Healio Infectious Diseases

Kennedy fires NIH official weeks after whistleblower complaint A top NIH official who filed a whistleblower complaint last month alleging she was removed from her job for political reasons has been fired by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to her at...

“My termination, unfortunately, shows that the leaders of HHS and the National Institutes of Health do not share my commitment to scientific integrity and public health."

Details 👇🏻

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More than 40% of federal health workers furloughed during shutdown The first government shutdown in almost 7 years began Wednesday after Congress was unable to come together on legislation to fund the federal government. The disagreement between Republicans and Democ...

🔐 More than 32,000 HHS staff will be furloughed during the #shutdown — or about 41% of the nation’s federal health care workforce.

#MedSky

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TikTok ‘eco-influencers’ promote misinformation about child health DENVER — TikTok videos created by “eco-influencers” often contain misinformation about child health, and those videos receive more engagement than evidence-based content, according to a study presente...

"What surprised the researchers was that videos containing misinformation averaged 2 1/2 times as many views as evidence-based videos."

From #AAP2025 in Denver 👇

@ameracadpeds.bsky.social

#MedSky #IDSky #PedsSky

www.healio.com/news/pediatr...

Q&A: CDC makes major cuts to foodborne illness surveillance The CDC recently made major cuts to a program that for decades has monitored foodborne illnesses through a partnership between federal agencies and state health departments, according to an expert who...

🧫 The CDC recently made major cuts to a program that for decades has monitored foodborne illnesses through a partnership between federal agencies and state health departments.

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CDC advisors table vote to delay hepatitis B vaccination in newborns CDC vaccine advisors voted Thursday to remove a longstanding federal recommendation that allowed young children to get a vaccine that combines protection against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella.

"In a disorganized start to the second day of their meeting, members of the ACIP also reversed a vote they made the previous evening that preserved some children’s access to a vaccine that the panel had just voted not to recommend."

#IDSky #MedSky

www.healio.com/news/pediatr...

CDC advisors say COVID shots should require talk with doctor CDC vaccine advisors voted Friday to weaken federal recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines, even among older adults, saying vaccination should be based on shared clinical decision-making.The Advisory C...

💉 CDC advisors say COVID shots should require talk with doctor.

❓ But also: Details of a strange vote (which failed) that would have recommended COVID-19 vaccines require a prescription, something the ACIP does not control.

More coming soon:

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Emmy wins for ‘The Pitt’ feel personal for health care professionals Although The Pitt is fictional, health care professionals praise actors Noah Wyle, Fiona Dourif and the rest of its cast and crew for accurately portraying the dynamic chaos of a shift in the ER as we...

🏆 Emmy wins for ‘The Pitt’ feel personal for health care professionals

"Our emergency medicine group chats lit up like we had just won the Super Bowl."

💻 @owaisdurrani.bsky.social @rdglatter.bsky.social

#MedTwitter

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Universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth saves lives Universal administration of a hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth is a safe, highly effective, evidence-based practice that has saved thousands of lives by preventing chronic hepatitis B infe...

"Robust scientific evidence and safety data have unequivocally shown that universal birth dose HBV vaccination saves lives and is safe to administer in newborns."

🗣️ New editorial up on the site ahead of this week's #ACIP meeting.

#IDSky #MedSky

www.healio.com/news/pediatr...

More vaccine changes could be in store for US On Thursday, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will begin a 2-day meeting in Atlanta that could impact the availability of a few vaccines. It is the second ACIP meeting since Robe...

On the agenda for this week's 2-day ACIP meeting, which starts tomorrow:

💉 MMRV vaccination
💉 Hepatitis B birth dose
💉 COVID-19 vaccines

“I’m hoping that they listen to the experts, but I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.”

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Q&A: The US is losing its only dengue vaccine The only dengue vaccine ever approved in the United States is being discontinued, raising questions about control of the mosquito-borne virus amid a decades-long surge in cases. The vaccine, Dengvaxia...

💉 The US is losing its only dengue vaccine. What now?

#IDSky #MedSky

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Congo’s Ebola outbreak spreads as cases double An Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has doubled in size and spread in the province where it started, raising fears of cross-border spillover into neighboring Angola, a heal...

🚨 An #Ebola virus #outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has doubled in size and spread in the province where it started, raising fears of cross-border spillover into neighboring #Angola, a health official said.

#DRC #IDsky

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Three people treated for exposure to rabid cat Three people were treated for rabies exposure after being attacked by a rabid feral cat in Maryland last year, according to an MMWR report.

🙀 The identification of a rabid feral #cat, part of an unmanaged colony of approximately 20 cats, led to three people receiving #rabies postexposure prophylaxis after being attacked by the cat.

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One antibiotic dose enough for early syphilis A single dose of benzathine penicillin G successfully treated early syphilis just as well as three doses, a study showed.

☝️ A single-dose benzathine #penicillin G was just as effective as the standard three doses for treating patients with early #syphilis, regardless of the patient’s #HIV status.

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Florida moves to end vaccine mandates Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, announced Wednesday that the state will work to “end all vaccine mandates,” including for children.“Every last one of them is wrong an...

💉 Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, said Wednesday that the state will work to “end all vaccine mandates,” including for children.

@gohealio.bsky.social spoke w/ J. Glenn Morris, MD, MPH, TM, and @pauloffit.bsky.social about the change.

www.healio.com/news/pediatr...

🚨 Health officials in the DRC have declared an #Ebola outbreak in Kasai province. As of Thursday, 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths have been reported.

