Out now in @plos NTDs - overlap between #LF prevalence and #malaria ITN access / use. Congrats to Joanna Whisnant and the authorship team. This has been a long time coming and great to see it out! #NTDs #episky #malaria #lymphaticfilariasis

“In the face of demonstration that vaccines are the single most lifesaving technology for children, over half a century, he is asserting a position that the U.S. will not support vaccination. This is utterly disastrous for children around the world and for public health.” -- @agawande.bsky.social

"Whatever progress we’ve made could be reversed if we don’t maintain and build on our successful #immunization efforts to date.” - Prof. Art Reingold, @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social. Read more @statnews.com

"Falling global #vaccine coverage, an increase in the numbers of children receiving no vaccines, and delays in vaccination mean that more children will be hospitalised, permanently damaged and die from fully preventable diseases if the trend is not reversed." - Prof. Andrew Pollard

The evidence couldn't be more clear: * #Vaccines are safe. * #Vaccines are effective. * #Vaccines save lives. This is the moment for a renewed global commitment to immunization at all levels.

Now out in @thelancet.com: our group's analysis of global vaccination coverage trends, the impact of the COVID pandemic, and progress towards global targets. Congratulations to all of our co-authors - this was a massive amount of work and comes at a particularly critical time. Highlights in 🧵

"The #GatesFoundation will announce ahead of the #Gavi fundraising in Brussels on Wednesday that it will match — but not go beyond — the $1.6bn it’s giving during the organisation’s current funding cycle."

🗓️ 8 DAYS TO GO 🗓️ Every bold global health milestone began with one moment of collective will. In 8 days, world leaders will face that moment. Will they rise to protect 500 million children and build the strongest immunisation push in history? #ForOurFuture

The #Pediatric #InfectiousDisease Society has released a statement on the mass removal of all ACIP members. "Removing vaccine experts from developing thoughtful policy will harm all Americans, particularly our children."

@who.int just released the results of a rapid pulse-taking survey on the impact of cuts to official development assistance (ODA). More than 40-50% of countries already reporting moderate-severe service disruptions to #HIV, #TB, #Malaria, #vaccine programs. #episky #idsky

This week, as the number of confirmed measles cases rose to 483, the CDC buried a report that would’ve stressed the importance of getting vaccinated. The move was “not normal at all,” one agency staff member said. By @sheinvestigates.bsky.social

The HHS investigation into the long-debunked #measles #vaccine / autism (non-)connection continues to ramp up. “To me, the big shame is that with budget cuts, we are not ramping up research into what is actually causing autism,” Mr. Hunter said. #idsky #pedsidsky #episky

@nature.com just published a list of "research activities that NIH no longer supports", including studies on #vaccine hesitancy, #climatechange, #DEI, " #transgender issues", China, and South Africa. #episky #medsky #idsky #pedsidsky

The US government is stopping support for Gavi, which plays a massive role in providing #vaccines to children around the world. The US provides 13% of Gavi's budget. #episky #idsky #pedsidsky

Despite a substantial decrease in solid fuel use for cooking worldwide, exposure to household air pollution (HAP) remains a major global risk factor. A #GBD study calls for renewed efforts & international investments to reduce the burden of HAP: tinyurl.com/3w94ysy9 @ihmeuw.bsky.social

MMR vaccines do not cause autism—the evidence is overwhelming. I teamed up with @unbiasedscipod.bsky.social to break down decades of research, covering dozens of studies with millions of children. open.substack.com/pub/theunbia...

During the worst measles outbreak in DECADES, we ABSOLUTELY must invest funding, time, & energy toward understanding why some Americans are hesitant to get the vaccines they need. We want people to get vaccinated so they don't die. It makes NO sense to eliminate this research.

"Mr. Kennedy said [HHS] would conduct clinical trials on several unproven treatments for measles, including a steroid, budesonide; an antibiotic called clarithromycin; and cod liver oil". I'm sorry - exactly how many cases of #measles are we planning to have in the USA, if we're funding RCTs now?

I can't even with this. Effective interventions to keep kids from dying of measles: 1. The measles vaccine 2. The measles vaccine 3. The measles vaccine 4. The measles vaccine ... 10. Good supportive care; vitamin A treatment. (Not listed: cod liver oil) #idsky #pedsidsky #pedssky

Measles, even in a reasonably vaccinated population, can spread among the unvaccinated about as fast as COVID-19 spread in the beginning of 2020. That was fast enough for us to be concerned in 2020. It's fast enough for us to be concerned in 2025.

If someone thinks the measles outbreak and childhood death in Texas are "not unusual" or "happens all the time", they are deeply misinformed. h/t @adamratnermd.bsky.social for the inspiration. blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-obser...

Absolute, unspeakable cruelty. “People will die,” said Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi, executive director of the African Population and Health Research Center, “but we will never know, because even the programs to count the dead are cut.” #episky #medsky

It's difficult to overstate what we're losing with the end of the DHS program. These surveys anchor our understanding of health around the world, especially in places where good data are missing and where global inequities in health are most acute. What a catastrophic, short-sighted decision.

This news truly breaks my heart. We are calling on HHS to take immediate action. Secretary Kennedy needs to bring back weekly measles tracking from the CDC, rehire the health experts, and roll out a serious vaccine campaign. Our kids' safety is on the line! abcnews.go.com/Health/1st-m...

