Fenit Nirappil
@fenitn.bsky.social
📤 4082
📥 1820
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Health reporter at The Washington Post. Contact: fenitn.33 on Signal;
[email protected]
reposted by
Fenit Nirappil
Helen Branswell 🇨🇦
3 days ago
Terrific piece by
@fenitn.bsky.social
about the rewriting of
#Covid
history. I would add this: A brand new virus meant health officials were making policy based on the info they had, not what we know now. Policy changes were evidence of learnings, not failures.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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Four truths about covid that have become clouded over time
In the early days, the virus posed a graver threat to people and the health care system, Trump embraced lockdowns he now blasts, and the benefits of vaccines were oversold.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/03/22/covid-pandemic-misconceptions/?utm_campaign=wp_news_alert_revere_trending_now&utm_medium=email&utm_source=alert&location=alert
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Lena Sun
15 days ago
SCOOP: A key federal vaccine panel has abandoned an attack on covid-19 mRNA vaccines — a shift that comes as some GOP warn that any more changes to vaccine policy could damage midterm prospects. Me + @rachelroubein.bsky.com
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisers drop proposal to revisit covid-19 shot
Some members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel have publicly questioned the safety and manufacturing of the shots, including raising a debunked theory that DNA contaminants in the vaccines are harmf...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/03/11/covid-vaccine-recommendation-panel/
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Fenit Nirappil
Lena Sun
21 days ago
NEW: A new poll shows who Americans trust over the CDC. Survey reveals substantial gap between the major professional health associations and CDC, FDA and NIH. My story.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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A new poll shows who Americans trust over the CDC
The new findings come after the Trump administration in January took the unprecedented step of overhauling the CDC’s routine childhood immunization schedule.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/03/05/rfk-jr-health-leaders-trust-issue/
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Fenit Nirappil
WastewaterSCAN
22 days ago
“We have a more complicated mixture of
#covid
and
#flu
this year peaking at about the same time. That adds an increased burden on the health care setting.” WastewaterSCAN co-principal investigator Dr. Marlene Wolfe discusses recent
#wastewater
trends with
@fenitn.bsky.social
.
@washingtonpost.com
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Flu was again worse than covid this winter. Is that pattern here to stay?
Flu has overtaken covid in infections and hospitalizations during the winter respiratory virus season, and their virulence is becoming similar.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/03/04/flu-covid-differences-variants/
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Fenit Nirappil
Michael Hobbes
22 days ago
We barely had a winter wave of COVID this year but the flu has been absolutely brutal
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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I've been saying for years that someone needs to find the story behind those insane Top Dog Law radio commercials. Elahe Izadi delivered. This was my favorite ad where it goes completely off the rails
wapo.st/46y0NjV
23 days ago
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Trying my hand at more unhinged science writing. This was labeled internally as "WHALEDADDIES"
wapo.st/3OFLiAf
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Why older whale dads are now winning the mating game
Experience matters but are older whales more desirable? Do they have better game?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026/02/27/aging-whale-fathers-study/
27 days ago
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The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, now stacked with covid vaccine critics picked by RFK Jr., is scheduled to discuss "covid-19 vaccine injuries" at its March meeting
public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-03877.pdf
29 days ago
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Fenit Nirappil
Ariel Wittenberg
about 1 month ago
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that contaminates people when air pollution settles on rivers and streams and gets into the fish we eat. Current Health Secretary RFK jr once had mercury poisoning from eating too much tuna, but has been silent these rollbacks
www.eenews.net/articles/rfk...
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RFK Jr., once poisoned by mercury, is silent as EPA weakens rules against it
The HHS secretary has fought mercury pollution for years. He’s now in an administration that wants to make it easier for industries to dump it into the air
https://www.eenews.net/articles/rfk-jr-once-poisoned-by-mercury-is-silent-as-epa-weakens-rules-against-it/
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Fenit Nirappil
Deb Houry
about 1 month ago
From
@lenasun.bsky.social
article: "Three top voice medical experts and Dysphonia International said there is no scientific basis for the claim that the flu vaccine is behind Kennedy’s condition; there is evidence to suggest a potential association between dystonias and certain drug use."
add a skeleton here at some point
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Lauren Weber
about 1 month ago
🚨 Inside RFK Jr.’s long-running crusade against the flu vaccine w/
@lenasun.bsky.social
@caitlingilbert.bsky.social
-links vaccine to his voice condition without evidence -moved to kill a flu vaccine campaign his 2nd day on job -changed vaccine schedule
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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Inside RFK Jr.’s push against the flu vaccine that he links to his voice condition
Trump’s health secretary has halted federal flu vaccine promotions, citing personal beliefs about vaccine risks.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/02/21/vaccine-safety-risk-kennedy-rfk/
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Fenit Nirappil
Jacob Bogage
about 1 month ago
🚨 WaPo scoop: You've heard of Trump's "board of peace." Now HHS wants to build its own World Health Organization that will cost exponentially more than the U.S.'s contribution to the WHO. -- with the incredible
@lenasun.bsky.social
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After leaving WHO, Trump officials propose more expensive replacement to duplicate it
HHS proposes spending $2 billion a year to re-create systems the U.S. accessed through the WHO at a fraction of the cost, according to officials briefed on the matter.
