CDC

Susan Monarez has been serving as the CDC’s acting director since January. The 50-year-old came from an outside federal agency, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.

Most of the 80,000 workers responsible for researching diseases, inspecting food and administering Medicare and Medicaid under Health and Human Services were emailed the separation deal.

A memo to senior leaders at the agency tells them that all staff who work with the World Health Organization must immediately end collaborations and “await further guidance.”

In an abundance of caution, the CDC last week advised hospitals and labs to do faster flu testing to help identify possible bird flu cases hiding in the flock of rising flu diagnoses.

President Donald Trump issued a flurry of executive orders and other actions on health care soon after reentering office. Other than signaling he intends to reverse many of Joe Biden’s moves, the orders will have little immediate impact.

The grand jury, convened at the request of Gov. Ron DeSantis, recommended policy changes including increasing transparency around clinical trials and banning advertisements for pharmaceutical drugs.

The most recent CDC hospitalization data and other indicators show that the flu virus is trending higher than the other germs. Several seasonal strains are driving cases.

Nonmainstream doctors and health leaders are wielding serious muscle in shaping the incoming administration’s health policies and challenging prevailing thinking on public health, disease prevention and chronic illness.

Dr. Mandy Cohen is urging the next administration to maintain its focus and funding to keep Americans safe from emerging health threats.

Johns Hopkins surgeon Dr. Marty Makary is his choice for the FDA and Dr. Janette Nesheiwat is in line to be the next surgeon general. Dr. Dave Weldon of Florida is slated to run the CDC.