I do think we're in for a big flu season, thanks to a new subclade (variant) of H3N2. Activity is currently low but that will change quickly. caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/outbreak-o...

Yes. State and local jurisdictions collect and submit the data. State and local health departments would be able to see if what CDC is reporting does not match what they submitted.

CDC flu data is back! I’m so happy I could cry. H3N2 is predominating, especially the new subclade K. This supports the emerging hypothesis that we will have a big flu season. More to come.

A bad flu season is on the table as a possibility. UK is reporting a new variant (subclade of H3N2), and multiple countries are reporting big seasons. I’m hoping U.S. data will be published tomorrow now that the shutdown is over. But in any case, our current activity is low right now.

Severe outbreaks in Australia and Japan, the latter of which has declared a flu epidemic, have experts concerned. “It’s not a direct lesson for what we can expect, but it’s a clue,” @cmyeaton.bsky.social said. “And that does give me pause that maybe we’ll be in for something a little bit bigger.”

It's now November, and flu and RSV are beginning to stir, as they do. For the 5th week in a row, we went to all 50 state websites to take a look at what's going around. caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/flu-and-rs...

Crisis Averted is still on sale for $6 on kindle or $15 hardback. Shortlisted for a Phi Beta Kappa book award!

I had a great time reviewing @cohenjon.bsky.social 's fascinating new book, Planning Miracles. It's a good time to shine a light on why pandemic preparedness is in our own best interest. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Thrilled that my book, Crisis Averted, is shortlisted for a Phi Beta Kappa book award, in the category that “recognizes superior books by scientists written to illuminate aspects of science for a broad readership” 🥰 www.pbk.org/awards/booka...

For the 4th week in a row, we went state-by-state to check on flu, Covid-19 and RSV. All quiet, for now. caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/outbreak-o...

For the 4th week in a row, we went state-by-state to check on flu, Covid-19 and RSV. All quiet, for now. caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/outbreak-o...

Starting my FOURTH tour of all 50 states + DC to collect data on Covid-19, flu and RSV activity. And no end to this shutdown in sight. Pretty tired of living in ‘interesting times’ tbh.

Kindle version is still on sale!

Also the examples you gave of times we have cancelled public health programs only to need to rebuild them and how expensive it was to rebuild 😭😭😭

Helpful tips from @cmyeaton.bsky.social and @andrewpaviamd.bsky.social on how (and when) to get the latest flu and COVID vaccines 👇 Gift link: wapo.st/4ndf3nK

My book, Crisis Averted, is on sale at Amazon for $6. It’s filled with behind-the-scenes characters and suspenseful stories of how outbreaks get stopped. Although it was written before All This, it puts into context what’s at stake if we let public health dissolve. www.amazon.com/Crisis-Avert...

My book, Crisis Averted, is on sale at Amazon for $6. www.amazon.com/Crisis-Avert...

The entire HR department at the CDC is gone. Everyone at the IRB, which makes sure studies are conducted ethically and rigorously, and the ethics office, which oversee conflicts of interest for CDC leaders and advisory committee members, were also let go. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

For the 2nd week in a row, the federal shutdown has blocked disease surveillance reporting. So Team Force of Infection again visited all 50 state websites to track COVID, flu & RSV. caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/outbreak-o...

I can't get over how the CDC layoffs are coming less than two months after the attempted mass shooting. The agency is being taken apart brick by brick. The public servants there do not deserve this.

NEW: @CDCgov hit hard by massive firings that several staff describe to me as a “bloodbath.” Among those RIFd: —leadership of the center for immunization and respiratory diseases; —leadership of global health center —leadership of the measles outbreak response; 1/4

FULL STORY HERE: Emails began flooding CDC inboxes late Friday night announcing dozens of layoffs. HR people brought back from furlough to oversee the RIFs. Disease detectives, entire Washington office, global health, injury prevention, MMWR staff among those hit. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...

For the 2nd week in a row, the federal shutdown has blocked disease surveillance reporting. So Team Force of Infection again visited all 50 state websites to track COVID, flu & RSV. caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/outbreak-o...

Continuing my tour of states. This is an unpopular opinion, but PDF reports are my favorite. They are by far the fastest to review and analyze. Dashboard makers, chill with the dropdown menus.

