first outbreak of Marburg virus, a close relative of Ebola with no licensed vaccine, raising concerns about global readiness and the need for rapid international support.

Prevention, Data, and the Future of Public Health Infrastructure

Beyond immediate crises, several pieces looked at structural issues: how the United States pays for prevention, how data systems and new CDC models abroad might function, and how nontraditional risks such as ultra-processed foods and sports betting are becoming core public health concerns.

• MedPage Today argued that Medicare has a major opportunity to pay for prevention more directly, noting that current benefits and reimbursement structures still favor treatment over investments that would reduce disease burden upstream.
• STAT called for a fundamental rethinking of how America pays for health care, contending that the current system rewards volume and complexity rather than prevention, resilience, and public health outcomes.
• Your Local Epidemiologist outlined “five ways our health care system has become utterly insane,” emphasizing administrative complexity, financial barriers, and weakened public health infrastructure as interconnected failures.
• CBS News covered a study linking ultra-processed foods to higher risk of precancerous colon polyps, reinforcing the case for nutrition policy that focuses not only on calories but also on processing and marketing.
• STAT described the rise of sports betting as a growing public health crisis, pointing to aggressive marketing, app-based wagering, and the lack of robust surveillance systems for gambling-related harm.
• The American Medical Association reported on its new CEO’s vision to shape the future of health care, including calls for stronger physician engagement in public health and efforts to defend evidence-based practice.
• Healthbeat published a Q&A with NACCHO CEO Lori Freeman, who discussed CDC “chaos,” funding cuts, and what local health officials can learn from colleagues in conservative states about protecting core capabilities.
• Medscape explored how Australia’s new Centre for Disease Control will address public health challenges, providing a point of comparison for the evolving role and structure of CDC in the United States.
• FedScoop argued that saving public health data is essential to saving American lives, warning that political interference with federal data systems could weaken everything from outbreak detection to chronic disease monitoring.
• Government Executive described how OPM’s retirement backlog has surged as deferred resignees begin offboarding, signaling that experienced civil servants, including public health staff, may be leaving faster than agencies can replace them.
• MobiHealthNews covered remarks from former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, who warned that shifting federal policies could further erode the nation’s capacity to respond to health threats if scientific norms and workforce protections are not restored.
• NPR reported that the Trump administration has issued guidance indicating that immigrants may be denied visas for certain health reasons, raising concerns about public health ethics and the role of evidence in immigration policy.
• Fox News interviewed JD Vance, who praised a “bulldozer” approach to public health regulation while also acknowledging how Appalachia has been left behind, signaling a continued political appetite for deregulation even in regions with high health needs.

Future Directions

Everything is pointing in the direction of a public health future in which America is unhealthy again: rising infectious disease threats both domestically and globally, diminished support for proven disease-prevention approaches and technologies, such as vaccines, and federal leadership that questions the role of government in protecting people’s health.