The Trump administration has placed a pause on all external health communications from federal health agencies, according to media reports.
The Washington Post reports that the pause covers health advisories, weekly scientific reports, updates to websites, and social media posts. Staff members at agencies inside the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health, were notified about the pause yesterday.
Among the items covered under the pause are the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which typically includes epidemiologic studies and case reports on infectious disease outbreaks, and advisories from the Health Alert Network, through which the CDC informs clinicians and local public health officials about urgent public health incidents. Both are considered cornerstones of the CDC's communications strategy.
The pause also covers releases from the FDA on food recalls and drug and medical device approvals, although it's unclear if it will affect more urgent communications, the Post reports.
A source told CNN that while "it wasn't unheard of" for a new presidential administration to ask for a pause to review information before it's publicly released, the scope of the pause is unusual. A health official told the Post that if the pause lasts more than a week or two, it could become concerning.