Health News that Trump Doesn't Want You To Know

[rareboy]

I knew two young people who died of meningitis.

 

[KaraBulut]

I knew two young people who died of meningitis.

Bacterial meningitis type B spreads easily via body fluids, including saliva. It is particularly troublesome in high schools, university dorms and in the gay community. Fortunately, it is somewhat rare in the US (thanks to vaccination!).

Outside the US, it is ranks as #5 in the list of infectious diseases that result in childhood deaths.

The old schedule had the first dose administered to infants. The second booster dose was administered around the time that children entered junior high school (and became sexually active).

The vaccine offers immunity for about 5 years. The change from the RFK Jr pseudo-science committee leaves children vulnerable between ages 0-12.

 

[KaraBulut]

It's baaaaacccckkkk...

This website is unavailable in your location. – WSB-TV Channel 2 - Atlanta

www.wsbtv.com

Bird flu found at Georgia commercial poultry farm, state’s first case of 2026

The Georgia Department of Agriculture reported on Wednesday the state’s first positive bird flu case for 2026.

Officials said bird flu was found in a commercial flock in Walker County.

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/state/highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-case-walker-county-georgia/85-6e04412e-dc11-483e-9ee5-ff6f76480635

Case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza confirmed in north Georgia poultry operation

Georgia's Department of Agriculture has deployed a team to a north Georgia poultry operation for depopulation and disinfection after a confirmed case of HPAI.

Georgia's Department of Agriculture on Wednesday confirmed a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a poultry operation in Walker County.

A release from the Georgia Department of Agriculture said this is the fourth such case of HPAI at a commercial poultry operation in Georgia since a nationwide outbreak started in 2022.

A quarantine has been placed on all commercial poultry operations within a 6.2-mile radius (10 kilometers) of the impacted site. Those nearby operations will undergo surveillance testing for at least the next two weeks.

 

[rareboy]

So five of the panel that recommended the new all meat and dairy food 'pyramid' have financial ties to the meat and dairy industry.

 

[smokeshadow]

$ 2 billion in cuts to mental health and addiction services

Expert Warns 'People Will Die' After Trump Induces 'Armageddon' With New Budget Cuts

Overnight and without warning, the Trump administration slashed around $2 billion from mental health and addiction programs, leaving organizations, front-line providers, and possibly millions of patients without immediate recourse. The cuts were announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health...

www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

 

[cityboy-stl]

$ 2 billion in cuts to mental health and addiction services

Expert Warns 'People Will Die' After Trump Induces 'Armageddon' With New Budget Cuts

Overnight and without warning, the Trump administration slashed around $2 billion from mental health and addiction programs, leaving organizations, front-line providers, and possibly millions of patients without immediate recourse. The cuts were announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health...

www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

The cuts were thankfully reversed this morning. This is just another example of the utter incompetence and stupidity of this regime. This should never have been done in the first place.

HHS reverses mental health cuts after pushback

Health care advocates and members of Congress expressed opposition to the cuts after being told of them earlier this week.

www.nbcnews.com

By the way:

 

[rareboy]

Everything is a caprice. And very often likely involves some random discussion the mad dictator has had with Stephen Miller or Kennedy or some other crackpot.

And because they did this 'cut' expect HHS to start to arbitrarily decide now which providers get funding and which ones don't anyway.

 

[KaraBulut]

Everything is a caprice. And very often likely involves some random discussion the mad dictator has had with Stephen Miller or Kennedy or some other crackpot.

And because they did this 'cut' expect HHS to start to arbitrarily decide now which providers get funding and which ones don't anyway.

On the other side of this, the Courts have been undoing the HHS cuts. And even more shocking, Congress has been quietly restoring (and even increasing) funding for medical research.

It's making some of the nonsense going on in the executive branch look performative. But what needs to happen is that Congress needs to remove RFK Jr for his anti-science games at the CDC and FDA. RFK Jr has little or no support in Congress and he's viewed as a Democratic traitor, so he is the most obvious candidate for impeachment. I just get the impression that Democrats in Congress have so many candidates to remove from office that they are having a rough time deciding which ones to prioritize.

