We can take good governance for granted until it’s gone — but it’s worth reflecting on what was working well ACIP had - Rigorous vetting of expertise by civil servants - Rolling 4-year appointments providing continuity across administrations This led to strong, credible vaccine recommendations

Evidence-based vaccination recommendations are about more than individual decisions A child infected with measles as a baby “not old enough to be vaccinated at the time of infection” recently died of a complication 💔 Vaccines protect kids who receive them — & infants & others in their communities

Not speaking to evidence or to human rights Or only doing so privately Not standing up to unreasonable requests A way to marginally protect oneself A way to participate in losing one’s society & institutions — creating what is ultimately a much larger marginal effect for everyone

Why is the hepatitis B vaccine important to deliver at birth? The chance of developing chronic hep B differs based on the age at which a person is infected Chance of chronic hep B: Infants <1: 90% Kids 1-5: 30% Adults: 5% Chronic hep B can cause liver damage, cancer, & even death

Grateful to the scientists standing up for the integrity of institutions essential to the health & well-being of our whole society Evidence-based approaches are especially critical to the health of infants & children, whose health depends on reduced community spread of infectious diseases

In theory, it’s sound to focus on Hepatitis B screening in pregnancy & targeted vaccination But in practice, pregnant people at elevated risk of Hepatitis B are also at risk of less prenatal care We can learn from syphilis - we haven’t been able to screen & treat in pregnancy as well as we wish

Did you know? Universal Infant Hepatitis B vaccination is a public health policy success story. The US initially tried a risk-based approach to Hepatitis B vaccination in the 1980s. But vaccination rates remained low. New cases continued to increase. www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview....

Exclusive: Fed Governor Cook declared her Atlanta property as “vacation home,” documents show reut.rs/4n1Izxd

#MedicareForAll would cover more people, more efficiently

“America’s strength has never come from isolation or indifference, but from an instinct to care beyond our borders The belief we have a responsibility to others isn’t shortsighted sentimentalism; it’s the moral foundation of a meaningful life” — @craigspencer.bsky.social @nytopinion.nytimes.com

May this heartbreaking moment prompt us to come together around a vision of a health care system better for patients, providers, & public health Single payer is more effective, equitable, & efficient Thanks @abdulelsayed.bsky.social @awgaffney.bsky.social @nationalnurses.bsky.social & more for ⬇️

Leaders of conscience can make a world of difference www.washingtonpost.com/politics/201...

Part of holding onto Democracy is holding high standards for scientific evidence — & the institutions we rely on to parse the evidence www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Gun violence is a community challenge that calls for community solutions In a new report from @publichealthac.bsky.social, we describe drivers of gun violence & strategies for change Report & brief ➡️ acphd.org/programs-and...

Flu vaccines are safe & effective for reducing morbidity & mortality from flu, which killed more than 200 children this past season Reduced rates of flu vaccine coverage likely contributed to the highest rate of child flu deaths in 15 years www.pbs.org/newshour/hea...

Federal efforts to restrict the use of special Medicaid taxes could cost states billions. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

On Juneteenth, we celebrate Black joy, Black history, Black brilliance, and Black emancipation. We honor our ancestors whose resistance and sacrifice made this day possible, and we thank today’s freedom fighters who carry forward their legacy.

Each child death is an immense tragedy. This year, more children died of flu than in 15 years. Child flu vaccines are essential. “There are likely several contributors to this season’s severity, but a big one is that fewer children get flu shots” - Dr. Sean O’Leary of @ameracadpeds.bsky.social

Should we deport people who have lived here for many years without committing any crimes? 61% no, 24% yes. Should we should deport people as quickly as possible even if it means more mistakes, or do our best to make no mistakes even if it takes longer? Quickly: 19% Minimize mistakes: 74%

The purge of the federal vaccine recommending committee goes even deeper than the public knows @lenasun.bsky.social & @laurenweberhp.bsky.social have new reporting on the chaos inside the CDC and the backgrounds of the new vaccine advisers wapo.st/3SROTKy

“Kennedy's picks circumvented the usual CDC process for selecting members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, known as ACIP. In previous administrations, career agency officials — not political leaders — vetted potential experts before forwarding them to the department”

This part of the announcement turns my stomach. I fear we are headed for a worst-case scenario. “The committee will review safety and efficacy data for the current schedule as well.”

Measles likely came from cows (via rinderpest) around the 6th century BCE. For 2,500 years, we didn’t evolve superhuman resistance—children just died. Real protection only came in the 1960s, with vaccines. Our superpower isn’t evolving into superhumans. It’s outthinking pathogens.

Chris Murphy on Joni Ernst: "I think everybody in that audience knows they're going to die, they would just rather die in old age at 85 or 90 instead of dying at 40. And the reality is that when you lose your healthcare, you are much more at risk of early death."

