#Ebola update from DRC: there were 48 new confirmed cases on 6/25, 11 of them already dead. This brings DRC's outbreak total to 1,203 cases & 321 deaths. The percentage of case contacts being followed continue to rise, which is good news, but the number of known contacts per case remains too low.

I sure do miss the days when #CDC let me ask questions during their press conferences. Not sure why I'm on the verboten list, but it's getting irksome. I do think I'm in some good company, however.

I checked back on the #USDA site, trying to figure out why my numbers & theirs didn't gibe earlier today. In the process I found they've added 6 more herds in Idaho, bringing that state's total to 171. The national total now stands at 1152 herds across 19 states. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

I share @krutikakuppalli.bsky.social 's concerns about The Hot Zone, which put #Ebola on the global radar. I read it only after I had learned quite a bit about Ebola from scientists who worked to contain outbreaks. They, however, all spoke well of Preston. www.statnews.com/2026/06/26/t...

Though #flu season is over, pediatric flu deaths from the 2025–26 season continue to be reported to #CDC. Last week, 2 more deaths were reported, bringing the year-to-date total to 184. Previously CDC has estimated that about 85% of those kids were not fully vaccinated against flu. So much tragedy.

#Measles update: #CDC reports the number of confirmed measles's cases in the US has risen to 2134, up 30 from last week. So far in 2026, the country has seen 93% as many cases as was recorded in the entirety of 2025. Only 12 of these cases were imported. www.cdc.gov/measles/data...

#H5N1 #birdflu update: #USDA reports 2, maybe 3 more infected dairy cow herds, in Idaho and Utah (not sure if it's 1 or 2). According to USDA, this brings the national total to 1,145 herds in 19 states. My numbers and their numbers are not 100% in sync. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

#Ebola: DRC confirmed 37 new cases on 6/24; 5 of them are already dead. It brings their outbreak total to 1,155 confirmed cases & 304 deaths to date. It looks like the numbers of case contacts who been identified & are being followed is rising a bit. Welcome news. insp.cd/sitrep-n041-...

Not your grandmother's #CDC: @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social reports on yet another effort to bring the storied public health agency under the control of political operatives without medical or public health credentials. www.statnews.com/2026/06/25/c...

Who got Eli Lilly's experimental obesity drug, #retatrutide, under a "compassionate use" provision? Was it President Trump? The White House says no, but the questions persist. @lizzylawrence.bsky.social is on the case. www.statnews.com/2026/06/25/s...

An #Ebola update: DRC reports that as of 6/23, it has confirmed 1,118 cases, with 291 deaths. That's an increase of 24 cases from Monday. #WHO said today the testing capacity in the region has increased dramatically; more than 2,000 tests can be run daily.

Have you ever seen this iconic image of the Ebola virus, from the first known outbreak in DRC in 1976? An electron microscopic image, it was captured by #CDC 's Fred Murphy, a virological giant and a very kind interviewee. He died yesterday. He will be missed, but his scientific legacy lives on.

A clinical trial to test 2 possible #Ebola therapies will begin in DRC next week. There are currently no licensed vaccines or therapeutics for Bundibugyo ebolavirus. If either or both of these improve survival, that could entice Ebola patients to treatment units. www.statnews.com/2026/06/24/e...

Wondering who will lead #WHO after @drtedros.who.int's second term ends next summer? Politico has been asking around and has an interesting rundown of potential candidates. www.politico.eu/article/the-...

#Ebola: DRC confirmed +46 cases on 6/22, bringing the outbreak total to 1094 cases & 277 deaths. It was following 73% of case contacts as of y'day, but the number of contacts per case remains alarmingly low, <10. Uganda, which appears to have its outbreak under control, was following dozens per case

As the US awaits #SCOTUS' ruling on birthright citizenship, an ethicist warns large and negative public health consequences could flow from stripping citizenship from untold numbers of children and even adults in the US. www.statnews.com/2026/06/23/b...

