CDC to slash infectious-disease funding for states; California impact uncertain
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has notified the California Department of Public Health it is suspending grants it had provided to support the state's infectious-disease response during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The directive was sent to all 50 states and will cancel roughly $12 billion in funding. California officials said they couldn't immediately say how the cuts would affect state services.
"We are working to evaluate the impact of these actions," Erica Pan, the state department's director and state public health officer, said in a statement.
The funding was awarded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to aid the state with its respiratory virus monitoring, testing and response, immunizations and vaccines for children, and to help address health disparities, Pan said.
The cuts were reported earlier by NBC News, which quoted a statement from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Andrew Nixon saying that the "COVID-19 pandemic is over, and H.H.S. will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a nonexistent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.'
It is unclear how much funding the state had been awarded and how much is now being pulled, but a 2023 news release shows that the CDC awarded the state a $37-million grant to help strengthen the state's health infrastructure, workforce and data systems.
According to the release, the grant award's start date was Dec. 1, 2022, and was set to last through Nov. 30, 2027.
It couldn't immediately be determined how much of the award has already been spent, but much of it was designated to support county health departments, including the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Riverside County Department of Public Health, Long Beach Health Department, Orange County Health Department and San Bernardino County Department of Public Health.
In addition, two other large awards were provided by the CDC to California in the immediate wake of the COVID pandemic: a $555-million grant during 2020 and $1.7 billion as part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021.
The state Department of Public Health didn't immediately respond for a request for comment on what programs could be affected by the CDC's cancellation of funding, nor how the state's infectious-disease monitoring, testing, response and immunization programs could be affected.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health received notices from the federal government that COVID-associated funding was going to be rescinded, a spokeswoman for the department said. It also received an informal notice from the state that COVID-related grants for vaccination services probably would be terminated.
"In total, these actions to rescind ... COVID-associated funding will impact more than $45 million in core L.A. County Public Health funding," the spokeswoman said. "Much of this funding supports disease surveillance, public health lab services, outbreak investigations, infection control activities at healthcare facilities, and data transparency. We are working to determine the impacts of the announcement of the loss of this funding."
According to 2025-26 state budget figures, Gov. Gavin Newsom allocated $5.1 billion to the state's health department; about $2.3 billion of that comes from federal funding.
Although Congress initially authorized the money for state health programs as part of its COVID relief bills, it has since been allowed to be targeted to other programs, such as testing and surveillance for other respiratory viruses.
California has been ground zero for the H5N1 bird flu since last March. Thirty-eight people in the state have been infected with the virus, most of them dairy workers who were exposed working with infected cows or milk. However, two of the people were children; the cause of their infection has not been determined.
The virus has also infected 756 dairy herds; more than 75% of the state's total dairy herds.
In addition, there have been eight measles cases since the beginning of the year, in addition to thousands of seasonal flu, COVID-19, norovirus and RSV cases.
Pan said the state will continue to advance public health and work to protect people.
"All Californians deserve to live in healthy and thriving communities, which is the role of public health," she wrote in her statement, saying her department is "committed to seeking the resources required to support the critical, lifesaving infrastructure needed to keep people healthy and protect them against infectious disease, vaccine-preventable diseases and health emergencies."
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
CVD Mortality Higher in Women With Inflammatory Diseases
Although cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality decreased significantly from 1999 to 2020 in both men and women with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), women consistently had higher rates of CVD-related mortality than men over the 22-year period. METHODOLOGY: Researchers analyzed CDC Multiple Cause of Death files from 1999 to 2020 to assess the sex differences in CVD-related mortality in patients with IMIDs. They identified CVD-related deaths with underlying IMIDs in the United States using diagnostic codes. IMIDs such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic sclerosis were analyzed. The analysis included 281,355 IMID-related deaths and 127,149 CVD-related deaths over a period of 22 years. Annual crude and adjusted death rates were estimated. TAKEAWAY: Age-adjusted CVD-related mortality for women with IMIDs declined from 3.3 per 100,000 in 1999 to 1.4 per 100,000 in 2020, whereas the rate in men with IMIDs declined from 2.3 to 1.1 per 100,000 ( P < .01). < .01). However, women had higher mortality than men throughout the study duration (mortality rate ratio, 1.5; P < .01). < .01). Cerebrovascular disease and ischemic heart disease were major causes of death, with women more affected than men; women experienced mortality from arrhythmia and cardiac arrest at more than twice the rate of men. Among patients with IMIDs, women with rheumatoid arthritis had disproportionately higher crude CVD-related mortality than men with rheumatoid arthritis. IN PRACTICE: 'Addressing these risks requires increasing awareness of atypical cardiovascular symptoms in females with IMIDs, enhancing early detection through advanced imaging, and ensuring equitable access to therapies like biologics,' the study authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Issam Motairek, MD, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland. It was published online on May 5, 2025, in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes . LIMITATIONS: The potential inaccuracies in the codes for identifying the cause of death may have misclassified IMIDs or CVD-related causes. The aggregate data structure prevented the analyses of individual-level factors such as severity of disease or treatments. Less common IMIDs were excluded, which may have underestimated their contribution to CVD. DISCLOSURES: This study received no specific funding. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.
