2026 Measles Cases Surge to 79% of 2025 Total
#Measles update: In the first 4 months of 2026, there have been 1,814 confirmed measles cases (& doubtless many more that were never confirmed). For context: That's 79% of the total for the entirety of 2025 — but in 4 months, not 12. https://t.co/fMaSWEJiUL https://t.co/ZAtg7YVLom
Nicole Saphier Nominated Surgeon General Despite Divergent Views
Casey Means is out and Fox contributor Nicole Saphier is the new nominee for surgeon general. While MAHA folks seem to be embracing her, Saphier's views — on vaccines, on the use of Tylenol during pregnancy — aren't entirely in...
Year Two Funding Crisis: Grants Dry, Competition Rises
With federal research funding cuts, the first year of Trump 2.0 was tough. Year 2 is in some ways grimmer, a @statnews survey shows. Bridge funding is drying up, existing grants are ending & competition for fewer new grants is...
Influenza Pioneer Nancy Cox Passes, Legacy in Global Surveillance
The world of influenza science has lost one of its giants. Nancy Cox, who led #CDC's flu division for years & worked assiduously to improve global flu surveillance, died Thursday. I learned a ton from Nancy Cox. RIP. https://t.co/vNBuYpFSpU
Most Pediatric Flu Deaths Occur in Unvaccinated Kids
#Flu season is over, but pediatric flu deaths continue to be reported. In the week ending 4/18, 6 more deaths were reported to #CDC. They bring the season's total so far to 149 deaths in kids; more such reports may...
Special Issues May Undermine Peer Review, Prompting Retractions
Is it time to rethink the plethora of special issues scientific journals publish? The growing number of retractions from what is perceived to be a more lax peer review process points to a problem, @AnilOza16 reports. https://t.co/dG9Fgz0QQh
US Military's Flu Vaccine Legacy Undermined by Dropping Mandates
Motivated by the devastation the Spanish flu inflicted on WW1 troops, the US military was key in the development of #flu vaccine. Keeping troops battle ready is critical, which makes Hegseth's decision to drop mandatory flu shots ill-advised, Paul Friedrichs...
Trump Appoints Former Tobacco Exec to Top CDC Role
The Trump administration has crammed an astonishing number of political appointees into the highest echelons of #CDC, most with few or no medical or public health credentials. One of the latest is surprising: A former Big Tobacco exec. https://t.co/8jA8qfqMv6
Schwartz's CDC Success Hinges on Kennedy's Authority
Is Erica Schwartz a good pick for #CDC director? Experts say as long as she reports to Kennedy, it doesn't much matter. “She could be terrible, she could be great. But it’s really: What is the secretary going to allow?”...
CDC Vaccine Efficacy Report on Halved Winter Hospitalizations Shelved
The #CDC report that showed the #Covid vaccine halved the risk of a recipient needing emergency care or hospitalization this winter has been shelved by HHS, @bylenasun reports. https://t.co/tCNx8LSIKn
Rare Measles Complication Kills Child Years After Infection
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is a rare but fatal side effect of #measles infection, which manifests years after a kid recovers. This story of a family who lost a 10-year old to it is heartbreaking. Renae was too young to be...
US Measles Cases Surge to 2026 Record High
#Measles: Confirmed cases in the US have hit 1748 so far this year. All but 10 are infections contracted in the US. For some context: In the first 3.5 months, 2026 has racked up 76% of the cases accrued in all...
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....
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...
Phase 3 Lyme Vaccine Shows Mixed Preliminary Results
The news is mixed in the preliminary results from a Phase 3 trial of a needed #Lyme disease vaccine, @matthewherper reports. https://t.co/bcbfeXchk1
HHS Weighs Appeal of Controversial Vaccine Schedule Ruling
To appeal or not to appeal (yet): The potentially politically dicey situation facing HHS over a preliminary court ruling this week on #ACIP and the rewritten childhood vaccination schedule. By @ChelseaCirruzzo. https://t.co/3P1PW1lDFT
CDC Director Vacancy Persists; HHS Races to Fill Role
If you've been following the situation at #CDC — specifically the agency's lack of a director for most of the past 15 months — you'll want to listen to Chris Klomp, chief counsellor to HHS, discuss the administration's search for...
Flu Deaths Surge: 85% of Kids Unvaccinated
1. A #flu update: 14 more kids have died from flu this season, per #CDC. This brings the 2025-26 pediatric flu death tally to 115 so far but it's likely to continue to rise. At this point last year the...
NIH Scientists Describe Research Climate as Chaotic, Bankruptcy‑Like
“This is the equivalent of working in a company that feels like it’s on the verge of bankruptcy." A @statnews survey of #NIH funded scientists finds the research community is in chaos a year into the Trump administration. @JonathanWosen...
