Flu activity remains high in most regions of the U.S. as a winter wave of respiratory illness sweeps across the country. The post-holiday surge in flu cases and hospitalizations is straining many hospitals, leading to overflowing emergency rooms and prompting some facilities to limit patient visitors.

This trend is expected to continue for the several more weeks, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its latest FluView weekly surveillance report for the week ending Jan. 11.

Trump administration’s abrupt cancellation of scientific meetings prompts confusion, concern A flurry of scientific gatherings and panels across federal science agencies were canceled on Wednesday, at a time of heightened sensitivity about how the Anil Oza STAT

A flurry of scientific gatherings and panels across federal science agencies were canceled on Wednesday, at a time of heightened sensitivity about how the Trump administration will shift the agencies’ policies and day-to-day affairs. 

‘I was violently ill': Doctors warn about dangerous symptom amid norovirus outbreak Health officials are raising alarms about a significant increase in norovirus cases nationwide, including here in North Texas. Alanna Quillen NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

...

How the oil industry and growing political divides turned climate change into a partisan issue The climate policy pendulum is swinging back again with Trump in office. Money, lobbying and talking about red vs. blue states all play a role in the political and public divide. Joe Árvai The Conversation

...

Long-Covid Patients Are Frustrated That Federal Research Hasn't Found New Treatments - KFF Health News The federal government has allocated $1.15 billion to long-covid research without any new treatments yet brought to market. Patients and scientists say it’s time to push harder for breakthroughs. khnkytjaw KFF Health News

...

Despite long covid’s vast reach, the federal government’s investment in researching the disease — to the tune of $1.15 billion as of December — has so far failed to bring any new treatments to market.

Holding on to green energy course best response to Trump, Germany's Habeck says

Avian flu surge continues on US poultry farms as feds address contamination of raw pet food Over the past few days, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed more H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in poultry from eight states, including the first at a commercial farm in Georgia. CIDRAP

...

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the USDA on January 17 announced new steps to step up the safety of raw pet food, following recent reports of H5N1 infections in household cats. ...

Trump administration directs federal health agencies to pause communications | CNN Amid a deluge of executive actions, the Trump administration has asked federal health agencies to pause external communications, such as regular scientific reports, updates to websites and health advisories, according to sources within the agencies. Brenda Goodman, Meg Tirrell CNN

...

Vaccine misinformation: a lasting side effect from COVID A fringe anti-vaccine movement took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to bring conspiracy theories to a much wider audience, propelling dangerous misinformation about life-saving jabs that still endures ... Medical Xpress

...

The pandemic also marked a change in strategy by anti-vaxxers, who previously targeted parents because children routinely received the most jabs.

...

COVID-19: It has been five years since the first case in America. What's it like today? Jan. 20, 2025, marks five years since the CDC reported the first laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 on American soil. Sam Woodward USA TODAY

...

COVID-19 doesn't appear to be going anywhere anytime soon despite advancements in vaccines against the virus.