The Trump administration temporarily silenced federal health officials

The Trump administration, which is moving quickly to shut down health and science agencies, has canceled several scientific meetings and instructed federal health officials to avoid all public contact. , including an upcoming report focusing on the emerging bird flu crisis.

Experts who serve on an external advisory panel on a variety of topics, from antibiotic resistance to deafness, received emails Wednesday telling them their meetings had been canceled.

The cancellation followed a directive issued by the acting director of the federal Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday, which prohibited the public release of all public communications until the president’s nominee or nominee is reviewed, according to federal officials and internal memos reviewed by The New York Times.

The directive mandates the public publication of “regulations, guidance documents, and other government documents and communications,” including “notices,” “grant announcements,” news releases, communications or official communications. to the authorities, until they receive approval.

The new requirements apply to messages in email groups and to posts on social media, and include a ban on disclosures in The Federal Register, without which many official procedures cannot proceed. that’s it. Some of the notices sent out by the Biden administration in the last week were quickly withdrawn.

The suppression and suppression of communication has sent chills through staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the wider scientific community. The guidelines were first reported by The Washington Post.

Representatives for the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration declined to comment. The moratorium will continue until February 1.

The crash appeared immediately.

CDC officials were preparing to release an issue of their weekly morbidity and mortality report on Thursday that included several items related to bird flu outbreaks on farms. milk and chicken.

The weekly reports have been called the “holiest of holies,” a key tool for communicating public health developments. This week’s release was withheld because of the order, according to two federal health officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Future meetings on outside recommendations on health issues have been canceled, according to panel members, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. Meetings to review grant proposals submitted to the National Institutes of Health were cleared, for example.

Members of the Presidential Advisory Council on Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria have been told that the two-day meeting, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, has been cancelled, “while the new government is consider his plans for managing federal politics and public relations.”

Those who pre-registered for the dinner were told they would be “fully refunded within 48 hours” of receiving the email.

The instructions were signed by Dr. Dorothy Fink, Acting Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. A confirmation hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was appointed by President Trump to lead the department, is not expected for at least another week.

The administration has yet to name an acting director for the CDC or an acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, often among the first moves of an administration.

The communications freeze comes alongside other changes facing federal workers since Mr Trump’s inauguration on Monday, including a hiring freeze, an end to remote work and the closure of offices and various programs, equality and inclusion.

Late Wednesday, Dr. Fink also warned against trying to “disguise these programs by using coded or obscure language.” His letter also encouraged employees to report non-compliant co-workers.

Federal officials previously said it was unusual for a new administration to restrict communications during the initial transition, but the scope and duration of the latest shutdown was unexpected.

Employees of the incoming Trump administration did not use the transition period to meet with federal health officials and familiarize themselves with the agencies.

And while communication breaks are not uncommon, previous administrations have not restricted scientific publications such as the MMWR or health guidelines because of their importance to public health.

“It is not unusual for a new administration to want to promote relations,” said Dr. Richard Besser, chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former director of the CDC

“It is not unusual to suspend all communications from an agency whose main role is to inform the public,” he added.

Separately, several federal officials have said they are concerned whether restrictions on access to The Federal Register include health data. Some officials seem to be completely unaware of the restrictions.

Much of the concern has focused on the CDC, whose role is certainly public communication. The agency, for example, recently informed doctors and patients about the health risks of mpox and Marburg disease outbreaks in Rwanda.

The agency presented findings on the impact of the epidemic on health care providers and new guidelines expanding pneumococcal vaccine recommendations, and warned of an increase in cases. tularemia, a rare infectious disease, in the United States.

State and city health officials rely on CDC notifications to make decisions for their communities, such as when to intensify flu testing or what symptoms to watch for. , said Chrissie Juliano, executive director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, which advocates. head of the urban public health department.

Although much of this information may be delayed by a few days, he said he hopes the government has a plan to disseminate public health information. in associated with bird flu outbreaks.

Last year, the bird flu virus, called H5N1, affected dozens of species and more than 35 million wild and commercial birds, sending egg prices skyrocketing. It also involved at least 67 people; the country recorded its first bird flu-related death in December.

“Can something like bird flu turn into a dime in 10 days?” said Mrs. Juliano. “Yes. I hope that if these signs are found at the federal level, the news will come out. “

Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health and former Biden administration Covid czar, said the break in communication was likely a result of the Trump administration’s move there to the White House, not a settlement. efforts to suppress information.

However, public health experts are wary of any changes in access to federal health data. Memories of Mr. Trump’s last term, in which political appointees repeatedly tampered with CDC reports and doctor records, are still raw.

“I think if it goes beyond February 1, we have a bigger problem,” said Dr. Yes.