The move impacts everything from major food recalls to vital public health warnings. Experts explain what that means for you and what scares them.

Staff members at agencies inside HHS, including officials at the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Institutes of Health, received the order to halt all public communication and reports earlier this week. The pause in communications extends through Feb. 1.

Scientific meetings were canceled, and research data on the bird flu outbreak was delayed, amid confusion over the directive.