#HHS has canceled the March meeting of outside experts who were to advise #FDA on what next winter's #flu shots should target. The irony of this: Canceling #VRBPAC makes the US more reliant on the WHO-led strain selection process. www.statnews.com/2025/02/26/f...

Someone has died of measles infection in the United States. This is horrific.

NEW: Pregnancy became far more dangerous in Texas after the state banned abortion, according to ProPublica’s first-of-its-kind analysis, which found the sepsis rate for women hospitalized as they miscarried in the 2nd trimester shot up by more than 50%. https://propub.li/43487Tj

And here we go. A reminder that #ACIP recommendations from late January 2025 are archived here: web.archive.org/web/20250122... Reliable information about #vaccines for providers can also be found at the excellent www.immunize.org. #pedsky #medsky #pedsidsky

"In this toolkit, we help you understand what families want and need to know, how best to communicate with them, and tools to make it all much easier. You’re a health hero and the single most influential group of people when it comes to vaccines." www.voicesforvaccines.org/toolkits/hea...

And where are the insurance companies? Handcuffing #flu #vaccine development & distribution will result in unnecessary hospitalizations and health care expenditure. Those in turn will cut into their almighty bottom line.

On Friday night, HHS ordered CDC to take down all flu vaccine campaign materials from its website. Materials are starting to come down. For example, a campaign explaining that flu shot can reduce flu severity from "wild to mild" is now offline. Left image is from Friday, right is now Meanwhile...

The one thing that brings me hope on this very dark day for our nation's health is this: The most important factor in a patient's decision to get vaccinated is a strong recommendation from a health care provider who they trust. #pedsky #medsky #idsky #pedsidsky

Govt closes all HIV clinics in Uganda thanks to Elon Musk and Donald Trump interfering with USAID. Regardless of your thoughts on countries relying on international aid, this is NOT how you treat poor people. Shameful.

Executive wants to frame the NIH indirects cut as $4B in savings. But given that NIH returns $2.5 on every $1 investment, this would actually cost US economy a net $6 BILLION (per year!). Not to mention the human costs of wrecking education and research sectors and the communities they serve.

This is what amounts to an ILLEGAL & indiscriminate funding cut for research centers everywhere. It will mean shuttering labs across the country, layoffs in red & blue states, and derailing lifesaving research on everything from cancer to opioid addiction. We all need to speak out to save lives.

So what is the opposite of an Age of Enlightenment, just out of curiosity?

The CDC is already painfully understaffed. This reckless layoff threat and the constant bullying of federal workers by Trump & Elon—in the middle of a Bird Flu crisis no less—could put lives at risk. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

@USAID is enduring an unlawful shutdown, purge, and dismantling. It’s thrown its vital work into turmoil—based on spurious, absurd, and willfully slanted attacks. Here's what’s real: the massive and growing harm now being caused. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/h...

The USAID stuff is just preposterously dark. A tiny sliver of the government’s budget, literally saving thousands of lives, pulled from one day to the next out of pure indifferent cruelty.

The removal of #HIV- and #LGBTQ-related resources from the websites of CDC and other health agencies is deeply concerning. Access to this information is crucial for ID and HIV health care professionals. Our full statement: https://buff.ly/42AO8LI

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY #medsky #IDsky #obgynsky #pedsky CDC STI treatment guidelines have been taken down. They are archived here 👇 web.archive.org/web/20250131...

The internet Archive also has Vaccine Information Sheets (VISs) available here: web.archive.org/web/20250122... #medsky #pedsky #idsky #publichealth

With Guinea, 7 other countries have been validated by WHO for eliminating the gambiense form of sleeping sickness - or human African trypanosomiasis: 🙌🏾 Togo (2020) 🙌🏾 Benin (2021) 🙌🏾 Côte d’Ivoire (2021) 🙌🏾 Uganda (2022) 🙌🏾 Equatorial Guinea (2022) 🙌🏾 Ghana (2023) 🙌🏾 Chad (2024) 2/3

River blindness is transmitted to humans through the bites of infective black flies, primarily found in riverine areas. The disease primarily affects rural populations in sub-Saharan Africa and Yemen, with smaller endemic areas found in parts of Latin America bit.ly/40Ur7lV 4/4 - END

🎉It's #WorldNTDDay! 1.5 billion people remain affected by Neglected Tropical Diseases. We are proud to join the collective movement to #UniteActEliminate and #EndNTDs!

#medsky #pedsky #vaccines #aap #vaccineliteracy I wanted to repost the AAP's highlight of these powerful quotes from fellow pediatricians as we enter a new political landscape and CDC leaving the WHO. I urge everyone to consider vaccinations for their children!

The AAP is urging all #pediatricians to contact their senators in advance of the RFK Jr. hearings this week. Take 5 minutes out of your day to make your voice heard and advocate for your patients! It's easy - here's how: #pedsky #pedsidsky

The communications pause for federal health agencies meant that the CDC couldn't publish the MMWR this week -- the first time in the publication's 60+ year history this has happened. Unhappy about this! Getting good data published on infectious threats is critical, especially as H5N1 looms. #IDSky

"Any prolonged pause in funding could disrupt HIV treatment programs, leading to treatment interruptions, rise of drug-resistant HIV. That’s playing with fire, risking progress that we’ve made over decades to control the HIV epidemic” [email protected] www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/u...

"A U.S. withdrawal from the WHO would undermine these global efforts and reduce health security for Americans... There is no American health without global health, and tackling health threats abroad helps mitigate dangers within our country." - ASTMH letter to Sec. Rubio. #IDSky #globalhealth