Syra Madad

Measles (Rubeola) Vaccine-Preventable Series: Measles explained—what it does, how it spreads, and how we prevent it

'Vaccine-Preventable Series: Measles explained—what it does, how it spreads, and how we prevent it...'
@drsyramadad.bsky.social and Tom Hoffman

criticalhealthvoices.substack.com/p/measles-ru...

To the scientists, clinicians, trial volunteers, public health leaders, funders & advocates, thank you for continuing the good fight. This is what progress looks like.
www.prnewswire.com/news-release...

Grateful to see this milestone and to cheer on my fellow Netflix co-star Jake Glanville (Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak) and the extraordinary teams expanding what vaccines can mean for global health, pandemic prep, & healthy lifespan.

A proactive, epitope-focused strategy targeting conserved viral regions could redefine flu prevention, moving us from reaction to readiness.

FDA refuses to review Moderna’s influenza vaccine FDA refuses to review Moderna’s influenza vaccine, which could raise concerns about the agency’s posture toward vaccines and drug approvals more generally.

www.statnews.com/2026/02/10/f...

Public Health Workers Are Quitting Over Assignments to Guantánamo Doctors, nurses, and other officers are increasingly being deployed to ICE detention centers. Some have resigned in protest, while others offer a rare look into bleak conditions.

I talked w/ uniformed health workers about their deployments to prisons where ICE holds immigrants.

ICE's operation is especially secretive at Guantanamo -- the place where America flouted its own rules to torture detainees post 9/11.

@wired.com and @kffhealthnews.org (no paywall)

My latest: A look inside the secretive immigration prisons at Guantanamo—and the ethical questions that doctors and nurses face to treat those inside.

Enhanced Code Blue is in effect.

If you see someone experiencing homelessness out in the cold, call 311.

Limit outdoor exposure, use caution when traveling, and check on vulnerable neighbors.

Stay safe and look out for one another

Mayor Mamdani announced an RFI, the first step toward bringing 2-K to NYC & expanding access to 3-K through the citywide child care program. In this brief video, he breaks down what an RFI is for providers & how child care quality will be protected for parents

www.instagram.com/reel/DUZgf0f...

A female Asian elephant calf has been born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Washington, DC, the first in almost a quarter of a century. https://cnn.it/4bChcXR

🦠 This #PictureOfTheWeek is spirulina alga, a type of cyanobacteria. They've been around for 3.5 billion years, survived countless world changes, and helped oxygenate the planet through photosynthesis. Listen to our last broadcast to find out what they can teach us about resilience. buff.ly/NoEML3k

Global aid cuts could lead to 9.4 million deaths by 2030, study projects The Lancet study examines how the dismantling of international aid by the U.S. and other countries could undo decades of health gains.

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...

UK loses measles elimination status Decision made after outbreaks in 2024, when there were nearly 3,000 cases in England and Wales.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

The Alarming Resurgence of Measles in the United States In hospitals, measles is not a memory, it is an airborne alarm bell.

The US may be weeks from losing its measles elimination status. But what does that mean exactly?
Writing for @nyasciences.bsky.social, CEID affiliate @syramadad.bsky.social explains this isn't just a symbolic designation, it's a technical time-bound measurement.
www.nyas.org/ideas-insigh...

Ancient bacterium discovery rewrites the origins of syphilis A 5500-year-old genome recovered from human skeletal remains in Colombia may give insights into the early evolution of syphilis and its relatives

www.newscientist.com/article/2512...

Opinion | Bill Foege’s optimism helped save the world from smallpox His design of “surveillance-containment” changed the course of public health strategy.

www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Governor Newsom meets with World Health Organization Director-General, announces California becomes first state to join WHO-coordinated international network | Governor of California

www.gov.ca.gov/2026/01/23/g...

The U.S. Has Pulled Out of the WHO. Here’s What That Means for Public Health As the U.S.’s withdrawal from the WHO becomes official, the consequences for the world’s health could be serious.

time.com/7357180/us-w...

The return of measles: how a once-vanquished disease is spreading again A year after the Texas outbreak began, new US cases reveal gaps in vaccination and rising risk for children

The measles outbreak in South Carolina now stands at 664 cases, basically doubling in a week, and it's spread to several other states. The outbreak first began in Texas a year ago this week - which means the U.S. is going to lose its elimination status. My latest:
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, Harlem, and Jacobi Earn National Special Pathogen Awards to Strengthen Regional Surge Capacity - NYC Health + Hospitals NYC Health + Hospitals today announced that three of its acute care hospitals — NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, and NYC

www.nychealthandhospitals.org/pressrelease...

Proud to share that 3 @nychealthsystem.bsky.social
—Elmhurst, Harlem & Jacobi, are now Special Pathogen Treatment Centers!

This strengthens regional surge capacity, builds on our legacy from smallpox to Ebola to COVID-19, and expands safe, specialized care for our communities.

Critical Health Voices | Substack Critical Health Voices amplifies frontline healthcare and public health voices.

'The current flu season one of the worst the U.S. has seen in decades', according to @syramadad.bsky.social an epidemiologist who publishes a weekly analysis of respiratory virus trends in her newsletter: Critical Health Voices. substack.com/@criticalhea... @livescience.com

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Genomic Surveillance & Pathogen Data Sharing: A New Era for Scientific Diplomacy. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the... Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Genomic Surveillance & Pathogen Data Sharing: A New Era for Scientific Diplomacy. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the...

Very much looking forward to my fireside chat with @syramadad.bsky.social next Thursday at 1pm PST at the Belfer Center @harvardkennedy.bsky.social on "Genomic Surveillance & Pathogen Data Sharing: A New Era for Scientific Diplomacy".

Virtual, so come join us!

harvard.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Curbing New York’s Recent Surge in Flu Cases New York State is in a record-breaking stretch of seasonal influenza. Here’s what you need to know.

With states across the country seeing surges in flu cases, Dr. @syramadad.bsky.social explains how flu vaccine effectiveness always varies by year and subtype, but even when not a perfect match, vaccination provides meaningful protection against hospitalization & death.
spr.ly/63321CoorP

Curbing New York’s Recent Surge in Flu Cases New York State is in a record-breaking stretch of seasonal influenza. Here’s what you need to know.

www.nyas.org/ideas-insigh...

Drones detect deadly virus in Arctic whales' breath Whale breath collected by drones is giving clues to the health of wild humpbacks and other whales.

Drones detect deadly virus in Arctic whales' breath

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Magical thinking will not prevent future pandemics or improve public health For much of human history, infectious diseases were the main causes of morbidity and mortality. The sciences of public health, epidemiology, microbiology, and vaccine and drug development have dramati...

Magical thinking will not prevent future pandemics or improve public health

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Botulism outbreak sickens more than 50 babies and expands to all ByHeart products At least 51 babies in 19 states have been treated for botulism after being exposed to organic ByHeart baby formula. The New-York based manufacturer issued a recall of all its products last month.

Botulism outbreak sickens more than 50 babies and expands to all ByHeart products https://ow.ly/Oa0H50XMYPR National Hispanic Medical Association The American Academy of Pediatrics National Pediatric Disaster Coalition Teresa Hartman, MLS Dr. Syra Madad, DHSc, MSc, MCP, CHEP

H3N2 “Subclade K” Is Spreading. Here’s What It Means for Severity, Vaccines, and Treatment As influenza activity increases this winter, many people are hearing unfamiliar labels like influenza A(H3N2) “subclade K” (J.2.4.1) and wondering whether they signal a more dangerous wave. The truth ...

www.belfercenter.org/research-ana...