On January 22, 2025, the Trump administration ordered a pause on all external communications by employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its sub-agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The pause will prevent the release of scientific reports, public health advisories, data updates, and other materials.
The communications embargo comes just before the CDC was set to release its regular Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). This report, which has been published in some form since 1930, is the agency’s primary means of sharing public health information and recommendations with medical professional, scientific researchers and educators, and the public. The pending MMWR had been expected to include information regarding the current H5N1 avian flu outbreak that the CDC had been closely tracking.
Update: On January 27, 2025, acting director Dr. Matthew Memoli informed NIH staff that clinical trials and travel to trial sites for research purposes could resume. The memo clarified that scientists are also allowed to meet to discuss ongoing research, as long as “it does not involve public release of information or presentation of data” to anyone not involved in the research or its funding.