Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new vaccine advisers added confusion Friday to this fall's COVID-19 vaccinations. For the first time since the shots were developed, the group has declined to recommend their use — instead leaving the choice up to those who want them. The Food and Drug Administration recently put new restrictions on this year's shots from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax, reserving them for people over 65 or younger ones at higher risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisers declined to recommend that those people seek a shot but narrowly avoided urging states to require a prescrption for those who want one.

The Trump administration is urging public health agencies to prioritize investigations of vaccine injuries, prescription drug use and autism's causes. The call is part of a new "Make America Healthy Again" report released Tuesday. Overseen by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the report aims to end childhood diseases in the U.S. by refocusing public health on his so-called "MAHA" movement's priorities. The report suggests using personal medical records and health insurance data to investigate diseases and disorders, including autism. It also addresses issues like ultraprocessed food consumption and water quality. And it calls for increased oversight of prescription drug ads, especially those by social media influencers.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced tough bipartisan questioning about his COVID-19 policies in a Senate committee hearing. On Thursday, Democratic senators clashed with Kennedy over his changes to vaccine recommendations, while some Republican senators also expressed concerns. Kennedy praised President Donald Trump for the Operation Warp Speed initiative but criticized the safety of mRNA vaccines. He defended the firing of the CDC director, claiming she was dishonest. Kennedy's actions, including replacing a vaccine advisory panel with skeptics, have drawn criticism from medical groups. They warn his policies could increase vaccine-preventable diseases and have called for his resignation.

Three top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been escorted off the public health agency's Atlanta campus as the White House tries to remove its leader. This turmoil is part of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push for anti-vaccine policies. The officials resigned after the White House announced plans to oust Susan Monarez as director. Monarez's lawyers say she refused to support unscientific directives. Kennedy has warned of more firings. The situation has raised concerns about the CDC's leadership and the legitimacy of upcoming vaccine advisory meetings. Kennedy is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill on Sept. 4.

Measles cases in the U.S. are at their highest in more than three decades. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. has 1,288 cases since the beginning of the year. That's higher than 2019, when there 1,274 cases driven by 22 outbreaks over 12 months. Eighteen states have seen outbreaks this year. Experts fear the U.S. may lose its status as having eliminated measles. There are also large outbreaks of the vaccine-preventable disease in Mexico and Canada.

For many Americans, it's not clear how easy getting a COVID-19 vaccination will be. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently said the shots are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, usurping a decision normally made by scientific experts. Days later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said healthy children "may" get COVID-19 vaccinations, removing stronger language that they "should" get them — and CDC's website now has no advice for pregnant women. The biggest questions are whether people can get a vaccine even if it's not recommended for them — and if insurance will pay.

The nation's top public health agency has posted new recommendations that healthy children and pregnant women may — but no longer should — get COVID-19 vaccinations. The change comes days after U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 vaccines will no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. Kennedy announced the coming changes in a 58-second video posted on the social media site X on Tuesday. No one from the CDC was in the video, and CDC officials have referred questions about the announcement to Kennedy and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Federal health officials say at least 45 people in 18 states have been sickened in an expanding salmonella outbreak tied to recalled cucumbers. The cucumbers were produced by Florida-based Bedner Growers and distributed to restaurants, hospitals, cruise ships and grocery stores. Health authorities said Friday at least 16 people have been hospitalized to date. The outbreak includes reports of illness from people aboard six different cruise ships that departed from Florida ports between late March and mid-April. The outbreak was detected as part of a follow-up inspection to a 2024 outbreak linked to the same company.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. In a 58-second video posted on the social media site X, Kennedy said he removed COVID-19 shots from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations for those groups. No one from the CDC was in the video. U.S. health officials, following recommendations by infectious disease experts, have been urging annual COVID-19 boosters for all Americans ages 6 months and older. A CDC scientific advisory panel is set to meets in June and will consider recommending vaccination for high-risk groups but still giving lower-risk people the choice in getting a shot. But Kennedy decided not to wait.

A Democratic senator says she's worried about the fallout from a major overhaul and layoffs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington says it doesn't take a genius to understand "pushing out 20,000 workers at our preeminent health agencies won't make Americans healthier." Murray says there will be fewer health services, more opportunities for disease to spread and longer waits for treatments. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday the department he oversees is inefficient. Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota says the ramifications of Kennedy's plans for HHS are unclear and if something gets broken "we'll go back and try to fix" it.