US retreat on global health already has troubling fallout | Columnists

• National data reveals that Assam has accounted for nearly 62% of all Japanese encephalitis (JE) deaths in India since 2018, with outbreaks typically peaking between July and August. • Expert Athira Elssa Johnson emphasizes the urgent need for India to improve controls on food-borne infections, which are being exacerbated by climate change, chemical contaminants, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

• The U.S. government has provided doses of an experimental antibody drug developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical to combat the Ebola outbreak in the Congo. • This decision marks a shift in policy, as the U.S. previously stated the treatment would only be available to high-risk American citizens.

• The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), representing over 3,300 local health departments, released new research on public health preparedness and response capacities. • Findings indicate that over half of local health departments feel completely prepared to handle small-scale infectious disease outbreaks (59%), pandemics (57%), and vaccine-preventable diseases (53%).

• The CDC canceled the publication of a COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness study originally scheduled for its flagship Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) in April. • CDC leadership blocked the report citing "methodologic weaknesses," though the study has since been released for public review.

• A study confirming the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines was published Tuesday by JAMA Network Open after being blocked by a CDC journal. • The research found the vaccine was approximately 55% effective against hospitalizations and reduced emergency department and urgent care visits by 50%.

• The Trump administration announced a multi-pronged initiative on Monday aimed at strengthening the early clinical trial ecosystem within the United States. • As part of this effort, the FDA will reconsider Regenxbio’s gene therapy designed to treat Hunter syndrome, a rare pediatric disease.

A clinical trial testing two drugs against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which is driving a fast-moving outbreak in Central Africa, is set to begin next week, WHO officials said.

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the FDA have launched an "unprecedented" initiative to restore American leadership in clinical trials and counter competition from China. • A key component of the plan is an expedited investigational new drug pilot program designed to reduce early trial timelines by as much as 12 months.

FDA's early-stage clinical trial program, a mysterious single patient gets retatrutide access, and more health news from Morning Rounds

• As of June 18, 2026, a measles outbreak in the U.S. has reached 2,104 confirmed cases across 41 different jurisdictions. • The CDC has issued a warning that increased summer travel may accelerate the spread of the virus, posing a significant risk to families.

• A study examining COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness was finally published after being blocked from inclusion in a weekly federal government report by the CDC. • The publication follows a separate effort by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who petitioned the FDA to revoke the authorization of all COVID-19 vaccines.