Listen: Healthbeat staff talk vaccinations, bird flu and other public health stories on ‘What the Health’

Healthbeat staff dropped in on the “What the Health” podcast with Julie Rovner at KFF Health News in Washington, D.C., to talk about our work on public health and what stories to be watching.

Healthbeat Editor in Chief Charlene Pacenti, national reporter Amy Maxmen, and New York reporter Eliza Fawcett discuss vaccination rates - from Covid to childhood shots - bird flu, the importance of community trust in the public health system, and changes expected under a new administration in Washington.

The episode, “Public Health and the Dairy Cow in the Room,” was released Tuesday.

KFF Health News is Healthbeat’s national reporting partner.

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The Tulane National Biomedical Research Center drew national attention in 2015 when a deadly foreign-strain of bacteria escaped one of the center’s high-containment laboratories.

Funds for SNAP, WIC, and Head Start run out on Saturday, affecting over 1 million people in Georgia.

Trump’s budget bill slashes nearly 20% from SNAP through 2034. Separate from any temporary SNAP stoppages due to the federal shutdown, the law cuts off access for refugees and other immigrant groups who are in the country lawfully.

Also in the Global Health Checkup: Bird flu in Europe, Fiji free of trachoma, Rift Valley Fever in Senegal, and what happens when malaria aid is cut.

The discussion at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., explored coverage of the outbreak's origin: Was it caused by an accident at a lab in Wuhan, China? Or an infected animal at a Wuhan market or in the wild?

Warning by European health agency about mpox strain notes locally spread cases in Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, and California.