The Covid pandemic was an unprecedented global emergency. We should look back at what went right and wrong, but vilifying health officials benefits no one.

After Fauci Senate hearing, experts worry about 'chilling effect' on public health

The accusations against Dr. Anthony Fauci, once the nation's leading infectious disease expert, have some experts worrying that these events may further erode public health staffing in the U.S.

npr.org

For more than a century, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has helped protect people across the Americas, including in the U.S., from health threats of all kinds. I joined bipartisan health, national security, business and faith leaders today in calling for continued U.S. funding for PAHO.

Friends of PAHO

friendsofpaho.org

This summer, outbreaks flared inside the United States: measles, cyclospora, and screwworm. A public health system at full strength catches threats when the risk is low and an effective response is easy. A weakened system finds outbreaks late, when they are big and much harder to stop.

Don't Take Health Progress for Granted

Recent outbreaks demonstrate the risks we face when systems designed to protect us fray

tomfrieden.substack.com

Honored by the review of The Formula for Better Health in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal. The book offers practical guidance on applicable to public health professionals and anyone striving to live a longer, healthier life. Order your copy: www.amazon.com/Formula-Bett...

Reflecting on my time at CDC working with Dr. Nancy Cox after reading this in memoriam piece by Dr. Dan Jernigan. Dr. Cox's deep legacy on influenza and public health will carry on in communities and countries around the world.

In Memoriam: The Enduring Influence of Nancy J. Cox (1948–2026)

The Enduring Influence of Nancy J. Cox (1948–2026)

wwwnc.cdc.gov

The closest thing we have to a wonder drug? Physical activity.

For decades, primary care in Bangladesh ran on paper. A health worker in a crowded clinic saw as many as 300 patients a day. When a patient missed a follow-up visit, no one knew until a stroke or heart attack brought them back. Digital records changed that. tomfrieden.substack.com/p/this-simpl...

Ultra-processed food companies are fighting health progress with all they’ve got, bringing lawsuits and costing countries billions of dollars, according to a new report. It’s up to public health advocates to stand strong against these efforts to unwind healthy food policies.

‘If all else fails, sue’: how ultra-processed food firms are using the courts to obstruct health rules

Exclusive: Global investigation reveals 235 lawsuits have been brought against governments in five countries since 2010

theguardian.com

It’s only July and confirmed measles cases in the U.S. have already hit a 35-year high.

‘The Child Is Terrified’: Measles Doctors Speak Out

Hear from six pediatricians in measles hot spot Utah, as the US faces infection levels not seen in over three decades and prepares to lose its status as a country that eliminated the dangerous disease...

wired.com

The current Ebola epidemic in the DRC is a stress test that, as of now, the world is failing. We need to set up systems so the world isn’t scrambling every time there is another health emergency.

Ebola Returns: How We Can Fight Back

A new outbreak of Ebola is outpacing us again. What will it take to finally get ahead of viruses?

time.com

Public health officials work behind the scenes every day to protect us from outbreaks, not only during times of crisis. Amanda McClelland spoke with @news.abc.net.au about the need for strategic investments in health security.

On the hunt for the next epidemic - ABC listen

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is once again drawing attention to the threat of infectious diseases. But a new report from the non-profit group, Resolve to Save Lives focuses on...

abc.net.au

Aid cuts are unquestionably and tragically costing the lives of children.

Trump's team says 'no children' died from USAID cuts. Consider these 3 cases

Both Marco Rubio and Elon Musk, who led the effort to sunset the foreign aid agency, have said that no deaths have been linked to the cutting of its funding. These parents tell a different story.

npr.org

Heart disease and stroke kill one person every two seconds—more than all infectious diseases combined. The graph below shows two possible futures. The difference between them over the next 25 years is an estimated 76 million premature deaths. tomfrieden.substack.com/p/76-million...

Progress on tobacco control is being reversed: Lifesaving programs at CDC have been gutted, plans to ban menthol cigarettes have been shelved, and regulations on vaping have been loosened. How do we push back? Listen to someone who has been winning against the tobacco industry for decades:

In the US, we're letting down defenses that are necessary to protect against microbial threats. Instead of protecting against these threats, we’re doing the opposite.

New Disease Threats Follow Trump Administration’s Health Program Cuts - KFF Health News

From screwworm to flesh-eating bacteria, mounting public health risks are emerging in the wake of deep cuts to federal health agencies and programs.

kffhealthnews.org

Nigeria’s new public food procurement guidelines are a major step toward creating healthier food environments throughout the country—and they serve as a great example for governments around the world.

