Erika Schwartz Nominated to Lead CDC After Vacancy
#CDC has been without a director for most of Trump 2.0. A new nominee was put forward today, Erika Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general. (Nomination was scooped earlier this week by @ddiamond & @bylenasun ). Let's see what happens. https://t.co/XSmgejRWyd
Hanan Balkhy Emerges as Potential 2027 WHO DG Candidate
The next #WHO director-general will be selected in 2027 but candidates will soon start throwing hats in the ring. A name one hears as a possible candidate is Hanan Balkhy, director for WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region, who has a very challenging...
Idaho Dairy Herds Add to Growing US H5N1 Outbreak
It's not gone: #USDA reports 5 more dairy herds in Idaho have tested positive for #H5N1 #birdflu, the first in months. In the 2+ years since the virus was first detected in cows in the US, 1,093 herds in 19 states...
Pediatric Flu Deaths Surge Even After Season Ends
#Flu season is now officially over, but pediatric flu death reports continue to flow to #CDC. In the wk ending 4/4, CDC learned of 12 more kids who died from flu in 2025-6, bringing the total to 139. It will...
NIH Chief Also Runs Directorless CDC, No Acting Title
#NIH director Jay Bhattacharya is also overseeing #CDC, which still doesn't have a director, or even a director nominee working her/his way through Senate confirmation. But "acting director" is a title he can't wear. Not sure why CDC's website lists...
CDC Halts Rabies, Mpox Testing Support over Staff Shortage
What could possibly go wrong? #CDC pauses support for states on testing for #rabies & #mpox because it doesn't have the personnel to do the work. 2 pathogens you really don't want to mess with, rabies & mpox. https://t.co/Vr80XIP1J4
PEPFAR Faces Fatal Funding Cuts, Jeopardizing HIV Gains
#PEPFAR, which changed the trajectory of the #HIV epidemic, "is being slowly starved, through budgetary choke points and administrative fiat," at risk of dying a death of a thousand cuts, @sciencecohen reports. https://t.co/RFOXy1Ueql
US Dairy Cow H5N1 Cases Decline, Questions Persist
2 years ago now the world learned US dairy cows were being infected with #H5N1 #birdflu, raising concern the virus would find a new route to move from animals to humans. Cow infections seem to have slowed & many questions...
Duikers May Be Vectors for Mpox Transmission
Duikers — a variety of small antelopes prevalent in Central and West Africa — may be playing a role in the spread of #mpox, @kakape reports. https://t.co/ujCbLNpmyV
Colleagues Honor Late Harvard Immunology Pioneer Barry Bloom
Barry Bloom, former dean of @HarvardChanSPH & a leading immunologist, recently died at the age of 88. Two colleagues, @mlipsitch & Yonatan Grad, have written a lovely tribute of the man and his work. https://t.co/q5r37uSWVr
Finding CDC Director Who Pleases Kennedy and Senate Proves Tough
Finding someone to run #CDC who can both earn Sec. Kennedy's support AND get confirmed by the Senate seems to be proving to be a challenge. If/when that happens, the new director will have plenty of challenges of her/his own,...
Measles Cases Surge to 1,575, 16 New Outbreaks
#Measles update: #CDC reports the confirmed case total this year to date is 1,575 — or 69% of the number of cases in the entirety of 2025. That's up 88 from last week. 94% of the cases are parts of...
Administration Misses 210-Day Deadline for CDC Nominee
When Susan Monarez was fired as #CDC director, the administration knew it has 210 days to nominate a replacement. Today is Day 210 & no nominee. Finding someone who can gain Senate approval & Sec Kennedy's approval may be proving...
FDA Job Posting Omits Vaccine Requirement, Sparks Speculation
The Readout newsletter contained this nugget today. The posting for Vinay Prasad's job at #FDA states applicants don't need to be vaccinated. USG job postings don't normally address vaccination status. Message to the MAHA base? Sign up for @statnews newsletters here: https://t.co/Q3BKEkVZs0
Policy Shifts Reflect Learning, Not Failure, Amid New Virus
Smart piece by @FenitN about the rewriting of #Covid history. I would add this: A brand new virus meant health officials were making policy based on the info they had at the time, not what we know now. Policy shifts...
