U.S. health agencies, including the CDC, canceled external meetings, paused certain public health publications, and froze employee travel this week following directives from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to two sources familiar with the situation.
A state/federal call scheduled for Thursday involving states affected by H5N1 bird flu in dairy cattle and other animals was canceled, one source said. A training session for public health practitioners was also postponed.
The source noted that H5N1 bird flu calls occur regularly and described the canceled Thursday session as a "One Health" call addressing human and animal health issues. While communication pauses are common during presidential transitions, the source described this pause as unusually broad.
South Dakota's state veterinarian, Beth Thompson, confirmed that the CDC canceled an upcoming, regularly scheduled call with state veterinarians typically focused on bird flu. "There was no reason given," she said. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture held a regularly scheduled call on Wednesday to discuss tracing diseased or at-risk animals through its Veterinary Services program.
Public health officials have emphasized the need for vigilance regarding the spread of H5N1 bird flu, which has infected nearly 70 people in the U.S. since April. Most cases have been mild and occurred in farm workers, according to the CDC. Earlier this month, the U.S. reported its first bird flu-related death after an older individual was exposed to backyard chickens and wild birds.
A memo from acting HHS Secretary Dorothy Fink directed an immediate pause on issuing documents and public communications, including on speaking engagements, until the material is reviewed and approved by a presidential appointee. The pause is set to continue through February 1.
HHS stated that the pause applies only to non-emergency communications and noted that exceptions for mission-critical communications would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
According to an HHS official, the travel ban is effective immediately and remains in place until further notice. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, read portions of the memo to Reuters. It specifies that previously accepted speaking engagements scheduled after January 20 must be canceled, and travel is only authorized for individuals already on an official trip. Employees from the Indian Health Service are exempt from the suspension.
Although a few health communications have been issued since the directive – such as an FDA safety warning on a drug – others were canceled. For example, the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), which provides key insights for health officials, was not published as planned on Thursday. HHS has not indicated when publication will resume.
Tom Frieden, MD, former CDC director, highlighted the importance of timely MMWR publications for informing health officials about emerging threats.
Separately, Jeremy Faust, MD, an emergency physician in Boston, noted that the NIH was instructed to halt approvals for new research funding, based on an email shown to him by an NIH official. The memo noted that advisory meetings would be rescheduled.