West Texans, Mennonites at center of measles outbreak choose medical freedom over vaccine mandates Measles has sickened nearly 150 mostly unvaccinated people in rural West Texas, and a school-age child has died. AP News

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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a document Friday proposing to strip public participation from much of the business his department conducts. The move comes during a time of major upheaval across federal health agencies, and as the public waits to see how Kennedy will enact his pledge of “radical transparency” at the department.

The statement, placed in the Federal Register, said HHS would rescind its longtime practice of giving members of the public a chance to comment on the agency’s plans....

U.S. actions may set polio eradication back, WHO says

US flu season shows signs of peak Twelve more pediatric flu deaths were reported, mostly caused by the H1N1 strain, raising the season's total to 98. CIDRAP

Flu activity in the United States has declined for the second week and a row, suggesting levels have peaked, though hospitalizations and other markers remain high and deaths in kids are nearing 100, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest weekly update.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began firing staff on Thursday, continuing a wave of government-wide layoffs ordered by the Trump administration. The terminations, which include staff at the National Weather Service, could impact weather forecasting used by many people and industries across the U.S. economy.