Nice debunking of Vinay Prasad's infamous FDA memo claiming COVID-19 vax deaths. The underlying analysis--a 73-pg review conducted by career scientists in CBER's Office of Biostatistics & Pharmacovigilance, which handles post-market vaccine safety surveillance--doesn't support Prasad's memo.🛟😷

Independent journalist Randy Dotinga describes AI as a valuable assistant “who occasionally gets drunk and makes shit up.” #HJ26

Friday PM listening session.

Sexually transmitted infections are reaching record highs in Europe New surveillance data show cases of gonorrhea, syphilis, and congenital syphilis have reached their highest levels in over a decade. Read more: ow.ly/wSBN50Z2Va4

The news here (Taubenberger out as head of NIAID) tells you a lot about the chaos reigning at top science institutions in the US. 16 of 27 NIH institutes now have acting directors. And the second paragraph tells you about the chaos journalists face trying to get government responses…

Chris Dall, co-host of the Osterholm Update podcast, shares a sneak peek 👀 of this week's episode. Chris & @mtosterholm.bsky.social will discuss: -Hantavirus -Ebola -VIP's review of evidence on Tdap vaccination during pregnancy & more! 🎧 Episode 209 posts this Thursday, 5/21. ow.ly/1WPU50YVgIo

"Maternal Tdap vaccination helps protect infants from whooping cough during the first months of life, which is the period when babies are at highest risk of severe illness but are still too young to get vaccinated against the disease." -Elise Holmes, Program Manager at CIDRAP ow.ly/uJwF50YZ3ok

Trial findings indicate that rapid diagnostic tests aren’t a ‘silver bullet’ for unnecessary antibiotics. In a clinical trial in England, use of rapid, point-of-care tests failed to reduce antibiotic prescribing for respiratory infections. Read more: ow.ly/LwqN50Z2rWq

The US government is working to extricate some Americans who had potentially problematic exposures to suspected #Ebola #Bundibugyo in DRC. But it won’t talk about it. When I and other journalists asked during a #CDC press conference, we got no answers. www.statnews.com/2026/05/17/i...

📰 CIDRAP News reporter Chris Dall recaps 3 of this week's top stories: -VIP's evidence review on Tdap vaccination during pregnancy ow.ly/L7p450Z0aeq -Aluminum in vaccines not linked to autism ow.ly/vacA50Z0aet -Power of celebrity medical endorsements ow.ly/BzQF50Z0aes Subscribe: ow.ly/Slon50Z0aer

New Ebola outbreak hits Democratic Republic of Congo. Officials say 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been reported in the eastern part of the country. Read more: ow.ly/e9kh50Z0j40 📷: WHO/Joel Lumbala

Study shows doxyPEP’s diminished effectiveness against gonorrhea An observational study in California finds doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis remains very effective against chlamydia and syphilis, but is not effective against gonorrhea. Read more: ow.ly/juxc50YXPBo

📰 CIDRAP News reporter Stephanie Soucheray recaps 3 of this week's top stories: -Cervical cancer survivors: ow.ly/U5LB50YWIjX -Hantavirus outbreak: ow.ly/oJk550YWIjZ -Research on the bloodstream & COVID-19: ow.ly/Yezr50YWIk1 Subscribe for the latest in infectious disease news: ow.ly/O8rH50YWIk0

⚠️ Retweeting this only to say: ⚠️ This infographic in this blog post is being shared widely, falsely attributed to WHO - it is AI slop of the highest degree, and contains wrong, unevidenced and nonsensical information, and should not be shared further. Check your sources people.

At least 8 sickened in suspected hantavirus outbreak; Andes strain confirmed Among the eight suspected cases, only three have been confirmed by laboratory testing. Read more: ow.ly/jsW650YVPzT 📷: Sid Mosdell / Flickr cc

Analysis warns: US ‘highly likely’ to lose measles elimination status this fall. The country is experiencing its largest measles outbreak in decades. Read more: ow.ly/7Lll50YVL1j

New research chips away at COVID-19 blood clot mystery Patients are at higher risk of heart attack and stroke if COVID spreads to the bloodstream, according to a new study. Read more: ow.ly/JVm850YVPHU

US lawmakers seek answers on blocked funding for Gavi A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging the State Department to release $600 million in funds approved by Congress. Read more: ow.ly/2hbQ50YVQlO 📷: WHO / Ismail Taxta

Hey I know that guy...

