by Lelach Rave, MD, FAAP, WCAAP Interim Executive Director
A child with several days of fever, runny nose and red eyes. No rash—yet. For any pediatrician in 2025, there is familiar worry—could this be measles? That was the question facing one WCAAP doctor last week in a hospital-based clinic. Out of an abundance of caution, they contacted the Department of Health and, on their advice, tested the child for measles. But then a new problem emerged—how to protect all the other children, families, and staff at the medical facility? The doctor turned to a trusted resource—the CDC’s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) website—only to find that the federal government resource had been removed, and, with it, crucial infection control guidance.
Since late January, the federal government has removed and modified thousands of webpages and online resources from public health agencies like the National Institutes for Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Food & Drug Administration. Information on pregnancy risk, opioid-use disorder, HIV/AIDs, and now, even infection control, has been purged, leaving healthcare professionals without vital resources they need to perform their jobs and care for their patients.
At WCAAP, we believe every child deserves the best care—and that means giving pediatricians the tools they need to do their jobs. When vital public health data disappears, it is not just an inconvenience—it puts kids at risk. That’s why we have joined forces with other medical and public health organizations to fight back. We’ve taken the extraordinary step of joining a federal lawsuit to restore access to these life-saving resources—because our patients, and their families, deserve nothing less.
Pediatricians do not typically spend their days taking on the federal government. We have babies to care for, teens to counsel, and anxious parents to calm. But we can’t do our jobs if vital data disappears. We joined this lawsuit because our patients deserve better. Because the families and staff at the hospital clinic where a child who may have measles is seen deserve better. Because evidence-based medicine requires evidence.
Do you have a recent story where a lack of publically available data has impacted the care you are able to provide your patients? We’d love to hear. Stories like yours help build a case for this incredibly important lawsuit.
WCAAP is taking a stand for science, children, and the future of public health. We hope you will stand together with us in this moment.