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...
Dropping Vaccines Revives Disease Risk in Schools
The danger of adopting a Danish-style vax schedule: "When we remove a vaccine like the meningococcal shot from the routine schedule, we aren’t just changing a line on a chart. We are inviting previously well-controlled diseases back into our high...
FDA Leadership Seeks to Calm Staff over Fast‑track Voucher
#FDA leadership tried today to assuage the concerns of staff over a controversial fast-track program for approving drugs, the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher, @LizzyLaw_ reports. https://t.co/wsvL9gTBhr
Dutch Dairy Farm Reports Multiple H5N1‑positive Cows
5 more dairy cows tested positive for #H5N1 #birdflu antibodies on the Dutch farm where a previous cow tested positive. No surprise that if 1 was positive, others would be too. This dairy farm is the first outside the US...
Nipah Risk Moderate Locally, Low Globally, Not Like Covid
For those worried about #Nipah virus: Yes, it's a dangerous disease. Yes, India has recently reported 2 cases. But Nipah doesn't spread as easily as Covid. "WHO assesses the risk posed by Nipah to be moderate at the sub-national level, and...
Funding Uncertainty Threatens Future US Science Talent
With continued uncertainty over federal government support for biomedical research, PhD students are struggling to find labs willing to take on new students, @JonathanWosen reports. New students are the future of US science. https://t.co/1eeq2PAbCm
Anti‑vax Groups Target State Vaccine Mandates After CDC List
#CDC sets the list of vaccinations recommended for all kids. But decisions about which inoculations kids require for school entry are made at the state level. Anti-vax forces are shifting their focus there @danielpayne.bsky.social & @isabellacueto.bsky.social report. https://t.co/9VPajcWzdI
Vaccines Strain Pediatric Practices, Not Boost Doctor Profits
People who oppose #vaccines often claim that doctors push them because they're paid to by Pharma or that vaccine administration is a big revenue source for doctors. The reality: Delivering vaccine puts an economic strain on many pediatric practices. https://t.co/cyJj1M2SPB
Shared Decision
Wondering why there's such a fuss about pushing some #vaccine recommendations to "shared clinical decision making"? The term is being conflated with "informed consent," suggesting it's about empowering parents. This isn't that; good take here. https://t.co/F0n0fYFczY https://t.co/h5VO475NmS
Trump Ties Gavi Aid to Phasing Out Thimerosal Vaccines
Reuters reports the Trump adminstration wants to condition any future funding to @gavi on the organization agreeing to phase out use of vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal. I wrote late last year about how unnecessary & impractical that would be....
UK Trails Peers in Newborn Disease Screening Policies
Why is the UK so far behind peer countries in terms of the diseases it screens babies for at birth, diseases for which early treatment makes an enormous difference? @statnews 's @DrewQJoseph explores why. https://t.co/stNqZdcV94
Ethiopia Declares First Marburg Outbreak over After 42 Days
This is good news indeed. Ethiopia has declared its first recorded #Marburg outbreak is over, after going 42 days without new cases. There were 14 confirmed cases & 9 deaths.
US Measles Surge 2026: 94% Unvaccinated Cases
1. Looks like 2026 will be a big year for #measles in the US. The #CDC reports there have already been 416 confirmed cases in 14 jurisdictions; only 3 of those have been imported. 94% of the cases this year...
New ACIP Chair Questions Polio Vaccines, Rejects Established Science
The new chair of the #ACIP was on the Why Should I Trust You? podcast. The interview was ... enlightening. Among other things, Kirk Milhoan seemed to question whether kids still need to be vaccinated against polio & said he...
U.S. Exit From WHO Undermines Global Pandemic Preparedness
The US withdrawal from #WHO became official today, leaving the world less prepared for dangerous disease outbreaks. “When that will bite us in the ass, it’s impossible to predict. But there is a 100% certainty that it will bite us...
CDC Deputy Downplays Losing US Measles Elimination Status
Would the #CDC's principal deputy director view it as a public health loss for the US if the country loses its #measles elimination status? "Not really," Dr. Ralph Abraham said at a press conference today. https://t.co/JXb3tlOrsu
Shared Decision Making Misused to Question Vaccine Science
Shared clinical decision making was devised to help patients & their doctors make choices when the answer isn't clear cut. People who devised the approach fear it's being hijacked to undermine decades of study supporting #vaccines, @EricBoodman writes. https://t.co/JMmaHTI7eg
Kennedy's Push Could Drive Vaccine Makers Out
Vaccine proponents worry that Kennedy will drive manufacturers from the US market by adding autism to the vaccine injury compensation program & unleashing a flood of litigation. The path to that change is through a committee he's currently "acip-ing." (clearing...
South Carolina Measles Surge Eclipses U.S. Annual Totals
The number of confirmed #measles cases in South Carolina has hit an astonishing 558 in an outbreak that started in October. For context: that is more cases in 4 months than the entire US racked up most years in...
ECDC Rejects Doxy‑PEP Over Resistance, CDC Supports It
Citing concerns it could drive antibiotic resistance, @ECDC_EU opts not to advise general use of doxy-PEP, where doxycycline is taken after unprotected sex to lower the risk of acquiring several types of STIs. #CDC recommends it for high-risk individuals. https://t.co/AVosEtcALT
US Drops Rotavirus Vaccine Despite Preventable Illness
In affluent countries with accessible healthcare, most kids survive #rotavirus infection. But that doesn't mean kids & their families should have to go through a nasty illness. Rotavirus vaccine was one of those recently dropped from the US "recommended for...
Most Pediatric Flu Deaths Unvaccinated as Toll Rises
1. Time for a #flu update. 🧵 #CDC was informed of 15 more pediatric flu deaths in the week ending 1/10, which brings this season's total to date to 32. This number, sadly, will continue to climb because kids & teens...
Measles Cases Surge, Adult Infections Now Dominate
#Measles cases continues to climb. The 2025 tally has now hit 2242 & there've already been more confirmed cases in 2026 — 171 — than were logged in most years from the late 1990s to 2023! Interesting to see the age...
Weakened Vaccine Policy Threatens Kids, Monitoring Becomes Opaque
Dismantling US vaccination policy will lead to more vaccine-preventable disease in kids. But how easy will it be to monitor the impact of the erosion of vaccine coverage? New data collection rule changes raise serious concerns about how visible results...
No Recent H
There hasn't been a report of a dairy herd infected with #H5N1 #birdflu in the past 30 days. Does that mean there've been no infected herds? Or no reported herds? 🤷♀️ Since the virus was first discovered to have moved into...
Meningococcal Vaccine No Longer Universal Despite Deadly Risk
#Meningococcal disease has been rare. But when it occurs, it is devastating. High death rate. Survivors often lose limbs, as this person did. There's no way to accurately assess who is at risk. And yet meningococcal vaxes are no longer...
Political Appointees Cut Universal Meningococcal Vaccine Recommendation
When political appointees rewrote U.S. vaccination policy, they removed meningococcal vaccine from the list of those recommended for all kids. It protects against a rare but devastating illness with a high fatality rate. @jakescottMD's take is worth the read. https://t.co/poDJrAZQtO
Flu Deaths Rise as Child Vaccination Rates Fall
1. There's a new FluView report from #CDC. Let's dive in. CDC was informed of 7 more kids who've died from #flu, bringing the season's toll to 17. Sadly, this number is going to rise. Vaccine uptake among kids has been...
