Recent Posts
Social•Jan 28, 2026
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
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 28, 2026
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....
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 27, 2026
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
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 26, 2026
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.
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 23, 2026
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...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 22, 2026
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...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 22, 2026
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...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 20, 2026
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
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 20, 2026
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
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 20, 2026
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...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 19, 2026
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...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 19, 2026
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
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 17, 2026
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...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 16, 2026
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...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 14, 2026
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...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 14, 2026
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...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 13, 2026
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...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 11, 2026
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...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 9, 2026
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
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 9, 2026
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...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 9, 2026
US Cuts Childhood Vaccines, Lagging Behind Peers
Did slashing multiple vaccines from the childhood vaccine schedule bring the US in line with other countries? In a word, no. The US now recommends all kids be protected against fewer diseases than South Korea, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan &...
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 7, 2026
GISAID Faces New Issues Compromising Viral Sequence Data
Repeating to fix link: More problems with #GISAID, the international database that is the key repository of #flu and #Covid viral sequences, @kakape reports. https://t.co/YCblC7jSpf
By Helen Branswell
Social•Jan 7, 2026
Measles Cases Surge to Highest Since 1991
1. New #measles numbers out from #CDC. Confirmed cases for 2025 stand at 2,144, the highest single year count since 1991. A decision was taken in 1989 to make measles vaccination a 2-dose regimen; after it was implemented, it &...
By Helen Branswell