From maternal health to influenza rates, gaps in CDC’s public health data are creating dangerous blind spots for disease tracking and prevention
A January 2026 study found 46% of previously monthly CDC datasets had unexplained pauses, with most tied to vaccination and respiratory virus tracking.
- Starting in early 2025 under President Donald Trump, the CDC experienced widespread data removals and pauses affecting at least 200 datasets and more than 8,000 webpages across federal agencies.
- Widespread staff cuts across HHS beginning in early 2025 crippled CDC data collection and dissemination. In October 2025, the agency fired teams managing the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the National Death Index.
- About 90% of data pauses involve vaccinations or respiratory viruses such as COVID-19 and RSV. HIV incidence data remained outdated as of July 6, 2026, while the Pregnancy Risk Assessment and Monitoring System halted access requests.
- Researchers and local health departments now face an enormous burden, requiring individual data requests to entities including Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands to access essential maternal and child health metrics.
- Protecting public health requires maintaining trust with communities providing sensitive information, as experts warn that lacking high-quality data risks turning vital decisions into mere guesses, potentially damaging the CDC's relationship with states and localities.
36 Articles
36 Articles
From maternal health to influenza rates, gaps in CDC's public health data are creating dangerous blind spots
Public health relies on data—whether it is tracking the effectiveness of a given year's flu vaccine, monitoring blood lead levels around the country or estimating the prevalence of diabetes. These data form the basis for decisions such as whether a community should expand screening for diabetes and which communities are at greatest risk of severe flu-related illnesses.
The Paintsville Herald
From maternal health to influenza rates, gaps in CDC’s public health data are creating dangerous blind spots for disease tracking and prevention
By interfering with how communities collect data and how researchers access it, the CDC risks undermining the hard-won trust needed for effective public health.
From maternal health to influenza rates, gaps in CDC’s public health data are creating dangerous blind spots for disease tracking and prevention
John Kubale, University of Michigan Public health relies on data – whether it is tracking the effectiveness of a given year’s flu vaccine, monitoring blood lead levels around the country or estimating the prevalence of diabetes. This data forms the basis for decisions such as whether a community should expand screening for diabetes and which communities are at greatest risk of severe flu-related illnesses. Pauses in data collection and staff cut…
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