Public health experts are increasingly concerned about the loss of vital federal health data. Recently, several important datasets about diseases have been removed from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
Rebecca Boulos, the executive director of the Maine Public Health Association, made a troubling discovery while researching tobacco and cannabis use. The information she needed had disappeared. She stressed the importance of data in understanding public health, saying, “If groups of people don’t exist in the data, they are essentially invisible when it comes to figuring out interventions.”
The CDC collects data on numerous public health topics, such as infectious diseases like measles and COVID-19, vaccination rates, mental health surveys, and more. This data helps local organizations like the Maine CDC see how Maine’s health statistics compare to the rest of the country.
Some datasets that were taken down have since returned, but not without changes. This shift aligns with recent executive orders aimed at removing specific references to diversity, equity, and inclusion from federal websites. However, many datasets still remain inaccessible.
Among the removed data were valuable survey results regarding behavioral risks, substance use, HIV information, and key public health reports published by the CDC. For instance, a recent issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report included a study on how pet cats might transmit bird flu to humans, but this was omitted after being published, highlighting the ongoing concerns about transparency.
These developments have sparked worry about the future of public health data collection under the current administration. Organizations are now working hard to save datasets they fear might vanish completely.
“This situation is breeding distrust in government data,” says Cynthia Cox, a vice president at KFF, a non-profit health policy organization. She points out that the politicization of public health data has reached new levels, making it necessary to verify the reliability of the data that is returning.
Public health data is crucial, not just in emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic but also for planning ongoing health initiatives. For example, understanding where serious complications from illnesses are likely to occur allows healthcare providers to allocate resources effectively.
Beyond just responding to crises, data helps target cancer screenings and tackle obesity in different communities, making it a fundamental tool in improving health outcomes.
The worries about health data coincide with ongoing legislative processes, particularly as the Senate considers Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the role of commissioner at the Department of Health and Human Services. With this context, the Maine CDC remains attentive to changes in federal data availability and is actively monitoring the situation.
