Trump Administration Halts All Communications From The Centers For Disease Control As Bird Flu Spreads

by Erica Kollmann Benzinga Staff Writer

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Dorothy Fink halts reports from health agencies like the CDC, FDA and National Institutes of Health on Tuesday,
The H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with several recent human cases.
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As the bird flu virus continues to spread through the United States among poultry, dairy cows and several recent human cases among poultry workers, on Tuesday the Trump administration ordered all communications from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to stop.

The Details: Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dorothy Fink followed by halting all reports from health agencies like the CDC, Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health on Tuesday, according to a report from the Washington Post.

In a memo obtained by the Associated Press, Fink communicated that an "immediate pause" was ordered on regulations, guidance, announcements, press releases, social media posts and website posts through at least Feb. 1.

The pause also includes the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientific publication on health information and recommendations.

Some medical experts are concerned that the lack of communication from key health agencies could put public health in jeopardy.

"Not a day goes by when CDC isn't tracking a potential threat to our health," Richard Besser, MD, former acting director of the CDC, told CNN.

"Right now they are letting us know about bird flu in cows, birds, and people … Cutting off communications from CDC puts our health at risk and prevents our doctors, nurses, and public health leaders in our communities from doing their jobs. I urge the administration to quickly lift the pause," Besser continued.

Bird Flu Update: The H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with several recent human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers.

There have been 67 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the U.S. since 2024, including one death. The CDC says it is “watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures.”

The New York Times reported on Thursday that an outbreak of H5NI avian flu hit the last remaining duck farm on Long Island and all 100,000 ducks on the farm must be killed.

Before President Donald Trump took office last week, the CDC issued a new health advisory recommending that hospitalized patients who have tested positive for influenza be tested for the bird flu virus within 24 hours.

Vaccines: Last Friday Moderna Inc. MRNA announced it received an additional $590 million award from the HHS to accelerate the development of its mRNA-based influenza vaccines, including bird flu.

Other pharmaceutical companies, including Novavax Inc. NVAX, have bird flu vaccine candidates currently in clinical trials and CureVac NV CVAC started a phase I/II study on its bird flu vaccine candidate developed in collaboration with GSK plc GSK.

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