Trump pauses updates from CDC, FDA & more. Where to find health info in Pennsylvania
As President Trump has ordered federal health agencies to pause some external communications through Saturday, Feb. 1, residents still have access to some information about respiratory virus transmission as the illnesses spread at a high level in Pennsylvania.
The pause order was delivered Tuesday, CNN reported, and will affect services such as some regular scientific reports, health advisories and website updates from federal health agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Some federal public health website updates are still happening, and CNN reported the Trump administration’s order came with “with little guidance as to what exactly it covered.” The order does require approval from the White House prior to agencies disseminating external communications, Time magazine reports.
Pennsylvania is at a high level for respiratory virus activity, according to the most recent update from the CDC Friday. The federal map reports state-level data on the transmission of COVID, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), although another highly contagious virus is also spreading throughout the state.
Norovirus, a stomach bug, is also contributing to illnesses in Pennsylvania this year. Some of its most common symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain.
As of Friday, the CDC’s H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation webpage was last updated Jan. 17, and reported the multi-state outbreak has led to 67 confirmed total human cases in the U.S. and one death. The disease has affected poultry flocks across the nation, and a New York farm will euthanize more than 100,000 ducks due to a bird flu outbreak at the facility, USA Today reported Wednesday.
No humans in Pennsylvania have tested positive for the bird flu to date, Pennsylvania Department of Health spokesperson Neil Ruhland wrote in a Friday email to the Centre Daily Times.
“There have been no infections in commercial poultry in Pennsylvania since February 2024. The last confirmed infection was in a backyard flock of 20 birds in Venango County in October 2024. None of these birds were producing eggs or products used or sold beyond that farm,” Ruhland said.
The state health agency will continue to update residents and health care providers during the federal pause, Ruhland said, including through the department’s website, news releases, health alerts, newsletters, social media posts and community events.
The department’s Respiratory Virus Dashboard was last updated Jan. 18 and will continue to be updated weekly, Ruhland said. For influenza and RSV, case information is among the available information, while the COVID data focuses on emergency department visits and deaths and does not include a case count. Mandatory reporting requirements for COVID ended in Pennsylvania when the national public health emergency concluded in May 2023, Ruhland said.
“The Health Department recommends that Pennsylvanians stay updated with COVID-19, flu and RSV vaccinations and continue fundamental health and hygiene practices, like handwashing, staying home when sick, and avoiding contact with people who have suspected or confirmed respiratory illness,” Ruhland said.
You can schedule COVID and flu vaccines online at CVS and Walgreens. RSV vaccines may also be available, but vaccination recommendations are narrower for that respiratory illness.
Where can you find public health information in Pennsylvania?
Here’s a list of online resources from the CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health on respiratory viruses and more. Communication from some of these may still be affected by Trump’s pause.
Public health officials often recommend hand washing, avoiding others when you are sick and cleaning contaminated surfaces to mitigate a variety of viruses.
This story was originally published January 25, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