https://wapo.st/4tKRwyM
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The latest big scoop from
@lenasun.bsky.social
w/
@jacobbogage.bsky.social
assisting After pulling out of the WHO, Trump officials are proposing the U.S. spend about three times as much to duplicate it
wapo.st/4tKRwyM
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After leaving WHO, Trump officials propose more expensive replacement to duplicate it
HHS proposes spending $2 billion a year to re-create systems the U.S. accessed through the WHO at a fraction of the cost, according to officials briefed on the matter.
https://wapo.st/4tKRwyM
about 1 month ago
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Fenit Nirappil
The Washington Post
about 1 month ago
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. inaccurately claimed that patients with schizophrenia were cured through ketogenic diets. Experts say the diet does show promise, but the research is preliminary and RFK. Jr. is overstating nutritional science.
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RFK Jr. claimed that keto diets cured schizophrenia. Here’s what science says.
Ketogenic diets do show promise for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but the research is preliminary and not backed by randomized controlled trials.
https://wapo.st/4tGHEGm
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Lena Sun
about 1 month ago
NEW: The AMA and a leading public health research group focused on vaccines are teaming up to create a parallel system to review vaccine safety and effectiveness. The CDC’s vaccine review process has “effectively collapsed” under RFKJr. My story.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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AMA joins effort to launch vaccine science review amid CDC turmoil
The American Medical Association and a partner group are taking on a new role in reviewing vaccine safety and effectiveness as the CDC’s review process faces criticism.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/02/10/new-vaccine-review-system-launched/
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Paige’s last story for us, now atop the homepage, shows what we lost. She could have done a quick hit on Oz telling Americans to delay retirement, but instead delivered a comprehensive piece rich in policy analysis, data, voices of real people and a rare non-TV interview with Oz
wapo.st/4rHUCC6
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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Reader data offers a roadmap for success. And we’ve gone down a path of gutting coverage areas they value.
about 2 months ago
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“Katie Mettler, a former chair of the Washington Post guild, said: “I’m glad Will Lewis has been fired. I wish it had happened before he fired all my friends.””
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/t...
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https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/technology/washington-post-will-lewis.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
about 2 months ago
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Will Oremus
about 2 months ago
No one writes more incisively, accessibly and credibly than Geoffrey about the ways tech companies are serving — or, far more often these days, disserving — everyday consumers than Geoffrey. He’s worth following wherever he goes.
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@petridishes.bsky.social
is a national treasure, exhibit #394729374
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...
about 2 months ago
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Fenit Nirappil
Lauren Weber
about 2 months ago
Still working to hold power to account here
@washingtonpost.com
on the health team amid our crushing losses yesterday. Email/signal/DM with tips as the work continues.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Fenit Nirappil
Lena Sun
about 2 months ago
We had devastating cuts to @washingtonpost. Our health team of 14 lost 9 reporters yesterday despite it being listed as part of the Post’s new focus. But I still have my job. Along w/a core team, we are still dedicated to covering public health, holding the powerful to account.
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Nothing was more Washington Post than Marty Weil starting his night shift by walking around the newsroom saying hello to every single person at their desks
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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I had the privilege of editing one of the sharpest health policy reporters anywhere. Paige owned coverage of Medicaid cuts and the expiration of enhanced ACA subsidies and brought precision and nuance often missing in coverage. She's relentless about fairness. Hire her!
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
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Our second most read story right now comes from
@markjohnpost.bsky.social
, a Pulitzer-winning science reporter on our team, who announced he was laid off. Just the latest example of how he found the most fascinating areas of science to unpack beautifully
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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These patients saw what comes after death. Should we believe them?
Researchers have developed a model to explain the science of near-death experiences. Others have challenged it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/02/05/near-death-experience-neuroscience-afterlife/
about 2 months ago
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The Washington Post gutted the health team which I helped to lead despite our stories being among the most widely read, impactful and adept at reaching new audiences.
about 2 months ago
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Fenit Nirappil
Drew Harwell
about 2 months ago
I expected the cuts would be bad but I'm honestly stunned and sickened seeing how many great journalists the Washington Post just lost. People who nailed huge investigations, documented war zones, exposed horrific crimes, dropped all at once for failures they did not cause.
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Orion Rummler
about 2 months ago
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons is the first major medical association in the U.S. to narrow its guidance on pediatric gender care amid a crackdown by the Trump administration.
