And FWIW a study of medication use during pregnancy in the United States from 2011 to 2020 found that while use of acetaminophen with opioids declined over this period, trends for acetaminophen use remained stable (Mansour et al. AJOG 2024) www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Indeed, untreated fever in pregnancy is linked to miscarriage, birth defects, and preterm birth. Unmanaged pain in pregnancy is linked to high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression which are all bad for both mom and baby. So yes, “toughing it out” and avoiding meds in pregnancy is dangerous.

For you epi nerds inspired to brush up on analytical challenges in perinatal pharmacoepidemiology, here is a nice piece from @anecdatally.bsky.social! Associations between prenatal acetaminophen exposure & child neurodevelopment: Truth, bias, or a bit of both? pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

ACOG and all other professional societies continue to affirm the safety of using Tylenol, also known as as acetaminophen or paracetamol, in pregnancy to treat pain and fever during pregnancy.

Filling the gap left by flailing federal public health surveillance efforts…

Some personal news: I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. Thread incoming. substack.com/@karenattiah...

A deep dive into the destruction of US cancer research by @jonathanmahler.bsky.social “It’s an absolutely unmitigated disaster,” a former top official at NIH told him. “It will take decades to recover from this, if we ever do.” Gift link: nyti.ms/48iH3Cr

That’s the thing, I do think we all agree that moms deserve a positive pregnancy experience & babies deserve a healthy start to life. Our health policies can make that happen (or not)! These cuts fly in the face of our shared values.

Are we ready for the next pandemic? Chatting about “The Big One” with @mtosterholm.bsky.social today @gwpublichealth.bsky.social

🧵Florida just announced it will end all vaccine mandates for children to attend school—the first state to do so. This will endanger kids’ health. Here’s a few key points on vaccine mandates. 1/10 www.cidrap.umn.edu/anti-science...

Here's a #GiftLink for those who want to read the full NYT obit of historian of science & gender, Margaret Rossiter. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/s... #histSTM 🧪🗃️

Things aren't looking great for women & infants in Mississippi. 🔹️"About a third of US counties do not have a single obstetric clinician," but in Mississippi, "nearly half of all counties are considered maternity care deserts." 🔹️Nationally,... 1/4 amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.cnn....

🚨 OUT NOW! Our new @science.org study led by @kohrathefog.bsky.social is the first to comprehensively quantify the health impacts of and inequities in outdoor air pollution exposure across all stages of the US oil and gas lifecycle: extraction ➡️ transport/storage ➡️ refining/processing ➡️ end-use. 🧵

The data package HHS offered to defend Kennedy’s decision is not the work of U.S. government scientists… “The compilation originated as material for a book titled “TOXIC SHOT: Facing the Dangers of the COVID ‘Vaccines’,” an anthology of essays by prominent anti-vaxxers.” @jackiantonovich.bsky.social

Trump wants the Washington Football team to bring back their old name: R–skins, a dictionary-defined racial slur. Research shows racist mascots harm Native youth’s self-esteem & mental health. What the research also found is that it makes white feel better about being white. 🧵

Note: Even though the Senate has removed $400 million in PEPFAR funding from the rescissions package, another $500 million in global health funding could still be cut. www.politico.com/live-updates...

Serious concerns as the US Preventive Services Task Force (the people who set recommendations for cancer screenings, STI testing, and preventive care generally) will not meet Thursday, as scheduled. www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/h...

I would once again like to take this opportunity to remind you all to support billionaire free, local, and/or worker run news. if you're in the DMV area: @washingtoninformer.com @51st.news @wcp.bsky.social @streetsensedc.bsky.social @thebaltimorebanner.com @baltimorebeat.bsky.social

While warehouses in the U.S. overflow with ready-to-use therapeutic foods (known as RUTFs), designed to treat severe malnutrition, children in places like South Sudan are going hungry.

And somehow these folks aren’t ranting about the need to ensure occupational health & safety either! There are millions of workplace injuries each year and thousands of workplace deaths. Manual labor comes with serious risks to workers (who often deserve more from their government).

WHO recently rapidly surveyed 108 of its country offices to assess the impact of Trump’s huge aid cuts ‼️85 offices (80%) said at least 1 health system was interrupted—the most severely affected included health emergencies, public health surveillance & service provision cdn.who.int/media/docs/d...

The New York Times has a story on PAGE TWENTY of today’s Sunday paper saying thousands mobilized?! Absurd. Most others estimates suggest there were millions who took to the streets in something like 2,000 separate protests around the country yesterday.

The FDA has approved Moderna’s mResvia (mRNA-1345) for the prevention of RSV in people ages 18 to 59 years old who are at increased risk. ACIP is scheduled to vote on the recommendation at the June meeting. www.cidrap.umn.edu/respiratory-...