 

[smokeshadow]

^^I also think they are awaiting the mid-term elections; and, the House flip. And, maybe the Senate as well

 

[KaraBulut]

^^I also think they are awaiting the mid-term elections; and, the House flip. And, maybe the Senate as well

I see signs. The plan to go after the Alaska Senate seat with a strong Democratic candidate shows promise.

But Democrats and "a plan" are things that are not often found in the same sentence.

I posted a cartoon in the memes thread yesterday that rang true with me. The first five panels are a problem, but that last panel is as much a problem as the other 5.

 

[rareboy]

I also think they like leaving them where they are in order to drive the vote in November.

 

[rareboy]

Wait until the Gravy Seals start eating the $3 meal of a pice of chicken, a piece of broccoli and a tortilla wrap under Rollins and Kennedy's new food pyramid guidelines.

 

[KaraBulut]

U.S. Measles Cases as of 14-Jan-2026

​	2026​	2025​
​	To date​	Full year​
Total Cases	171	2,242

Age

Under 5 years	42 (25%)	575 (26%)
5-19 years	103 (60%)	983 (44%)
20+ years	17 (10%)	669 (30%)
Age unknown	9 (5%)	15 (1%)

 

Vaccination Status

Unvaccinated or Unknown	95%	93%
One MMR dose	2%	3%
Two MMR doses	2%	4%

U.S. Hospitalizations

Total Hospitalized	1%	11%
	(2 of 171 cases)	(245 of 2242 cases)

Percent of Age Group Hospitalized

Under 5 years	2% (1 of 42)	18% (106 of 575)
5-19 years	1% (1 of 103)	6% (58 of 983)
20+ years	0% (0 of 17)	12% (81 of 669)
Age unknown	0% (0 of 9)	0% (0 of 15)

 
U.S. Deaths

Total Deaths

0

3

 

[fallsguy]

 

[KaraBulut]

This message brought to you by the anti-vaxxers that Trump has enabled.

South Carolina has beaten Texas' record number of measles cases from 2025.

https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/south-carolina-measles-cases-surge-as-north-carolina-sees-continued-spread/275-7e3af176-09ec-49f0-b697-025c976261c0

South Carolina measles cases surge as North Carolina sees continued spread

The state’s measles case count has climbed to 789, with numbers continuing to rise across multiple counties.

South Carolina now has one of the highest measles case counts in the country, surpassing Texas, which had previously been leading in reported cases. Health leaders say vaccinations remain the most critical tool to slow the spread.

According to the South Carolina Department of Public Health (SCDPH), the state’s measles case count has climbed to 789, with numbers continuing to rise across multiple counties.

The measles outbreak has cross the border into North Carolina.

Mecklenberg County, home to Charlotte, is North Carolina's most populated county. A child from a nearby county who attended an event at a religious school in Charlotte has been diagnosed with measles.

https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/3rd-measles-case-confirmed-in-mecklenburg-county/275-56a71697-9e5f-4421-bf90-ae2af6bb7093?ref=exit-recirc

The case is linked to a child who lives in Mecklenburg County but attends school in neighboring Union County. Health departments in both counties are coordinating their investigation to notify, test, quarantine, and vaccinate people who may have been exposed.

Authorities also issued a public exposure notice for anyone who attended events at Sardis Presbyterian School on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. Those who were present are urged to check guidance on what steps to take if exposed to measles.

 

[KaraBulut]

Last year, without a lot of media coverage, Trump eliminated the researchers and public health advocates in the CDC's Office of Smoking and Health. The office promoted smoking cessation programs that resulted in about 200,000 people quitting tobacco and vaping of nicotine products.

Altogether, RFK Jr and DOGE are responsible for the elimination of over 10,000 Federal public health jobs.

So much for those claims about "Making America Healthy Again".

Why CDC cuts are being called ‘the greatest gift to tobacco industry in the last half-century’

The Office on Smoking and Health at the CDC is no more, putting state quitlines and national data on youth tobacco use at risk.

www.statnews.com

Why CDC cuts are being called ‘the greatest gift to tobacco industry in the last half-century’

The Office on Smoking and Health at the CDC is no more, putting state quitlines and national data on youth tobacco use at risk

 

[rareboy]

I am only surprised that Kennedy isn't appearing in ads on behalf of the nicotine industry.

One understands that there is an increase in the number of younger people taking up smoking.

What a shame. It was a bitch of an addiction to overcome.