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First major medical group opposes gender transition surgeries for youth
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons said doctors should delay gender-related surgeries until age 19, citing “insufficient evidence” that benefits outweigh risks.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/02/03/plastic-surgeons-youth-gender-surgeries-guidance/
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reposted by
Fenit Nirappil
Paige Winfield Cunningham
about 2 months ago
NEW: American Society of Plastic Surgeons has become the first major US medical org to recommend against all youth gender transition surgeries.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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First major medical group opposes gender transition surgeries for youth
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons said doctors should delay gender-related surgeries until age 19, citing “insufficient evidence” that benefits outweigh risks.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/02/03/plastic-surgeons-youth-gender-surgeries-guidance/
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How D.C. taxpayers financed a city contractor's lavish parties, go-karting trips to New Jersey and an alcohol-filled pool party. Even with diminished resources, The Post's local desk delivers hard-hitting accountability coverage you won't find elsewhere.
wapo.st/4qWcoRO
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How D.C. allowed ‘completely inappropriate’ spending by anti-violence group
D.C. officials say spending of public funds by Life Deeds — including trips to a New Jersey shopping mall, lavish meals and a pool party with alcohol — should not have been allowed.
https://wapo.st/4qWcoRO
about 2 months ago
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Fenit Nirappil
Drew Harwell
about 2 months ago
A retiree wrote this email to a DHS attorney. Within five hours, DHS demanded Google turn over records for his account. A Kafkaesque form of domestic surveillance, intimidating Americans for lawful speech. New from us at the Post:
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
@johnwoodrowcox.bsky.social
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An estimated 16,000 Floridians are set to lose access to free HIV treatment medication or the insurance plans to pay for them.
@davidovalle.bsky.social
and Drea Cornejo did a great job telling the stories of people whose lives hang in the balance through text and video. Free link:
wapo.st/49VO2BK
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Free HIV drugs save lives. Why one state is restricting access for thousands.
An estimated 16,000 HIV and AIDS patients in Florida might lose free medication, health care as the state dramatically rolls back a decades-old program.
https://wapo.st/49VO2BK
about 2 months ago
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The caliber and rigor of our international desk is breathtaking.
@raelombuor.bsky.social
& Katharine Houreld "uncovered an extensive clandestine pipeline stretching from Nairobi to the forests of eastern Ukraine" of Africans conscripted by Russia to fight in Ukraine
wapo.st/4qnDnoA
about 2 months ago
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Ours sports section takes us into delightful worlds with some of the best writing anywhere. Case in point:
@jessedougherty.bsky.social
’s dispatch from the competitive Excel championship
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/inter...
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Between the sheets at the college Excel championships
One of the most unusual — and fun — events in college sports is a high-stakes spreadsheeting competition in Las Vegas.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/interactive/2026/college-excel-spreadsheet-championships/?itid=hp_top_table_main&utm_source=webview&utm_campaign=tt_2510:a;rct_2406:2&no_nav=true&utm_medium=referral_home
about 2 months ago
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South Carolina is now experiencing the nation’s worst measles outbreak since the virus was declared eliminated a quarter century ago.
@lenasun.bsky.social
and photographer Juan Diego Reyes show what’s happening on the ground
wapo.st/4rttZRg
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What South Carolina’s soaring measles outbreak means for the rest of the U.S.
More than 840 measles infections have been reported in South Carolina, surpassing the tally in Texas last year. Public health experts say it shows the risks when vaccination coverage falls.
https://wapo.st/4rttZRg
about 2 months ago
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Fenit Nirappil
Michelle Ye Hee Lee
about 2 months ago
For nearly a century, the @washingtonpost’s foreign correspondents have been on the ground for the world’s most pressing stories. Now, our desk is facing potential steep cuts. Washington needs us. The world needs us. If you read us and need us, please watch this video and share.
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At least eight of the 21 people RFK Jr. picked for a key autism panel have been involved with anti-vaccine organizations or questioned vaccine safety, Ariana Eunjung Cha reports
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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RFK Jr. picks promoters of debunked vaccine-autism claims for key panel
The autism advisory board includes members who have expressed skepticism about vaccine safety and its link to autism despite long-settled scientific conclusions contradicting such claims.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/01/29/rfk-jr-autism-board-vaccine/
about 2 months ago
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Weiss tapped the three people RFK Jr. recently named on Katie Miller’s podcast as the best people for lifestyle advice — Mark Hyman, Andrew Huberman and Peter Attia — as CBS contributors
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about 2 months ago
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Lena Sun
2 months ago
NEW: US formally exits WHO. U.S. officials say nation will remain a global leader in health, but through “existing and new engagements directly with other countries, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and faith-based entities.” My story.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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Formal U.S. withdrawal from WHO is decried as ‘scientifically reckless’
Trump justified withdrawing from the health alliance formed in 1948 based on what he viewed as the “mishandling” of the coronavirus pandemic and a failure to adopt changes.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/01/22/us-withdrawal-world-health-organization-who/
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Fenit Nirappil
STAT
2 months ago
The chair of a federal vaccine advisory panel charted a new course for the committee in a podcast released Thursday, suggesting the public might want to reconsider the use of polio vaccines.
www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/v...