Half of children in California are covered by Medicaid. Increased barriers to Medicaid could impact children who rely on Medicaid, like Jamal (images are not of the real Jamal, & name has been changed). Learn more about Medicaid in our Alameda County brief: health.alamedacountyca.gov/wp-content/u...

🤰 Pregnant women with COVID-19 consistently have a higher risk of death and pnemonia than non-pregnant women of similar age with COVID-19. Even when they are young! (AJOG publication here: www.ajog.org/article/S000...

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.

🆘 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.

Pregnant people are not included in many vaccine trials to protect safety During Covid this came into question. Pregnant people were at increased risk, & many died due to delays in vaccinating Excluding pregnant people from vaccine eligibility due to exclusion from RCTs would further the harms

Medicaid is a lifeline in California! Reduced federal support for Medicaid would impact the health and wellbeing of Alameda County residents who rely on it. Learn more here bit.ly/4dEQexJ

This podcast episode illustrates how work requirements work in practice: They often trap people in low quality, low-wage jobs — and enrich temp agencies along the way Thank you @marketplace.org Krissy Clark for telling this story so well podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

Great reporting @roniNYTimes on recent NIH foreign sub-awards announcement. The manner of implementation to existing awards and new awards lays bare the real intent to immediately kill international collaborations. @jeremymberg.bsky.social @altnih4science.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/05/15/h...

While you were asleep, Congress just passed a bill that would cut Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP. Now is the time to put pressure on your Senators. Call their offices. Share your stories. Stop this bill from harming people.

The US has the highest rate of firearm homicide of high-income countries A last minute addition to the Republican budget bill lifts regulations on silencers Gun deaths: www.healthdata.org/news-events/... Bill: www.nytimes.com/live/2025/05...

This is why you should leave a comment TODAY on the new proposed rules that would make COVID vaccines less accessible to people. We should be stepping up to make vaccination a priority, not reducing access! www.regulations.gov/docket/FDA-2...

It's always "we need a liberal [disinfo merchant]" and never "we need to get back to basics and address fundamental quality of life issues, like childcare, healthcare, housing, and jobs."

Pregnant people are not included in many vaccine trials to protect safety During Covid this came into question. Pregnant people were at increased risk, & many died due to delays in vaccinating Excluding pregnant people from vaccine eligibility due to exclusion from RCTs would further the harms

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.

Each child death is an immense tragedy. Dr. Sean O’Leary highlights declining flu vaccination rates are contributing to the highest rate of child flu deaths in 15 years. “There are likely several contributors to this season’s severity, but A big one is that fewer children are getting flu shots.”

Those of you who know me from the bird site know I've worked on equity-centered COVID vaccination outreach for pregnant and lactating ppl. COVID vaccines - like many others - #ProtectYouBoth. These vaccinations save lives and have a huge health equity impact.

Vaccines are key to reducing #COVID risk, especially for pregnant people “Pregnant women with COVID-19 consistently had a higher risk of death & pneumonia than nonpregnant women of similar age with COVID-19” Adj. Relative risk of death: 1.68 (1.36–2.08) Adj. RR of pneumonia: 1.97 (1.82–2.13)

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.

Americans are rightly concerned about job loss amidst economic volatility. Those losing jobs also lose employee-sponsored health insurance Many will need Medicaid for health insurance coverage

The new budget proposal released on Mother’s Day: Would cause ~8.6M people to lose health insurance coverage based on Congressional Budget Office estimates Millions more would face increased fees & burdensome paperwork It would also increase challenges to Marketplace enrollment

Happy Mother’s Day! Did you know? 41% of births were covered by Medicaid in 2023, helping nearly 1.5M families welcome newborns into the world This health care coverage is essential to the health & well-being of babies, families, & our shared communities 💕

With news that the US economy is shrinking, who is most affected by recessions? The same populations that already rely on Medicaid, SNAP, & Head Start to meet basic needs Cutting these programs now would deepen poverty in a way that harms whole communities, most of all those directly affected

The Trump administration continues to ignore the courts. 278 men are still in CECOT prison without a trial, sentence, or any form of due process. Here's one of their stories. Dad is in CECOT. Mom, deported to Venezuela. Their beautiful toddler, in foster care in the US, whereabouts unknown.

“A complete cessation of US funding without replacement by other sources of funding would lead to dramatic increases in deaths from 2025-2040: 15.2 (9.3-20.8) million additional AIDS deaths, 2.2 (1.5-1.9) million additional TB deaths, 7.9 million additional child deaths from other causes”

This is why it’s so frustrating that RFK’s food dye distraction is getting so much coverage. Salmonella is much worse for you! www.seattletimes.com/business/usd...