Ferric Fang, MD

There are now two CDC's. Can the agency survive?

There Are Now Two CDCs insidemedicine.substack.com/p/there-are-...

1955

CDC has formally endorsed COVID vaccination for anyone over 6 months of age after discussing risks/benefits with a provider.

The only healthcare policies I can think of from his party are:
-Restricting women's access to reproductive care
-Restricting care for transgender people

The ACA was passed in March 2010; 15 years later, there is still no plan besides "kill the ACA"

The NIH ordered me to stop my ‘dangerous’ gain-of-function research. It isn’t dangerous at all Safe gain-of-function research is necessary to identify new treatments for diseases like for tuberculosis — but the NIH has imposed unfounded stops.

This is a great op-ed by Dr. Stanley about the effects of anti-science politicized attacks on "gain-of-function" research. Much of this research poses little risk and has huge benefits for people across the globe. If your research has been affected, please consider writing an op-ed like Dr. Stanley.

Universities should at some point step in to articulate a positive vision of higher ed & scientific research to our fellow countrymen

But that cannot be done under coercion

Trump slashed funding for universities that helped create these vital drugs Medications that prevent HIV, shrink tumors and treat seizures were invented with government funding. At research universities, that money is now canceled or in jeopardy.

Another excellent piece by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social et al. that raises the question: what is the administration doing other than dismantling for dismantling's sake?

🎁

wapo.st/4q1M3ly

Opinion | Trusted Vaccine Guidance Has Collapsed — Along With the Rule of Law Government independence, transparency, and legal integrity must be restored

The recent ACIP meeting, chaired by the Great Barrington Declaration author & RFK Jr booster Martin Kulldorff, was "rushed, politicized, & destructive to the credibility of America's most important public health institution...it fell short on every count"

www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/the-...

Five years ago today, we authored the Great Barrington Declaration, arguing for focused protection instead of lockdowns. A wholehearted thank you to the almost one million co-signers. We were proven right.

The Great Barrington Dec. aka the “let covid rip” policy, legitimated the death of over a million Americans, is disabling of tens of millions more, & failed to achieve its own instrumental goal, ending the pandemic. It did succeed hwvr in gutting public health & eroding public trust in science

CDC data interrupted, so we went state by state A look at Covid-19, flu and RSV trends in each state

The government shutdown interrupted CDC's disease updates, so Team Force of Infection spent our Saturday going to the websites of all 50 health departments to check on Covid-19, flu and RSV. caitlinrivers.substack.com/p/cdc-data-i...

“Terrible things are happening outside. Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared.”

Diary of Anne Frank
January 13, 1943

Fun fact: Peyton Rous discovered the first cancer-causing virus in 1911– but didn’t receive the Nobel Prize until 1966, when he was 87 years old. It can be to be tough to be ahead of your time.

Watch to the end 😭

A ‘hostile takeover’: ousted CDC official raises alarm over RFK Jr approach to infectious disease Debra Houry speaks after testifying on eight months under Kennedy, who critics say shuns science and spreads falsehoods

This is another damning picture of Kennedy refusing to meet with senior scientists and get advice about infections or vaccines whilst he spreads disinformation #healthpolicy

Anyone wishing to understand the offer to universities should read this terrific essay.

"The key thing to understand is that all universities have to do now is do nothing—no accepting the compact, no counter-offers, nothing—and the government will be left with no more power than it has today."

South Carolina Confirms Measles Outbreak With U.S. Cases At 25-Year High "The people involved in the outbreak are unvaccinated and did not have immunity from a previous measles infection," the state's health agency confirmed.

South Carolina confirms measles outbreak as U.S. cases hit 25-year high www.huffpost.com/entry/south-...

MAGA hero Jay Bhattacharya says that “political priorities may override the scoring system provided by outside experts appointed to hundreds of review panels”

This is absolutely disgusting & utterly scandalous. If your study doesn’t fit with Trump & Bhattacharya’s right wing ideology, it’s toast 👀

Treasury Plans to Mint $1 Commemorative Trump Coin

I think more people would buy toilet paper with Trump's face on it.

Well that's just not true

A Deal That Would End Universities’ Independence The free-speech provisions of the so-called compact are an exercise in contradiction.

In exchange for funding, institutions cede control over whom they admit, whom they hire, what they say, what they teach.

"Universities that accept this bargain will be selling their souls for nothing but a promise of safety that will surely be broken in turn."

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Thank you for your kind words.

"A deal is a deal. If you can't agree on this, you can't really agree on anything. These actions make all too clear the real need for enforceable protections and enforceable provisions in any full year funding bill."

"The Administration is proving itself to be an unreliable partner, whether that be in the international sphere, in the relationship between grantees and contractors, the relationship with the courts and in engagements with Congress... we've seen the Administration set its credibility on fire."

"What we see is an Administration that's untethered from the law, from policy objectives to benefit the American people, or from ensuring the government is operating as it should."

"We have a shutdown because the Administration doesn't want provisions that limit its ability to misuse funding, to impound it, (or) to restrict it unilaterally in violation of the Constitution."

A good explainer of ranging from the granular legal issues relating to the government shut down to the broader context.

"You can't fire people because you're trying to force another political party to agree to a bill."

www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...

On Rejection

Appreciate your encouraging comments. Having one's paper rejected is one of the least pleasant experiences for a scientist. You may be interested in my thoughts on rejection when I was the Editor-in-Chief of Infection and Immunity:

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

KFF poll graphic that reads: Three-Quarters of Public Say Congress Should Extend the ACA Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Set to Expire Next Year, Including Most Republicans and MAGA Supporters

New KFF polling shows 78% of the public say Congress should extend the ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits, which otherwise would expire at the end of the year.
That includes most Republicans and MAGA supporters. https://on.kff.org/4q7ElGy

TL;DR—

Why aren’t professors braver?
We are selected for our ability to get along.