Going state by state for the 2nd week in a row to check on COVID-19, influenza, and RSV trends bc the shutdown is interrupting public reporting. Not done yet as most data doesn't come out until tomorrow, but already seeing small signs of increase in RSV among ages 0-4. caitlinrivers.substack.com

I'm also very grateful to @cmyeaton.bsky.social, whose newsletter this past weekend offers an invaluable round-up of state-level infectious disease data updates: caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/cdc-data-i... (3/3)

The government shutdown interrupted CDC's disease updates, so Team Force of Infection spent our Saturday going to the websites of all 50 health departments to check on Covid-19, flu and RSV. caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/cdc-data-i...

The government shutdown interrupted CDC's disease updates, so Team Force of Infection spent our Saturday going to the websites of all 50 health departments to check on Covid-19, flu and RSV. caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/cdc-data-i...

“framing science as a debate to be won makes it easy to paint established scientists as opponents who must be overcome” An interesting thesis and suggestion of a solution www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/o... 🎁

Mississippi Baby Dies of Whooping Cough, the State’s First Pertussis Death in 13 Years www.mississippifreepress.org/mississippi-...

Noticing lots of cold symptoms and cases of the sniffles? 🤧 We're seeing a sharp increase in rhinovirus, which causes the common cold, as shown in our latest weekly data. This isn't unexpected for this time of year when kids go back to school and mixing increases.

So much discussion around student absenteeism blames students and families for not caring enough to show up. But the actual data shows that illness is the leading cause of absenteeism. I'd be very curious to see how these numbers looked before Covid-19 was added to the virus pile.

Preview of my next newsletter: Covid-19 activity is falling and influenza is hanging out at low levels. I’m hopeful we’ll get a proper reprieve before the winter sick season!

I finally updated to Zotero 7 and it's been fine! Good UI updates, none of my extensions or plugins broke. Go ahead, fellow wait-and-see-ers.

what a great interview

I spoke with @betsyladyzhets.bsky.social about respiratory disease surveillance, long covid, and how people can use disease data to make decisions thesicktimes.org/2025/09/18/e...

ICYMI: We recapped yesterday's HHS Long COVID roundtable event and related announcements. Will be adding more comments from patient advocates to the story today.

Here's what ACIP is planning to vote on today and tomorrow: - No MMRV vaccine before age 4 (only MMR and V separately) - No hepatitis B vaccine at birth unless the birthing parent is hep B+ (what about others?). After one month of age, "shared decision making" w/ doctor www.cdc.gov/acip/meeting...

Welp, public health is back in the spotlight. My book CRISIS AVERTED explains why public health is the real "wellness" industry + a candid look at what we get wrong. WSJ called it a "successful attempt to reset our relationship with...public health." 🧪 www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/704843...

Death from sub-acute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) in a child in Los Angeles SSPE is a rare sequel of #measles infection that appears years after the initial infection, and is uniformly fatal. So sorry for this family. As things are going on the US, we'll be seeing more of these cases.

Good morning from Bethesda, MD! I am here for the RECOVER-TLC workshop, set to announce new Long COVID clinical trials. @thesicktimes.org is live blogging the meeting, and I will have a news feature about the trials later today. thesicktimes.org/2025/09/09/l...

Covid is peaking..but what really caught my eye is flu! It's pretty early for flu to be stirring. We'll see if it sticks around. caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/weekly-hea...

“This early uptick doesn't necessarily mean we're headed straight for an early season, but it bears watching closely. As a point of comparison, the 2022-23 season followed a similar trajectory, but we did not cross the 3% threshold until late October.” #IDsky 🧪

Covid is peaking..but what really caught my eye is flu! It's pretty early for flu to be stirring. We'll see if it sticks around. caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/weekly-hea...

they should’ve thought twice

Vaccines are popular, actually. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/o...

Disease prevalence in US states before & after vaccine introduction 🧪 From Edward Tufte & graphics.wsj.com/infectious-d...

Just announced: @who.int is ending the public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) over the spread of #mpox in Africa. It was declared in August 2024. (AfricaCDC has announced it remains a Continental Emergency.) #IDsky 🧪

So if you aren't perfectly healthy your punishment is....preventable death? What are we doing here. “Dr. Memoli reiterated the administration’s position that vaccines are unnecessary if populations are healthy,” the complaints said.

Public health has changed the course of history, saving countless lives from illness and early death. Some of humanity's greatest accomplishments are public health wins. I hope my book can be a touchpoint for people trying to understand These Times.