Next Week in Public Health, August 29, 2025
What a shitty, shitty week. Mandy had a couple of blogs about it here:
And also, if we try to forecast out what the next few years might be like, we have some thoughts.
If you can still stomach the news, here’s what’s been in it.
Determinants of vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers in an international multicenter study within the EuCARE project
A survey conducted on 2079 healthcare workers across Lithuania, Portugal, Poland, Germany, and Brazil revealed mixed sentiments toward COVID-19 vaccines, with only 55.7% confident about their long-term safety and 10% believing the vaccine posed more risk than the virus itself. Despite high vaccination rates, hesitancies rooted in concerns about vaccine safety, effectiveness, and mandatory policies remain, with education level, occupation, and geography influencing attitudes. Addressing this hesitancy is crucial as healthcare workers’ perceptions significantly impact public trust in vaccines, and effective strategies could enhance vaccine acceptance, ensuring consistent health system functioning.
Native Americans Want To Avoid Past Medicaid Enrollment Snafus as Work Requirements Loom
The article discusses the challenges faced by Native American Medicaid beneficiaries, like Jonnell Wieder and her daughter, during the Medicaid “unwinding” process, where millions lost coverage due to administrative issues after the COVID-19 public health emergency ended. Despite Native Americans being exempt from new federal Medicaid work and eligibility checks beginning by 2027, they remain vulnerable to procedural disenrollments, highlighting the need for improved federal oversight and better support systems to ensure consistent health coverage in tribal communities. This matters because coverage disruptions can exacerbate health disparities among Native American populations who already face high rates of chronic illnesses and limited healthcare access.
The FDA just overhauled its COVID vaccine guidance. Here’s what it means for you
New federal guidance now requires healthy adults under 65 to consult a health care provider before receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, a step not required for flu shots. Critics argue this creates unnecessary barriers to vaccination, particularly amid rising COVID cases and waning immunity, and may undermine trust and accessibility in public health efforts. This policy change, part of a broader skepticism towards vaccine initiatives led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has sparked significant concern from public health experts about its potential to hinder vaccine uptake and elevate health risks.
CDC instability, policy disarray.
The abrupt dismissal of CDC Director Susan Monarez, amidst a wave of high-profile resignations, has plunged the agency into disarray, raising concerns about U.S. public health stability. This leadership upheaval, driven by alleged policy disagreements with the Department of Health and Human Services, threatens the CDC’s ability to effectively manage disease outbreaks and maintain national biosecurity, according to public health experts. The situation highlights the tension between scientific integrity and political influence, underscoring the potential risks to public health and safety.