Amer Academy of Pediatrics: “We are witnessing an escalating effort by the administration to silence independent medical expertise and stoke distrust in lifesaving vaccines. Creating confusion around proven vaccines endangers families' health + contributes to the spread of preventable diseases."

17 dedicated doctors, pediatricians, scientists, and parents who served on the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices (ACIP) were just fired by Secretary Kennedy based on false claims of conflicts of interest – a dangerous and unprecedented action that makes our families less safe.

Measles infection during pregnancy is dangerous! It’s linked to early pregnancy loss, preterm labor and other pregnancy complications, increased risk of stillbirth, and neonatal mortality. In this recent case, a newborn with congenital measles has died.

Pretty damning considering the JAMA piece last week that said Long COVID has surpassed asthma as the most prevalent chronic illness among children.

“Each of us is part of a truly global university community. We know that the benefits of bringing talented people together from around the world are unique and irreplaceable.” -Alan Garber in a message, noting that Harvard will sue over the Trump administration barring international students.

“proposes to eliminate the CDC’s global health unit, effectively shutting down its $230 million immunization program: $180 million for polio eradication and the rest for measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases. The budget plan also withdraws financial support for Gavi”

I've seen folks talk about how "in four years" they'll be able to get back to their planned projects and I really don't think that's going to work out. People & projects losing funding now will not be able to hit pause and come back once funding is restored. Hard-won progress & capacity will be lost

The USGS ecosystems research program doesn't just study wildlife. Its researchers work on rangelands and forests, fisheries and aquaculture, and critically, wildfire. Trump's proposed budget eliminates this program entirely, allocating $0 for 2026. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/31/c...

This past flu season was a deadly one for kids. The #CDC reported today that it has been informed of another 4 pediatric flu deaths, which takes the year's to-date total to 235. The only worse season on record was the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, which was really hard on kids. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

Any editor, producer, reporter or blogger who waxes sentimental on #ElonMusk today is on the wrong side of history. Musk has destroyed large swaths of our federal agencies, ones that provide vital services, support crucial research in the US and around the globe. #MuskisaMonster.

Any infection in pregnancy is bad for mom and baby. Truly, there’s no such thing as a healthy maternal infection. But COVID-19 infection is especially bad. That’s why global experts recommend a booster vaccine during pregnancy.

I’ve realized that most folks have no sense of the major financial contributions international students make to US universities and the US economy in general. The economic impact of banning international students would be astronomical.

Exactly!

Expert OBs strongly recommend a COVID vaccine during pregnancy. The evidence is quite clear that getting sick can cause problems for moms & babies. Plus, there’s plenty of data now showing the vaccine is safe & effective. Yes this remains true, even when COVID variants are thought to be more mild.

The thing about making policy by X, is it’s really hard to argue against the merits, since no actual scientific rationale is cited. Shame on these guys for promoting anti-science policy that will harm women and children.

I will never forget those who died from COVID-19 during pregnancy because they did not have the opportunity to get vaccinated. We should do everything in our power to help provide information and support instead of stepping back!!

I still remember the pregnant women I cared for in the ICU fighting for their pregnancy and their life. To take away a tool that improves their outcomes isn’t just stupid. It’s cruel.

🆘 Our work over the past few years has shown that COVID-19 in pregnancy is a serious problem that requires serious public health and medical consideration.

🔬Investments in basic research allow us to understand the inner workings of cells & molecules. 💊This work underpins many new drugs/therapuetics. 🤝This model of drug development is built on a long standing partnership between universities & the federal government.

In a dramatic escalation in ongoing attack on higher ed, the Trump admin revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll international students today. Harvard currently hosts 6,000+ international students; they must choose between transferring or leaving the country. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Yes, everyone please leave a public comment. They need to know we still care and are against reducing access.

Per a new Annenberg poll, most US adults have a limited understanding of measles complications or understand the particular risks of measles infections in pregnancy. More from @cidrap.bsky.social👇 www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/poll...

This happened to me a few years ago. WHILE I WAS GRADING FINAL PROJECTS FOR MY CLASS. The oddest feeling, indeed.

Still important years after “COVID is over”.

COVID poses extra risk when you’re pregnant. Thanks @juliaraifman.bsky.social for sharing our work. Getting vaccinated in pregnancy helps protect both mom and baby.

In fact, I spent a whole three years of my life trying to understand the extent to which COVID in pregnancy is a problem. Unfortunately, we found it’s a really big problem for both mom and baby.

“We must resist the impulse to ‘keep our heads down’ and act out of fear and for self-preservation.” A brief history and a call to action from Chris Duggan & Zulfi Bhutta in NEJM. t.n.nejm.org/r/?id=haf814...