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Health

Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, has also been serving as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since February. (Eric Harkleroad/KFF Health News)
Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, has also been serving as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since February. (Eric Harkleroad/KFF Health News)

CDC’s Acting Chief Promises a Return to Stability in a Tumultuous Moment

President Donald Trump will soon nominate a permanent director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, its acting chief, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, told agency employees at a Wednesday staff meeting.
Katelyn Messer is among the researchers at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who have sequenced 1,000 whole genomes of measles viruses that spread in the U.S. between Jan. 20, 2025, and Jan. 20, 2026. The data will help reveal whether the country has lost its measles elimination status. (Amy Maxmen/KFF Health News)
Katelyn Messer is among the researchers at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who have sequenced 1,000 whole genomes of measles viruses that spread in the U.S. between Jan. 20, 2025, and Jan. 20, 2026. The data will help reveal whether the country has lost its measles elimination status. (Amy Maxmen/KFF Health News)

US Scientists Sequence 1,000 Genomes From Measles, a Disease Long Eliminated With Vaccines

The CDC withheld the data for months as a team hit hard by mass layoffs and resignations sorted through the information. But now that scientists at the agency have posted their first batch of whole measles genomes — the genetic blueprint of the viruses — the rest should “start flowing more smoothly at a more rapid cadence,” said Kristian Andersen, an evolutionary virologist at the Scripps Research Institute who isn’t involved with the CDC’s effort but is following it.
Eric Tennant with his wife, Becky, and daughter, Amiya.(Becky Tennant)
Eric Tennant with his wife, Becky, and daughter, Amiya.(Becky Tennant)

After Man’s Death Following Insurance Denials, West Virginia Tackles Prior Authorization

“This legislation is rooted in a simple principle: if a treatment has already been approved, patients should be able to pursue a medically appropriate alternative without being forced to start the process over again — especially when it does not cost more,” Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a statement after signing the bill into law on March 31.

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