Business Journals
3 hours ago
- Business Journals
Employers: Use these guidelines to create benefits for the modern workforce
It's impossible to forget the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reshaped how we live and work, forcing companies to rapidly adapt to remote models and prioritize health and safety in new ways. The crisis made one thing clear for employers: Affordable, meaningful health care benefits are vital — not only for supporting employees but also for ensuring long-term business stability. In the post-pandemic workplace, high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) continue to present challenges, especially for hourly and lower-wage workers. Recruiting and retaining top talent now hinges on offering benefits that go beyond basic coverage — they must be affordable, accessible and relevant. Employers are shifting from cutting costs to investing in benefits that support the whole person. A new framework: Mind, body, money To meet the demands of today's workforce, I use a simple yet powerful framework to guide benefits strategy: Mind, body and money. These three pillars reflect the needs of employees and can help employers design plans that truly make a difference. 1. Mind: Prioritizing mental health Mental health challenges spiked during the pandemic, and they haven't gone away. Today, one in five adults report struggling with mental health, while nearly a third say they don't have a primary care provider (PCP), leading to overall poor well-being. Telehealth has provided a lifeline, but access to in-network mental health providers remains limited. The need for robust mental health support has never been greater, and addressing it must be a priority. 2. Body: Access and prevention Roughly a third of Americans lack a primary care provider (PCP), leading many to rely on urgent care instead. This not only drives up claim volume and employer costs but also increases the risk of chronic conditions going undetected. Consider this: nearly 40% of Americans are pre-diabetic, and managing diabetes can cost $8,000-$10,000 per person annually. For an employer with 50 employees, that could mean $200,000 in preventable expenses. It's critical to ensure employees have access to high-quality preventive care at a price they can afford. Prevention isn't just a health strategy — it's a financial one. 3. Money: Real incentives that work A recent survey by Imagine360 found that 25% of employees would accept a pay cut in exchange for better benefits. That's a powerful signal. But incentives must go beyond surface-level perks like gym memberships. Instead, they should encourage real engagement with health care — rewarding participation in preventive care, screenings and chronic condition management. At the same time, health care costs are climbing fast — especially when it comes to prescriptions. GLP-1 medications are up 200%-300% year over year, prompting employers to reassess pharmacy strategies. Real savings start with aligning incentives to promote smart utilization. The retirement factor Older employees are increasingly delaying retirement — not because they want to, but because they can't afford to stop working. 28% regularly find themselves out of money before payday arrives. 60% of full-time employees are stressed about finances. 56% of financially stressed employees spend three or more hours a week thinking about finances. Consultants must help employers address this early with smart retirement planning tools like 401(k) plans and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Financial wellness isn't a separate issue — it's deeply tied to mental and physical health. Supporting employees across all three areas helps ensure smoother, more cost-effective transitions into retirement. Implementing reference-based pricing, a sustainable cost strategy Reference-Based Pricing (RBP) has evolved significantly over the years. What was once viewed as a heavy lift for companies and employees is now gaining momentum as a sustainable solution to out-of-control health care costs, and a great experience for employees. Like HSAs, RBP has continued to garner more adoption — and it's delivering real results. With rising health care 'tariffs,' more employers are turning to RBP to regain control. For example, a nursing home with 800-900 employees implemented RBP and saw health care costs drop by 40%. Four years later, they've maintained those savings, and employees have embraced the model.* RBP is particularly effective for companies with high turnover or low plan engagement. It allows employers to lower deductibles and build a more budget-neutral benefits strategy. While switching any health plan carrier requires change management, the right consultants can guide the process and help ensure both employer and employee success. What consultants must do now It's time for consultants to step up. That means vetting vendors rigorously and recommending only those that align with the employer's core goals — whether it's improving retention, reducing costs or boosting care quality. Employees care deeply about their take-home pay and their health. If a benefit strategy isn't working for them, they'll leave. Strong benefits aren't nice to have — they're a competitive advantage and a critical part of your business strategy. Want to talk about building a smarter benefits strategy that works for your team and your budget? Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why has there been a global surge of new Covid variant NB.1.8.1?
India is the latest country to report a surge in new Covid cases, as the latest variant, NB.1.8.1, spreads across the globe. Cases have now been reported in Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and China, while the UK Health Security Agency recorded the first 13 cases in England last week. But the true numbers are unlikely to be known, given the significant decrease in the number of people testing compared to the figures seen during the global pandemic five years ago. NB.1.8.1 stemmed from the Omicron variant and was first detected in January this year. It has quickly spread across China and Hong Kong, and has now been recorded in several states across the United States and Australia. By late April, NB.1.8.1 comprised about 10.7 per cent of submitted sequences globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This rose from just 2.5 per cent a month before. The WHO declared the NB.1.8.1 strain a 'variant under monitoring' on 23 May, which means scientists believe it could potentially affect the behaviour of the virus. Lara Herrero, a virologist from Griffith University in Australia, suspects that NB.1.8.1 spreads more easily than other variants. 'Using lab-based models, researchers found NB.1.8.1 had the strongest binding affinity to the human ACE2 receptor of several variants tested, suggesting it may infect cells more efficiently than earlier strains,' Dr Herrero wrote last month in The Conversation. Dr Chun Tang, GP at UK private healthcare centre Pall Mall Medical, said: 'NB.1.8.1 isn't too different from the Omicron variant, but it does have some tweaks to its spike protein, which might make it spread a bit more easily or slip past some of our existing immunity. 'That said, early signs suggest it doesn't seem to cause more serious illness, but of course, we're still learning more about it.' 'Its spread has been identified in around 22 countries,' said Dr Naveed Asif, GP at The London General Practice. 'The WHO assesses the additional risk to the global public as currently low, and existing Covid-19 vaccines are considered effective in preventing severe disease.' However, the 'Nimbus' variant, as it has been dubbed, does appear to be more transmissible than previous strains, with notable increases reported in India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand, notes Dr Asif. Common symptoms of Nimbus include a severe sore throat, fatigue, mild cough, fever, muscle aches and congestion. It has also been reported that some patients have experienced gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and diarrhoea. Healthcare experts have stressed, however, that there is no evidence that the new strain is more deadly or serious than previous variants, and that current Covid vaccines are expected to remain effective and protect anyone infected from severe illness.
