Public Health News Round Up, May 9, 2025

by Jon Scaccia May 9, 2025

We try to keep up, but there is a lot of new stuff really fast. Here’s how the science clusters for next week.

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FDA warns of dangers in finasteride hair loss treatments

The FDA alert on topical finasteride underscores its potential risks, which are often overlooked by users who rely on convenient telehealth prescriptions. With side effects like sexual dysfunction, cognitive challenges, and emotional distress potentially lingering even after stopping the medication, it’s crucial for patients to be fully informed by healthcare professionals before starting treatment, highlighting the need for personalized consultation over quick online solutions.

Former CDC staff warn of ‘a five-alarm fire’

Thousands of staff cuts at the CDC under the Trump Administration have severely impaired the agency’s ability to respond to public health threats, raising alarms among experts who warn that these reductions in force leave Americans increasingly vulnerable to various health risks. While the administration frames the move as a strategic effort to reduce government waste, the dismantling of critical programs has led to significant anxiety and uncertainty among current and former CDC employees, who are concerned about the long-term consequences for public health.

Medicaid payments barely keep hospital mental health units afloat. Federal cuts could sink them

In Spencer, Iowa, the local hospital is one of the last in the state still committed to providing inpatient mental health services despite financial losses, underscoring the critical role of Medicaid in supporting mental health care. However, potential Medicaid cuts being considered by Congress could further exacerbate the nationwide shortage of psychiatric services, leading to even more closures and leaving vulnerable patients without necessary care and potentially increasing emergency room visits and suicides.

RFK Jr.’s Ex–Running Mate Warns Someone Is “Controlling” Him

Nicole Shanahan’s shock at Casey Means’ nomination as U.S. Surgeon General highlights a rift within the Trump administration’s health policies, suggesting RFK Jr.’s influence might be under external control—though it seems Shanahan may be ignoring a pattern of conspiratorial alliances she’d been involved in before. Meanwhile, Trump’s economic strategies, including damaging tariffs and dubious immigration practices, continue to raise ethical and legal questions, placing further strain on his administration’s credibility among both allies and critics.