Evidence review finds HPV vaccines to be safe, extremely effective HPV vaccines reduce the risk of cervical cancer by 80% in women vaccinated by age 16, and aren’t associated with serious side effects, a new report finds. Read more: ow.ly/nRBl50YV6P0

CIDRAP: ‘The hardest thing I’ve ever gone through’: Cervical cancer survivors speak out about importance of HPV vaccine by Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social @cidrap.bsky.social ▶️ bit.ly/3QH79IL

According to the WHO, three people are dead and three others are sickened in a suspected hantavirus outbreak on a Dutch cruise ship that was sailing in the Atlantic ocean. Read more: ow.ly/QZEh50YULFr

I feel the same way about AI as I do about the internet—both could be incredibly valuable contributions to society if they’re managed for the public good. In the hands of fascist tech billionaires, they’re a threat the civilization. It’s not the tech, it’s the ownership structure.

I have a theory that as we see more companies/organizations turn tasks over to AI, we're going to see things start going sideways. Today I had an experience that suggests (to me at least) we already starting to see it. 1/

An easy-to-use tuberculosis (TB) test shows accuracy in a 7-country analysis. The test, which can be performed on tongue swabs, could greatly expand access to molecular testing. Read more on this test option: ow.ly/4ET050YSvIU

RFK Jr. and the CDC’s top official, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, don’t want you to read this. Paper shows that 2025-2026 Covid-19 vaccines were effective. They censored it. That’s exactly why we need to read it. So, we published it in Inside Medicine! Take a look... open.substack.com/pub/insideme...

Great article from the my colleague @sarahboden.bsky.social on what the loss of USAID funding means for the fight against malaria.

Countries with high malaria burdens face growing challenges in the wake of the dismantling of USAID. Read more: ow.ly/TKKe50YOLwm 📷: WHO/Fanjan Combrink

New Osterholm Update podcast episode: Asking the Right Questions 🎧 Listen as @mtosterholm.bsky.social and co-host Chris Dall discuss: -The most recent nomination for the CDC Director -Changes to the charter of the ACIP -A recent, misleading poll on public support for vaccines ow.ly/XRya50YOI5q

The CDC blocks the publication of a report showing COVID vaccine efficacy. The report was scheduled to be published in the CDC’s flagship publication on March 19. Read more: ow.ly/UH6V50YOcGh

Commentary: RFK Jr’s mercurial congressional testimony again showcases ideology over vaccine science Read the full commentary by CIDRAP staff member Kevin Griffis: ow.ly/402u50YO3X6

TFW you're lying awake at 2am thinking about your team's 12-game losing streak.

Ouch

The CDC warns that extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Shigella is on the rise in US. The prevalence of XDR Shigella isolates in US surveillance data rose from 0% during 2011-2015 to 8.5% in 2023. Read more: ow.ly/VXee50YLphl 📷: CDC, Stephanie Rossow

The #Mets had two 7-game and one 8-game losing streak last season, and they're starting this season with a 9-game losing streak. I don't think Carlos Mendoza is entirely to blame, but somebody's going to have to take the fall.

New study: The longer a wild mammal is traded, the greater the risk is to public health. Wild mammals that are traded are 50% more likely to share pathogens with humans when compared with mammals that are not traded. Read more: ow.ly/uMXM50YKzli

Axios is freaking out about the kids hating AI but doesn't spend too much time examining why that may be www.axios.com/2026/04/16/a...

Really enjoyed speaking with @cvdall.bsky.social for @cidrap.bsky.social News about our research on how to effectively communicate the risks of antimicrobial resistance, and why drawing comparisons to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may miss the mark! www.cidrap.umn.edu/antimicrobia...

Online survey findings highlight the challenge of effectively communicating the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to the public and explaining how unnecessary antibiotic use makes the problem worse. Read more: ow.ly/OaKC50YJZtb

This is going to be DeGrom 2.0

I think we should all keep encouraging the GOP to pick fights with the Pope.

Don’t Use A.I. to Do This www.nytimes.com/2026/04/15/o...

Paging @davidjroth.bsky.social

Long COVID costs Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries up to $135 billion each year. A report last week by the OECD projects that long COVID’s significant social & financial costs will continue well into the next decade. ow.ly/e35t50YIuaX

CIDRAP Op-Ed: Don’t be distracted—ACIP was never the only play While we were distracted, vaccine-injury lawyer Aaron Siri submitted a petition demanding that hundreds of conditions be added to the Vaccine Injury Table. Full Op-Ed from @unbiasedscipod.bsky.social's Jess Steier: ow.ly/OqV650YIT9m

NEW—I got an exclusive excerpt from a USAID whistleblower's new book that made me gasp multiple times. It details Trump's dismantling of the humanitarian aid agency & his team/DOGE's shocking ignorance to public health. 'Into the Wood Chipper' by Nicholas Enrich is out tomorrow. Read excerpt here:

This is incredible.