The Tips from Former Smokers campaign helped more than 16 million Americans quit smoking. Unwinding successful tobacco control programs will cost lives.

Efforts to Help Smokers Quit Stall Under Trump (Gift Article)

The C.D.C.’s tobacco control office has been shut for more than a year. After its most prominent antismoking campaign went off the air, calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW lines have plummeted.

nytimes.com

I spoke with Matt Myers about advocacy—one of the most powerful tools we have to improve public health, and one he’s spent nearly 30 years mastering as a leader in the tobacco control movement and as the founder and longtime president of @tobaccofreekids.bsky.social.

The Power of Public Health Advocacy

YouTube video by Dr. Tom Frieden

youtube.com

Fascinating. Selling Candy to Kids: A new exhibit highlights the colorful tactics advertisers use to get children hooked on junk @drtomfrieden.bsky.social

Selling Candy to Kids

A new exhibit highlights the colorful tactics advertisers use to get children hooked on junk

open.substack.com

The screwworm barrier worked for nearly six decades because people funded and staffed it. Because we let down our guard, the vampire pathogen is back, and could cost billions of dollars to control.

We Beat a Vampire Fly in 1966. It’s Back.

Screwworm's return to the U.S. is a study in what happens when preparedness isn’t a priority

tomfrieden.substack.com

A bipartisan group of United States senators is speaking out against plans that would gut PEPFAR, shutter many CDC country offices, and make Americans less safe. Thank you Senators Warnock and Cassidy for leading this effort!

Warnock, Cassidy Urge Senate Colleagues to Oppose Trump Administration Changes to CDC’s Global Disease Programs » Reverend Raphael Warnock

In a new bipartisan letter, Senators Reverend Warnock and Dr. Bill Cassidy led 23 of their Senate colleagues urging Senate Appropriations committee leadership to oppose the Trump Administration’s prop...

warnock.senate.gov

The State Department’s plan will basically destroy PEPFAR and lead to the closure of many CDC country offices—a scenario that would jeopardize the health of millions and make Americans less safe.

New Plan Scales Back C.D.C.’s Work on Diseases Abroad

nytimes.com

Seeing the invisible is public health’s superpower. By seeing threats clearly, we can generate the motivation to stop them and catalyze effective, lifesaving solutions. Thanks @aveek18.bsky.social for reviewing The Formula for Better Health!

Read/Watched/Listened/Ate

23: June 2026

aveekbhattacharya.substack.com

Because Ebola isn't airborne and doesn't spread through casual contact, the risk to anyone at the World Cup is extremely low. But the virus does pose a grave risk to thousands of people in DRC and the surrounding region. They deserve the world’s support.

Ebola risk for World Cup is 'extremely low', but US is ready, experts say

The risk that a traveler infected with Ebola could arrive in the United States during the 2026 World Cup tournament that kicked off last week is low but not zero, and if that happens, U.S. hospitals a...

reuters.com

Turning CDC into a vendor will destroy lifesaving programs and undermine health security around the world and in our own country. This isn’t global health reform, it’s abandonment.

Ebola Recalls Why the U.S. Needs a Foreign Health Service | Think Global Health

The Trump administration is right that U.S. health diplomacy needs stronger leadership, but turning the CDC into a vendor is the wrong path

thinkglobalhealth.org

Could the World Cup accelerate Ebola’s spread or carry it to new regions? No mass gathering is immune to disease threats, and the World Cup won’t be either. But when it comes to Ebola, controlling spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most pressing challenge.

A Stress Test the World Is Failing

The World Cup won’t be a super-spreader event for Ebola. The outbreak in DRC is the test that matters.

tomfrieden.substack.com

Three weeks ago I wrote that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC could be stopped. It still can, but it continues to move faster than the response, and the numbers understate how fast it’s moving. tomfrieden.substack.com/p/when-the-n...

Could the large Ebola outbreak in the DRC have been prevented? Dr. Sandro Galea and I discussed how we got here and what needs to happen to contain the outbreak.

Soda and other sugary beverages are linked to heart disease and many other health harms. The world's biggest sweetened beverage companies are sponsoring the FIFA World Cup. This sets a bad example on a major stage. Learn more at kickbigsodaout.org.

Kick Big Soda Out

kickbigsodaout.org

I’ve worked on health programs in dozens of countries over four decades, and I can’t think of a single more powerful example of progress against cardiovascular disease than South Korea’s impressive efforts to control high blood pressure.