Ferric Fang, MD

Outbreak Outlook - National - March 8 Flu plateau, RSV hospitalizations rise, Covid low

The spell has broken! Flu, Covid-19 and RSV are all heading in the right direction, finally. (Although RSV is still a bit iffy.) caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/outbreak-o...

a man talking on a phone with the words " oh there 's just one more thing sir " below him ALT: a man talking on a phone with the words " oh there 's just one more thing sir " below him

A possibility which I am now working on understanding is that funds from terminated grants were not used to other NIH grants as Director Bhattacharya has said they were

Instead, it seems that they may have been returned to the Treasury, effectively cutting the NIH appropriation.

20/20

How Congress can restore the independence of US science Members must go beyond reinstating US government research spending and re-establish decentralized governance at the National Institutes of Health and other agencies.

In a new piece in Nature, @markhisted.org and I cut through the chaos at NIH and argue that what is really at issue is a shift in how we govern science—away from power sharing with scientists, Congress, and civil servants and toward presidential consolidation.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Can't believe Joe Biden is making gas prices spike like this, that guy has some nerve

As controversial decisions mount, FDA shuns public advisory meetings The FDA is cutting back on public advisory committee meetings, even as the public and other stakeholders seek more transparency.

The FDA is cutting back on public advisory committee meetings, even as the public and other stakeholders seek more transparency. www.statnews.com/2026/03/09/f...

America's Golden Age (tm)

I thought you were going to suggest something crazy, but this actually makes a lot of sense

making lots of money is the result of caring about money more than anything else and, more often than not, familial privilege. that’s it! not a meritocracy. not an indicator of intelligence. it’s an indicator of priorities

A sign with the NSF logo upside down on the floor with other construction debris

Seen on the Hill last week, no notes

Opinion | They Feel Bugs Inside Them. Doctors Don’t Know Why.

Delusional parasitosis makes the NYTs…

🎁 article 👉

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/o...

NYT: Scientists Get a Glimpse of How New Pandemics Are Made

Researchers have devised a new tool for discerning between naturally occurring viral outbreaks and those resulting from lab accidents

by Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com @nytimes.com

nyti.ms/4uoaA6w gift link

Dynamics of natural selection preceding human viral epidemics and pandemics Phylogenetic-based selection analysis of viral evolution before and after spillover reveals that viral adaptation in the host reservoir is not a necessary precursor of novel zoonotic virus epidemics and pandemics, including SARS-CoV-2. In contrast, the 1977 reemergence of H1N1 influenza A virus was preceded by selection consistent with laboratory passage.

Now online! Dynamics of natural selection preceding human viral epidemics and pandemics

Multiple vaccines at once not linked to increased risk for reactions A recent study presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Annual Meeting found no significant difference in adverse reactions among children receiving multiple vaccines simul...

Multiple vaccines at once not linked to increased risk for adverse reactions www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalrap... via @skepticalraptor.bsky.social

‘The Most Dangerous Man in the World’ Mojtaba Khamenei, a candidate to succeed his father as Iran’s supreme leader, is no reformer.

Now would be a good time to read @graemewood.bsky.social on Mojtaba Khamenei:

www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

“The footage would appear to contradict Trump’s claim that it was an an Iranian missile that hit the school… The US is the only participant in the war that is known to have Tomahawk missiles.”

Bombed a school & then, 30 mins later, bombed it again—ensuring any kids who survived & any rescue workers would be killed

“People were pulling out children’s arms and legs. People were pulling out severed heads”

One of the worst war crimes in modern history.

It was a school—not an IRGC base.

5 lessons from Vinay Prasad's turbulent tenure at the FDA Vinay Prasad's unique ability to attract criticism — even when his bosses, including the president, wanted him to keep his head low — did him in at the FDA.

Vinay Prasad's unique ability to attract criticism — even when his bosses, including the president, wanted him to keep his head low — did him in at the FDA. www.statnews.com/2026/03/08/v...

New post, on whether I could get Claude Code to complete a data task that had taken me AGES a decade ago…

kucharski.substack.com/p/how-much-t...

Perfect encapsulation of the MAGA & MAHA hero, RFK Jr ally, & Great Barrington Declaration kook Jay Bhattacharya:

"It’s unfortunate that he spends a significant amount of time either on rightwing podcasts or addressing rightwing conventions, & maybe finds time for NIH in between those appearances”

It's extremely clear that the US doesn't really have an objective here except to inflict maximum pain, and attacking water supply is going to end catastrophically for the entire region. It's not just a war crime, it's approaching a crime against humanity.

That story had me in stitches.

I hope that next years appropriations banish multi-year funding. This year a threat from Vought has resulted in MYF kept to last year's levels, which is a disaster and probably the single thing most responsible for this.

The data also reinforce a message that should be clear: American leadership in science and medical research requires far more than getting across the line on top-line budget negotiations and will require continued vigilance to track how HHS treats applications and existing awards.

except we can’t agree on who the bad ones are

It’s not even the top 1% of labs, because it’s entirely stochastic at the 1st percentile. They’re all good, but likely no better than anything else in the top 10%.

I knew that, to please Trump, Jay Bhattacharya’s NIH canceled “DEI grants” (including at Duke, such as studies on the health of transgender people)—but I have not been following another scandal: the cancelation of “DEI grants” from the NEH

🎁 link for full NYT story:

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/07/a...

They blew up an elementary school Tom
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Introducing Angie Farella - RFK Jr.'s Latest Addition to ACIP Explore the controversial views of Angie Farella, a member of the ACIP Committee, and her strange views on COVID, measles, and vaccines.

Introducing Angie Farella - RFK Jr.'s Latest Addition to ACIP: she wanted to use kids as buffers for COVID because she thought oher coronaviruses made them immune, she wanted to treat COVID with flu antivirals, and more. vaxopedia.org/2026/03/04/i... via @aboutpediatrics.bsky.social

saramohrhair: Where do I find a pediatrician that doesn't push vaccines? matt.keller.33: Look at your states medical boards. Find the pediatrician associated with the most childhood deaths. That's your doctor.

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