 

[opinterph]

there is an increase in the number of younger people taking up smoking.

While there are fresh concerns that more young people may take up smoking, the recent trend suggests that contemporary youth (in the United States) are less likely to smoke traditional tobacco cigarettes than earlier generations.

In the mid- to late-90s, around one-third of high-schoolers smoked cigarettes. That has dropped to less than 3% today, according to the American Lung Association.

Pop culture is making smoking ‘cool’ again — with Gen Z youth watching (New York Post; November 16, 2025)

 

[KaraBulut]

While there are fresh concerns that more young people may take up smoking, the recent trend suggests that contemporary youth (in the United States) are less likely to smoke traditional tobacco cigarettes than earlier generations.

That is true but it's a statistic that is misleading. Young people vape or use smokeless tobacco and studies that don't account for non-cigarette nicotine products miss a significant number of nicotine (and THC users) who aren't buying cigarettes.

After the EVALI incidents before the pandemic, the CDC adjusted their strategy to focus on "tobacco" use and not just smoking, because of the change in behavior in adolescents. The overall goal was to get adults to quit but to also prevent teenagers from using tobacco products, including vaping.

The CDC's efforts and their funding of local programs to help people discontinue tobacco and nicotine products were working- the overall incidence of both smoking and vaping had come down during the Biden Administration. So, why did Trump get rid of those programs and their funding?

Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School ...

This report describes use of any tobacco product among middle and high school students from 2023 to 2024.

www.cdc.gov

Types of Tobacco Products Used

E-cigarettes were the most commonly reported currently used tobacco product (5.9%) among all students, followed by nicotine pouches (1.8%), cigarettes (1.4%), cigars (1.2%), smokeless tobacco (1.2%), other oral nicotine products (1.2%), heated tobacco products (0.8%), hookahs (0.7%), and pipe tobacco (0.5%). Among students who had ever used e-cigarettes, 43.6% reported current e-cigarette use.

High School Student Tobacco Product Use

Among high school students, 10.1% reported current use of any tobacco product, 3.3% reported current use of any combustible tobacco product (32.7% of those who reported current use of any tobacco product), and 3.7% reported current use of multiple tobacco products (36.6% of those who reported any tobacco product use). E-cigarettes were the most commonly used product (7.8%), followed by nicotine pouches (2.4%), cigarettes (1.7%), cigars (1.5%), smokeless tobacco (1.5%), other oral nicotine products (1.4%), heated tobacco products (0.9%), hookahs (0.8%), and pipe tobacco (0.5%)

Trends in Tobacco Product Use Prevalence Among Middle and High School Students

From 2023 (3) to 2024, statistically significant declines occurred among all students in current use of any tobacco product (from 10.0% to 8.1%), e-cigarettes (from 7.7% to 5.9%) (2), and hookahs (from 1.1% to 0.7%) (Figure). Among high school students, declines occurred in current use of any tobacco product (from 12.6% to 10.1%) and e-cigarettes (from 10.0% to 7.8%). Among middle school students, no significant change in current use of any individual tobacco product or composite tobacco product use measure was observed. During 2023–2024, whereas any tobacco product use prevalence declined among female students (from 11.2% to 7.7%) and Hispanic students (from 11.7% to 8.4%), use increased among AI/AN students (from 8.0% to 16.3%). By product type, from 2023 to 2024, declines occurred among female students in current use of e-cigarettes (from 9.3% to 6.1%) and multiple tobacco products (from 3.4% to 2.5%) and among Hispanic students in current use of e-cigarettes (from 8.5% to 6.1%), cigars (from 2.2% to 1.4%), hookahs (from 1.3% to 0.9%), and multiple tobacco products (from 3.9% to 3.1%). In contrast, increases occurred among White students in current use of nicotine pouches (from 1.4% to 2.2%) and among AI/AN students in current use of e-cigarettes (from 5.9% to 11.5%), other oral nicotine products (from 0.5% to 2.8%), any combustible tobacco product (from 2.7% to 6.3%), and multiple tobacco products (from 2.0% to 6.9%). No significant changes occurred in current use of cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, heated tobacco products, or pipe tobacco among all racial and ethnic groups.

 

[rareboy]

^ Nicotine industry and Kennedy's nihilism.