Vaccines Shield Vulnerable Populations; Declining Rates Endanger Protection
Multiple vaccines offer benefits beyond protecting the vaccinated individual from the disease the vaccine targets. Some protect fetuses in the womb, some protect people who are immunocompromised, some protect seniors. As vax rates fall, these benefits are threatened. https://t.co/zmiws8gAnw
Court Deems Kennedy Vaccine Schedule Rewrite Likely Illegal
A big — if preliminary — win for #AAP and pro- #vaccine policy today. A court has ruled Robert Kennedy's reconstitution of #ACIP and his department's rewriting of the childhood vaccination schedule are likely illegal. Developing story. https://t.co/0lMSGQrayz
Measles Cases Surge: 92% Unvaccinated, 60% of Last Year
1. #Measles update: The total confirmed cases so far this year has risen to 1362 as of 3/12. Key context: The 2026 total to date is 60% of the 2025 total for the entire year. #CDC reports that among cases with...
White House Must Nominate CDC Director by March 25
On the clock: The White House has until 3/25 to nominate a new #CDC director. The Federal Vacancies Reform Act states a job like CDC director can only be filled on an acting basis for 210 days from the creation...
Kennedy's Base Pushes Vaccine Rollback, White House Resists
What happens when Kennedy's MAHA base's hunger for further dismantling of vaccination policy is at odds with the White House's midterm election strategy? We may be about to find out, @_daniel_payne & @ChelseaCirruzzo report. https://t.co/uiTS6XJgP0
Trump Must Nominate CDC Director by March 25
A deadline is looming for the Trump administration. If it wants to be able to have an acting director at #CDC it must nominate a director candidate by March 25. Complicated situation laid out in this piece written before Jay...
Leucovorin Approved for Limited Autism Subgroup, Not Mass Treatment
Last fall the administration was talking about leucovorin as a potential treatment for large numbers of people with #autism. Today's approval suggests the evidence supports its use in a much smaller group of people, @rosebroderick_ reports. https://t.co/NlJR8KlaqP
FDA Adds Six Former Members, Total Nine Voters
Correction: I took down a post about Thursday's #VRBPAC meeting because it contained an error. #FDA has named 6 temporary voting members (not 2), which will bring the number for the meeting to 9. The temps are all former members....
FDA's Turbulent Leadership and Shift Away From Advisory Panels
Two terrific #FDA related pieces by @lizzylawrence.bsky.social & @matthewherper.bsky.social. Matt's is a look at lessons to be drawn from Vinay Prasad's chaotic tenure; Lizzy's delves into the FDA's turning away from adcomms. https://t.co/gC5GNTiPm1 & https://t.co/ygvylHi0uz
Undermanned VRBPAC Meets to Pick Flu Vaccine Strains
The #VRBPAC committee is scheduled to meet Thursday to advise #FDA on #flu vaccine strain selection. VRBPAC is supposed to have at least 15 members. It currently has 7 voting members & no chair. It has met only twice since...
Veteran Vaccine Pioneer Warns of Eroding Confidence
Stanley Plotkin had a major hand in the development of a number of vaccines in use today; he designed the rubella vaccine. He remembers the world before widespread use of vaccines & knows what's coming as vaccine policy is rewritten...
FDA Rejects Europe‑approved Drug: What Shifted?
Interesting read: the thread and the story. A drug that was approved in Europe in 2022, which looked like it was on track for #FDA approval, instead is rejected. What changed at FDA? 🤔
ACIP Meeting Notice Raises Questions on Vaccine Injury Role
The Federal Register notice for the (now) March #ACIP meeting is now up & it's ... puzzling. Possible vote on Covid vaccine injury? ACIP can recommend changes to the way a vaccine is used, for safety reasons. But vaccine injuries aren't...
Pharma Demands FDA Stability as Leadership Sparks Drama
The pharmaceutical industry needs stability & clear guidance from #FDA as it attempts to bring through licensure new drugs & vaccines. Vinay Prasad, FDA's head of biologics, has brought drama to a setting where it's not welcome, @matthewherper.bsky.social writes. https://t.co/Qaw1QmYNpL
FDA Relents, Agrees to Review Moderna's mRNA Flu Vaccine
#FDA backs down on #Moderna: The agency had refused to review the company's licensure application for an mRNA flu vaccine, but after significant pushback has relented. https://t.co/omo7bEBQGW
Flu Kills 66 Kids; 90% Were Unvaccinated
1. Time for a #flu & #measles update. Six more kids have died from flu, bringing the year-to-date total to 66. Sadly there will be more deaths reported but hopefully this year doesn't approach last year's dreadful pediatric death toll. #CDC...
NIH Shifts Funding Away From Pandemic Preparedness
#NIH to deprioritize pandemic preparedness and biodefense research, @nature.com reports, saying director Jay Bhattacharya wants to focus on known diseases, not possible future threats. What could possibly go wrong? https://t.co/6TpLr6pY3B https://t.co/7rVzvkOzkT
Flu B Surge Kills 8 More Children, 90% Unvaccinated
1. Some news about #flu & #measles in the US: 8 more kids have died from flu this winter. That brings the pediatric death toll to 60 & flu season isn't over. Flu B activity seems to be increasing & flu...