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Top CDC vaccine adviser questions need for polio shot, other longstanding recommendations
The chair of a federal vaccine advisory panel charted a new course for the committee in a podcast released Thursday, questioning longstanding recommendations.
https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/vaccine-policy-adviser-kirk-milhoan-individual-rights-trump-public-health/
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The Washington Post demanded the feds return devices the government seized from reporter Hannah Natanson's home last week. The extraordinary search “flouts the First Amendment and ignores federal statutory safeguards for journalists.”
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
2 months ago
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And now they’ve back tracked and plan to restore the nearly $2 billion in grants
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
add a skeleton here at some point
2 months ago
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The Trump administration has slashed federal grants that support mental health and addiction care. “We are witnessing the complete dismantling of the recovery infrastructure we have built over time,” the leader of a group that lost funding said.
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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Trump administration slashes grants for mental health, addiction
The extent of the SAMHSA cuts remains unclear but appear to broadly target more than 2,000 grants totaling nearly $2 billion.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/01/14/samhsa-addiction-mental-health-grant-cuts/
2 months ago
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Fenit Nirappil
Washington Post Guild
2 months ago
The Washington Post Guild is alarmed and appalled by federal law enforcement’s search and seizure of reporter Hannah Natanson’s property and personal devices. Hannah is a valued member of our union whose work covering the federal workforce has been essential (1/3)
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Three nutritionists weight in on eating red meat and whole fat dairy products now promoted under revised dietary guidelines
www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...
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How much red meat should you eat? We asked 3 top nutrition experts.
New U.S. dietary guidelines have many people wondering if they should change what they are doing.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2026/01/14/red-meat-butter-health-guidelines/
2 months ago
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EXCLUSIVE: We vetted RFK Jr.'s latest picks for a federal vaccine advisory panel. One explicitly called herself an anti-vaxxer, the other compared vaccine makers to cigarette manufacturers. “My grandchildren will not get any shots if I can help it"
@lenasun.bsky.social
reports
wapo.st/4pFHsEe
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New RFK Jr. pick for vaccine panel: ‘I was not anti-vaccine. I am now.’
Two OB/GYNs appointed to an influential federal vaccine advisory panel have criticized vaccination during pregnancy and more broadly. One called the vaccine industry “disgusting.”
https://wapo.st/4pFHsEe
2 months ago
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Great look here at when you should keep a sick kid home from school since it can be infeasible to do so with every sniffle. From
@karinaelwood.bsky.social
,
@jennaportnoywp.bsky.social
& Shikha Subramaniam
www.washingtonpost.com/health/inter...
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How to know when kids are too sick for school
Experts offer guidance on when to send sick children to class or keep them home from school.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/interactive/2026/sick-child-school-guidance
2 months ago
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The blue state rebellion against RFK Jr.'s overhaul of vaccine recommendations continues.
@jennaportnoywp.bsky.social
reports Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is pushing legislation to allow the state to makes its own recommendations
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
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Gov. Wes Moore bill would let Maryland bypass federal vaccine schedule
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is proposing legislation that would decouple vaccine recommendations from federal guidance days after the Trump administration overhauled the childhood vaccine schedule.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/01/08/maryland-vaccine-bill-wes-moore/
3 months ago
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What's in the new dietary guidelines crafted by RFK Jr. and the Trump administration,
@rachelroubein.bsky.social
explains ✅ whole milk ❌ flour tortillas ✅ kimchi ❌ artificial sweetener ✅ butter
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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New dietary guidance pushes whole milk, warns against processed food
The guidelines also promote red meat and lower consumption of grains, while warning against added sugars and artificial sweeteners.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/01/06/new-dietary-guidelines-whole-foods/
3 months ago
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Fenit Nirappil
Lena Sun
3 months ago
SCOOP: CDC vaccine experts were blindsided by RFKJr top deputy’s decision to unilaterally overhaul child schedule. Also, previously undisclosed CDC presentation refutes Trump admin narrative that US is outlier on vaccine policy. My story
@Washingtonpost.com
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
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CDC staff ‘blindsided’ as child vaccine schedule unilaterally overhauled
The Trump administration took unprecedented steps to recommend fewer vaccines for children without extensive consultations with career scientists.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/01/07/cdc-vaccine-recommendations-schedule-revisions/
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