#IDsky #MEDsky #GlobalHealth

Here's the full story from @caitstulpin.bsky.social 👇

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👍Over-the-counter #PrEP could help expand access to #HIV prevention outside of clinics, a survey suggests.

@caitstulpin.bsky.social spoke to @harvardmed.bsky.social’s Lauren Violette, PhD, MPH, about the survey's results, which showed support for OTC PrEp.

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FDA will review ensitrelvir for COVID-19 prevention The FDA on Tuesday accepted a new drug application from Shionogi to market ensitrelvir, an oral antiviral, as post-exposure prophylaxis for COVID-19, the company announced.

💊 The FDA accepted a new drug application from Shionogi to use ensitrelvir, a daily oral antiviral, as post-exposure prophylaxis for #COVID19. Data presented earlier this year showed it’s promise as #PEP.

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FDA approves new COVID shots, with restrictions The FDA on Wednesday approved the updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2025-2026 respiratory disease season, but with limitations not seen in previous years.

💉 The FDA has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2025-2026 respiratory disease season, but with limitations not seen in previous years.

@gohealio.bsky.social spoke with @ameshaa.bsky.social and @pauloffit.bsky.social about the approvals could mean this fall.

www.healio.com/news/infecti...

🐛 The first human case of New World screwworm infestation in the U.S. was confirmed by the CDC. New World screwworm flies lay eggs in mammals’ wounds and their larvae feed on live tissue. The scourge has been inching closer to the U.S. in recent years.

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Hooked on ID The field of ID has never been more important. Tell us why you chose it by emailing infectiousdisease@healio.com, with the subject line “Hooked on ID.”

Details on how to submit your own story: www.healio.com/news/infecti...

Hooked on ID with Sara K. Schultz, MD, FACP, FIDSA, FCPP When I attended Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I was pre-med mainly for the fun of getting to say, “I’m pre-med,” with little understanding of the actual...

🦠 Latest #HookedOnID went up this morning: Sara K. Schultz, MD, FACP, FIDSA, FCPP, from @templeid.bsky.social.

#IDSky #MedSky #PotatoSalad

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Annals of Internal Medicine ignores call from RFK Jr. to retract study The Annals of Internal Medicine has no plans to retract a study on aluminum-adsorbed vaccinations and childhood chronic diseases, despite a call from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to do so, acco...

📖 A journal said it won't retract a study on aluminum-adsorbed vaccines & childhood chronic diseases, despite a call from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to do so. @ameshaa.bsky.social told @gohealio.bsky.social the study does not have "significant weaknesses."

www.healio.com/news/primary...

Documents show accused CDC shooter had vaccine grievances, officials say Written documentation shows that the man accused of attacking the CDC last week was “discontent” with and distrustful of COVID-19 vaccines, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

🚨 Written documentation shows that the man accused of firing nearly 200 shots at the CDC campus last week expressed discontent with and was distrustful of COVID-19 vaccines, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

Here's @gerardgallagher.bsky.social's report 👇

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In aftermath of shooting, CDC workers told they can stay home CDC employees were given the option to work from home on Monday following the shooting that targeted the agency’s headquarters in Atlanta on Friday evening, HHS confirmed to Healio.

🏢 CDC employees were given the option to work from home after a shooting that targeted the agency’s headquarters in Atlanta.

The CDC workers' union said the tragedy “was not random” and “compounds months of ... vilification that CDC staff have endured.”

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US abandons mRNA vaccine development despite triumphs The decision to cancel almost $500 million dollars in U.S. funding for the development of messenger RNA vaccines is dangerous, shortsighted and tarnishes the legacy of a scientific advancement that sa...

💉 HHS is winding down 22 mRNA vaccine development efforts under BARDA, which is responsible for medical countermeasures to address health emergencies, such as pandemics.

@gohealio.bsky.social spoke to @ameshaa.bsky.social and Jeff Coller, PhD, about the decision.

www.healio.com/news/infecti...

Study: Ending adult boosters for tetanus, diphtheria could save US billions Ending adult booster shots for tetanus and diphtheria could save the United States $1 billion a year and eliminate vaccinations that may not be needed, researchers argued.

💉 Should the U.S. end dicennial diphtheria and tetanus boosters for adults?

Experts say ending the #vaccine doses would align the U.S. with the French, U.K. and WHO vaccine schedules.

We spoke with Mark K. Slifka, PhD, and William Schaffner, MD, about the idea.

www.healio.com/news/infecti...

Deadly Legionnaires’ disease cluster in NYC grows A cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City has grown to include 67 cases and three deaths, the city health department announced in an update that continued to focus on cooling towers as...

😷 A cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City has grown to 67 cases & 3 deaths, the city health department announced in an update that continued to focus on cooling towers as the likely source of the infections.

Here's @gerardgallagher.bsky.social's update 👇

www.healio.com/news/infecti...

HHS bars medical groups from CDC vaccine discussions HHS has barred several professional medical organizations from participating as outside liaisons to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee.

💉 HHS has barred several professional medical organizations from participating as outside liaisons to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee. The groups have generally weighed in on reviews & working group discussions.

Here's @flandmines.bsky.social's report 👇 #IDsky

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One dead in cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in NYC A cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City has sickened at least 22 people since last week, killing one, city health officials announced.

🌆 A cluster of #Legionnaires’ disease in the #Harlem neighborhood of New York City has sickened at least 22 people since last week, killing one, city health officials announced.

Here's @gerardgallagher.bsky.social's rundown 👇

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🌟Fabulous summary of the new @idsainfo.bsky.social cUTI guidelines from our co-chair @bwtrautner.bsky.social

#UTIsky #IDsky #Pharmsky