#Ebola: DRC has reported another 45 confirmed cases as of 6/21; 13 of them are already dead. This brings the DRC total to 1048 confirmed cases & 267 deaths. The percentage of case contacts being followed is around 71%. The number of contacts identified has risen marginally. insp.cd/sitrep-n38-m...

#FDA announced today it is going to streamline clinical trial processes in order to speed development of new drugs. My colleagues @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social and @lizzylawrence.bsky.social have the story. www.statnews.com/2026/06/22/f...

#CDC has been informed of 3 more pediatric flu deaths in the 2025–26 season. The deaths occurred earlier this year. They bring the year-to-date total to 182 deaths. This week's abbreviated FluView does not estimate the percentage of those kids who are vaccinated. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

#USDA reports that another dairy cow herd in Texas has been infected with #H5N1 #BirdFlu, the 32nd recorded case in the state. Since the outbreak in cows was first detected in the spring of 2004, 1143 herds have been confirmed infected in 19 states. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

#Ebola update: as of June 18, DRC had confirmed 933 cases; 245 of those people are dead. 80 have recovered. DRC reports it is now following 72% of known case contacts, but with only 7094 contacts identified, contact tracing is still lagging in ways that will prolong efforts to control this outbreak.

1. #measles update: #CDC reports the year-to-date tally of confirmed measles's cases has reached 2104. That is 92% as many cases as the US recorded in all of 2025. Only 11 of those cases were brought in from outside the country. Lots of domestic transmission occurring. www.cdc.gov/measles/data...

The Trump admin has turned the US into a fortress to keep #Ebola out. But a new analysis shows there have only ever been 28 cases outside of African, most health workers who were evacuated for care. Only 3/28 were infected in Europe or the US. Very low risk. www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2...

#Ebola update from DRC: 21 new cases y'day, 7 of whom are already dead. It brings their outbreak total to nearly 900. DRC's latest sitrep suggests they're following 71% of known case contacts. That's better than earlier in the outbreak, but the number of known case contacts is still stunningly low.

In February, it was unclear whether Moderna was even going to get a hearing from the #FDA about its mRNA #flu shot. But a lot has changed since February, as today's #VRBPAC meeting made very clear. www.statnews.com/2026/06/18/f...

This #Ebola outbreak has quickly become alarmingly large & will be very hard to contain. But only the 3rd outbreak of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, it presents a rare opportunity to study this virus, @kakape.bsky.social reports. www.science.org/content/arti...

#WHO has issued clinical guidelines for the safe treatment of patients infected with filoviruses. The agency's outreach to media notes there have been 72 outbreaks of #Ebola and #Marburg since the latter was first discovered in 1972. www.who.int/publications...

"Congenital syphilis is a sentinel event demonstrating failure of the local public health program." STI specialist Jeffrey Klausner on why he's so concerned about the sorry state of congenital syphilis control in the United States. www.statnews.com/2026/06/17/c...

#USDA reports that another dairy cow herd in Idaho has been infected with #H5N1 #BirdFlu. This is the 164th confirmed herd in Idaho, which is recorded nearly 3 dozen new infected herds this month alone. The US total since the outbreak was first recognized in March 2024 is 1142 herds in 19 states.

#Ebola: DRC is reporting 29 new confirmed cases, 4 already dead. The DRC total now stands at 837 confirmed cases, 196 deaths. DRC reports that yesterday it followed up 64% of known contacts, but the total number of known contacts is very low, given the size of this outbreak. No new Uganda cases.

Today #CDC issued a release on #Measles to its press list. Pretty pro forma, with links to info on the CDC site. Normally, this would be a routine thing. But CDC has been largely muzzled of late so it was both surprising & a bit heartening to see. Can't post a link because it's not on the CDC site.

DRC has issued an update on the #Ebola situation in Ituri, North & South Kivu. 808 cases have been confirmed & 192 of those people have died. 48 people have survived. 63% of known case contacts were followed up yesterday, but without knowing the denominator, it's hard to assess that number.

