NPR and Boston University spent two years analyzing mortality data across the country and found that roughly 9,000 Americans die annually from heat-related causes — five times the CDC's official count of around 1,700. The massive undercount happens because heat often triggers fatal heart attacks and other conditions that get recorded as the primary cause of death, leaving heat off the death certificate entirely.

• NPR-BU estimates 9,000 annual heat deaths (2018-2025), compared to CDC's official 1,700, with some years exceeding 10,000. The true figure could be even higher due to data limitations.
• Heat is killing people nationwide, not just in hot states. Massachusetts officially reports 5 heat deaths yearly but likely has 60+; Michigan reports 10 but likely has 100+; Florida officially counts 47 but likely has 1,900+.
• Most counties lack protocols to identify heat's role in deaths. Maricopa County (Phoenix) is an exception with trained death investigators, but places like LA and Houston report almost no heat deaths despite modeling suggesting hundreds occur annually.

This article shows how infections cause about 13% of cancers and highlights the dramatic success of the HPV vaccine in preventing cervical cancer, with studies reporting at least an 80% reduction in risk. It reviews population data from the UK, Australia and South Africa, and calls for broader global rollout to save millions of lives.

• HPV vaccination in girls aged 9-14 leads to at least an 80% drop in pre-cancerous cervical lesions, with England data showing much lower cervical cancer rates in those vaccinated at 12-14 versus later or unvaccinated cohorts.
• Australia's national HPV vaccination program could push cervical cancer toward elimination, and even in South Africa, where HIV complicates HPV progression, two-dose regimens cut infections by roughly 80% regardless of HIV status.
• Cervical cancer kills 370,000 women a year out of 600,000-1,000,000 diagnoses, and scaling up existing vaccines and screening to low- and middle-income countries could prevent hundreds of thousands of these deaths annually.
• Infections cause about 13% of cancers overall, as shown by H. pylori's role in stomach cancer, where reduced infection rates have cut stomach cancer deaths by 60% globally (70% in Japan).

The CDC has announced a significant reduction in the childhood vaccine schedule, now recommending vaccines for only 11 diseases instead of 18, aligning more closely with Denmark's approach. Health experts express concern that this change may undermine public trust and lead to lower vaccination rates, especially amid ongoing debates about vaccine safety and efficacy.

• CDC's childhood vaccine schedule cut from 18 recommended diseases down to 11, modeled more closely on Denmark's approach
• Health experts warn the change could erode public trust in vaccines and drive down vaccination rates
• Move comes amid broader controversy over RFK Jr.'s vaccine safety and efficacy stances