Infant botulism outbreak contained. Experts in California, the only group worldwide with access to the antidote, BabyBIG, identified a highly unusual signal in baby formula, triggering rapid notifications to CDC, manufacturers, and suppliers saving infant lives.<\/p>\n
Leading on climate adaptation. Maricopa County cut<\/a> heat-related deaths by nearly 40% in 2025 (the second year of decline on record) even as extreme heat days increased, thanks to expanded cooling centers, hydration stations, and outreach to vulnerable residents.<\/p>\n Food allergies in kids dropped dramatically. This year, we got news that childhood food allergies dropped 36%, driven by a 43% drop in peanut allergy. This success traces back to the 2015 LEAP study<\/a>, which showed that early introduction of potential allergens prevents allergy\u2014changing guidelines and, now, lives. More kids can safely reach for a PB&J.<\/p>\n Huntington\u2019s disease was slowed for the first time. A targeted gene therapy delivered during brain surgery slowed disease progression by ~75%<\/a>. Disease progression that usually happens in one year took four years instead, which is an extraordinary breakthrough for families facing a devastating disease.<\/p>\n Obesity rates continued to decline<\/a>. GLP-1 medications likely played a role, but they\u2019re not the whole story. While we don\u2019t yet fully understand the drivers, the direction matters, and it\u2019s good news.<\/p>\n Outreach initiatives improved cancer screening and reduced disparities. A study released this year showed that in a Northern California health system, colorectal cancer screenings doubled over the past 13 years, and deaths due to colorectal cancer dropped by 50%<\/a> among Black patients. <\/p>\n Menopause hormone therapy (MHT) has become more accessible, with the removal of its black box warning<\/a>. After 85 years of conflicting research and confusing guidelines, there is hope for women suffering preventable menopause symptoms.<\/p>\n New Mexico guaranteed<\/a> free child care for all families. No income limits or copays required. A rare, bold move with real public health impact, including economic benefits.<\/p>\n Red flag gun laws expanded<\/a>. Maine voters passed one, bringing the total to 22 states + D.C<\/a>. These laws reduce gun deaths\u2014now the work is awareness and implementation.<\/p>\n Maryland made adult vaccines free. A first-of-its-kind program<\/a> was launched to provide recommended vaccines at no cost for uninsured and underinsured adults. Public health nurses have begun delivering them.<\/p>\n Schools kept kids fed during federal shutdowns. For example, New Hampshire<\/a> districts expanded free meals amid SNAP disruptions, preventing hunger when families needed support most.<\/p>\n 86 million <\/a>girls in high-risk countries have received the HPV vaccine. That\u2019s an estimated 1.4 million lives saved. By year\u2019s end, countries that bear 89% of the global burden of cervical cancer will have access to the HPV vaccine.<\/p>\n HIV prevention shots became affordable. Lenacapavir\u2014nearly 100% effective\u2014will cost $40\/year in 120 low- and middle-income countries by 2027, down from $42,000.<\/p>\n PEPFAR survived. $400 million in global HIV and AIDS funding was preserved. Since 2003, this bipartisan program has saved 26 million lives and enabled 7.8 million HIV-free births.<\/p>\n The first-ever malaria treatment<\/a> for newborns was approved, filling a deadly treatment gap. It will be distributed by a nonprofit starting in eight African countries.<\/p>\n This year, our field showed remarkable resilience more than ever before. Here are a few highlights.<\/p>\n New coalitions formed nationwide, filling gaps, staying rooted in evidence, and working to ensure Americans feel confident and protected.<\/p>\n The Vaccine Integrity Project<\/a>\u00a0gives Americans independent, third-party confirmation that vaccines are safe and effective.<\/p>\n Northeast and Western state public health coalitions now coordinate health guidance so residents get clear, consistent recommendations.<\/p>\n GovAct<\/a> is helping governors protect Americans\u2019 health freedoms through coordinated action.<\/p>\n Grandparents for Vaccines<\/a>, a grassroots group, is sharing real-life stories of how vaccines have protected children and families.<\/p>\n The Evidence Collective<\/a>, cofounded by YLE, is uniting researchers, communicators, and practitioners to turn rigorous science into clear, actionable guidance that people can use.<\/p>\n Lawsuits defended evidence-informed processes.<\/p>\n The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical societies sued HHS over unilateral changes to vaccine policy and the restructuring of CDC advisory processes.<\/p>\n Coalitions of clinicians and public health organizations filed lawsuits to stop the removal of federal public health data and clinical resources.<\/p>\n Researchers and public health groups sued the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and HHS to challenge the cancellation of peer-reviewed research grants.<\/p>\n Epidemiologists entered politics<\/a>. Scientists entered the arena and are running for office, breaking long-standing silos and bringing evidence into policymaking, where it\u2019s desperately needed.<\/p>\n Courage at CDC, NIH, and beyond. CDC leaders resigned to take a stand against what their leadership was asking them to do. NIH employees wrote a declaration. Federal, state, and local public health workers continue to take silent and public stands every day through their work.<\/p>\n This year was intense for YLE, but you helped us grow and build like never before. This year we: <\/p>\n Launched a California newsletter<\/a> with Dr. Matt Willis.<\/p>\n Hosted our first in-person event (yes, at a comedy club) with YLE New York<\/a>\u2019s Marisa Donnelly.<\/p>\n Welcomed incredible teammates: Celeste (COO), Nat (Data Innovation Lead), and Hannah (Community Manager).<\/p>\n Built unlikely collaborations rooted in shared values, like with MAHA<\/a> and mom influencers.<\/p>\n Launched Project Stethoscope<\/a> and The Evidence Collective<\/a>.<\/p>\n Published more than 120 newsletters and hosted 4 webinars.<\/p>\n Above all, we built a community with nearly 415,000 subscribers. (Tell a friend and help us reach that milestone this year!)<\/p>\n Public health has your back. <\/p>\n This field will be challenged like never before in 2026, but I\u2019m confident it can navigate this terrain with relentless dedication, innovation, partnership, and listening.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s to 2026. Happy New Year!<\/p>\n Love, YLE<\/p>\n What you do matters, including financially supporting our small but mighty team at Your Local Epidemiologist. Thank you, thank you, thank you. <\/p>\n Below is a small token of our appreciation: a printable infographic summarizing the successes above. I hope it brings motivation, clarity, and a sense of purpose to those of us on the front lines. Importantly, there is space to add your 2025 contributions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Phew, what a year. Amid relentless political, financial, and rhetorical pressures on public health, science, and health care,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":380899,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[64,63,137,500],"class_list":{"0":"post-380898","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-healthcare"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=380898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=380898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/5cf357bd-2dd6-40ee-915c-e1906b78134c_790x.jpeg\")
<\/a>Source: Gabryszewski et al. (2025), annotated by YLE<\/p>\n