Congenital #syphilis is a "never event" in the medical world - shouldn't happen. But the only drug to prevent spread from an infected mother to her baby is in short supply & the system set up to deliver it where it's needed failed, @ericboodman.bsky.social reports. www.statnews.com/2026/06/15/p...

How do you persuade people they need to take #Ebola seriously when more in their midst are dying from other diseases & armed conflict? That is the challenge #WHO DG Tedros confronted when he visited the outbreak zone in DRC this week. “Ebola is a lesser evil." www.statnews.com/2026/06/13/w...

The US has recorded 2073 confirmed #measles cases so far this year, which is 91% of the total accumulated last year -- in less than six months. 40 jurisdictions have reported cases. www.cdc.gov/measles/data...

When the NYT published a story questioning Sec. Kennedy's engagement - including the time he spends at #HHS - he angrily retorted that anyone curious about how much time he spends in the office could consult his online calendar. STAT has tried. It is not available. www.statnews.com/2026/06/11/r...

When #hantavirus broke out on the MV Hondius cruise ship I wasn't concerned about global transmission. I did think it was a very interesting outbreak & likely to generate new knowledge about the Andes species of hantavirus. That's already underway: @kakape.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

#USDA reports two more #H5N1 #BirdFlu infected dairy cow herds in Idaho. They bring the state's total to 163. Since the outbreak of bird flu in cows was first discovered in March 2024, 1,141 herds in 19 states have tested positive for the virus. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

#USDA reports 5 more dairy cow herds in Idaho have been infected with #H5N1 #birdflu. These bring the state's total to 161 herds and the national total to 1,139 herds in 19 states. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

#Ebola update from DRC: Confirmed cases are now at 635, with 127 confirmed deaths. There were 37 new cases yesterday including 12 deaths. It appears the number of case contacts being followed is still quite low, about six per confirmed case. insp.cd/sitrep-n26-m...

#USDA reports a big jump in #H5N1 #BirdFlu in dairy cows in Idaho. 25 new herds have tested positive, bringing the state's total to 156 herds. Since this outbreak in cows was first detected in March 2024, 1,134 herd in 19 states have tested positive. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

As we near 1 month since the #Ebola outbreak in DRC & Uganda was declared, #WHO estimates the risk of further spread as very high in DRC, high in Uganda & countries neighboring those 2, but low elsewhere in Africa & globally. WHO is worried about ETU capacity in DRC. www.who.int/publications...

"Pathogens don’t recognize passports." Former #CDC chief scientist Deb Houry & @krutikakuppalli.bsky.social argue that the US approach to trying to keep #Ebola out of the country is not science based. www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...

Terrific Q&A with #WHO 's Chikwe Ihekweazu about DRC's #Ebola response: how long the outbreak has likely been underway, whether Bundibugyo virus is more transmissible than other Ebola species & what it's like not having US experts on the ground. By @kakape.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

Today's #Ebola update from DRC.

"Ebola can still be contained — but only if the world finds the will to do it." - @jeremykonyndyk.bsky.social on why the #Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda could be the worst on record and what needs to be done to stop it. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

#HHS refused for weeks to confirm what was widely known: Jeffery Taubenberger had been removed as acting director of #NIAID. Today HHS confirmed that John H. Powers is now acting director. Why this happened & why HHS refused to admit it remains undisclosed. www.statnews.com/2026/06/09/n...

DRC's confirmed #Ebola cases are now at 550, with 101 confirmed deaths. 19 people have survived and been released from care. 64.4% of case contacts are being followed, but that's 3489 of 5418 contacts -- just over 6 contacts being followed per case. Too few still, I fear. insp.cd/sitrep-n24-m...

A devastating story of a death that now could be prevented, and lessons unlearned. By @lizszabo.bsky.social. www.cidrap.umn.edu/human-papill...

These 2 new #H5N1 #birdflu infected herds in Texas & Utah have made it to #USDA 's official count. total now 1,109 herds in 19 states. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...