If you’re based in the United States, you’ve probably gotten used to government bodies issuing nationwide alerts — including ones that relate to public health. These have, historically, been good ways for health-conscious people to know what to look out for and for regional public health experts to develop strategies to help keep potential outbreaks contained.
Unfortunately, now both individuals and institutions are reckoning with a big question: what to do when those warnings are much smaller in number? That, at least, is the gist of an alarming report at NPR by Rob Stein. At the heart of NPR’s reporting is the CDC’s Health Alert Network, which its website describes as the agency’s “primary method of sharing cleared information about urgent public health incidents.” Generally, NPR reports, this meant “dozens” of alerts per year. In 2025, there were just five issued.
As experts told NPR, these alerts can help doctors and other medical professionals know what to prioritize and be aware of. “Clinicians need tools like that to say, ‘Pay attention to this specific thing right now,’” Lauren Sauer of the the Global Center for Health Security at the University of Nebraska told NPR.
CDC Warns Americans of Increased Dengue Fever Risk
The Americas are seeing a sizable increase in cases this yearWhat’s more notable, at this point, are the public health crises that the CDC has not issued Health Alert Network notifications for — including a measles outbreak and the current strain of the flu. Regarding the latter, Sam Torbati, MD of Cedars-Sinai Emergency Department observed, “It seems to be a more aggressive strain, and it seems to be a tougher problem.” It’s a concerning situation — but given that job cuts at the CDC in the last year, it isn’t as surprising as one might expect.
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