Public Health Alerts for October 21, 2025, come with unique challenges as the continuing federal government shutdown has interrupted normal surveillance operations run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to Stateline and Louisiana Illuminator, states are now relying on their own systems to detect outbreaks of COVID-19, influenza, RSV, and other respiratory illnesses, just as the respiratory disease season is ramping up. The CDC’s usual dashboards and expert analyses, which provide early warnings through methods like wastewater surveillance, are on pause. Wastewater monitoring is a critical tool used to catch outbreaks before people show up for treatment, says Dr. John T. Brooks, formerly of the CDC’s Emergency COVID-19 Response. Without this tool, states have less insight on where infectious diseases are spreading most rapidly, reducing their ability to warn or protect the public.
Caitlin Rivers of Johns Hopkins University notes that the shutdown has led to what she describes as “DIY surveillance.” Some states, such as Georgia, have already had to suspend their influenza reports because they lack access to federal data. Other states may face similar information gaps, especially those that depend heavily on CDC resources. Although Georgia and a few others have their own wastewater monitoring systems, most others do not, making it hard to identify hot spots in real time. Michael Hoerger from Tulane University reports being unable to update state-level wastewater COVID-19 forecasts due to this federal data gap.
The absence of national oversight is coming at a dangerous time. Vaccination rates among children remain a concern, as exemptions and vaccine hesitancy have risen due to persistent misinformation. Public health experts stress the need for everyone to get recommended vaccines as the season for respiratory illnesses intensifies. Emergency rooms in Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia are reportedly seeing an increase in young children with RSV, and hospitalizations for RSV are on the rise in Texas, according to Johns Hopkins University research.
Listeners should note that some non-human health alerts in the U.S. have also been flagged. The ProMED reporting network lists an ongoing outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease among deer in Michigan and a Salmonella incident under FDA investigation. There is also notice of botulism linked to unregulated cosmetic use in Louisiana and a recent confirmed case of locally acquired chikungunya in New York, marking the first recorded in-state case.
Because there are fewer coordinated updates, local and state health departments remain the best immediate resource for urgent advisories. Current guidance continues to emphasize vaccination for flu, COVID-19 boosters, RSV for eligible children and seniors, checking food recall lists, and staying home when experiencing symptoms of contagious illnesses. People are urged to pay attention to state and local health department announcements as federal data remains limited.
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