So here's a public health development that feels a bit like unplugging the smoke alarm to save on batteries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has paused diagnostic testing for 27 infectious diseases. The list includes some heavy hitters: rabies, COVID-19, chickenpox, and influenza A and B. It's part of a broader downsizing at the agency under the Department of Health and Human Services.
On Monday, the CDC posted the list of tests it either discontinued or made temporarily unavailable. Alongside the big names, the list includes tests for adenovirus, varicella-zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus, and the oropouche virus. The silver lining, if you can call it that, is that some of these tests remain available commercially. So it's not that you can't get tested for rabies anymore; you just can't get tested for rabies by the CDC.
This is the latest move in a significant transformation at the agency since HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took office in February 2025. The CDC has downsized significantly. It also altered recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine and shortened the childhood immunization schedule back in January—changes that prompted disagreement from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The agency says there is still ample information on its website for the diseases it will discontinue testing for.
The CDC has been operating without a permanent director since August, following the firings of previous leaders. Last month, Chris Klomp, who is involved in the selection process, said he was optimistic about choosing a permanent director soon.
The agency's direction under Kennedy has sparked controversy, particularly around vaccines. In January, Pfizer Inc. (PFE) CEO Albert Bourla called Kennedy's vaccine views "anti-science" and said progress on immunization policy required a leadership change. He criticized Kennedy's ideological stance and warned that funding cuts to U.S. universities had weakened America's global health research.
Last year, Kennedy reshaped the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, appointing five new members. These members were known for opposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates and questioning routine pediatric vaccinations, appointments that came just before the panel voted on vaccine policy changes.
So, to recap: the nation's top public health agency is scaling back its testing capabilities while undergoing a leadership and philosophical overhaul. The tests for some scary diseases are now someone else's problem—assuming you can find and afford that someone else. It's a notable shift in how America handles infectious disease surveillance, all happening while the agency itself is in a state of flux.
