Maggie Bale

Vaccine poll asks parents what they think about RFK Jr. and their pediatricians A Washington Post-KFF poll finds that pediatricians are the most trusted source for vaccine information and that confidence in them is a strong predictor of vaccination.

A new poll by the Washington Post and KFF reveals that most parents trust their pediatrician when it comes to information about vaccines. Read Dr. Nola Ernest's experiences in the Washington Post's latest piece: www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

Pediatricians Can’t Bear These Costs The Trump administration’s crackdown is turning a difficult profession into an impossible one for some doctors.

Exhausting to be a pediatrician these days.

ACIP now discussing Hep B infant vaccination 💉👶 — but I’m puzzled 🤔. This is one of the US’s biggest public health wins 🎉: rates fell from ~10/100,000 in 1980 📉 to just 0.7 in 2023. Infant vaccination works 💪.

#PedsIDsky #Rxsky

Kennedy's vaccine panel expected to recommend delaying hepatitis B shot in children RFK Jr.'s hand-picked panel of vaccine advisors is expected to vote to delay the hepatitis B shot for newborns. Doctors warn that could fuel a return of a disease virtually eradicated in U.S. kids.

RFK Jr.'s hand-picked panel of vaccine advisors is expected to vote to delay the hepatitis B shot for newborns. Doctors warn that could fuel a return of a disease virtually eradicated in U.S. kids.

Viewpoint: Four tips for understanding this week’s ACIP meeting

ACIP meeting this week which is likely to undermine vaccines even more. Here's some tips to keep in mind:
www.cidrap.umn.edu/vaccine-inte...

How Botswana eliminated paediatric HIV Political will, free maternity care and digital health tools helped Botswana achieve high standards for ending mother-to-child transmission.

Botswana has essentially eliminated mother to child transmission of HIV thanks to strong political and social commitment. I hope the changing landscape around foreign aid won't impact this too much.

www.nature.com/articles/d44...

Separated Bike Lanes Means Safer Streets, Study Says — Streetsblog USA Cities that build protected lanes for cyclists end up with safer roads for people on bikes and people in cars and on foot, a new study of 12 large metropolises revealed Wednesday.

Never forget, a 13-year study found that protected bike-lanes led to a drastic decline in fatalities for all road users.

ALL ROAD USERS.

And painted bike-lanes? No safety improvement at all.

For sharrows, it’s actually safer to NOT have them.

Via @usa.streetsblog.org @nyc.streetsblog.org

Parents deserve information they can trust. The AAP has published the childhood immunization schedule for decades that has been grounded in science and relied upon by pediatricians and families alike. If you have questions, your pediatrician is your best source for answers and guidance.

Measles has arrived in Utah.

Firearm Laws and Pediatric Mortality in the US This study attempts to measure excess mortality due to firearms among US children aged 0 to 17 years after the McDonald v Chicago US Supreme Court decision (2010).

Firearm Laws and Pediatric Mortality in the US.

Our national @JAMAPediatrics study is live.

Findings (2011-2023):
•7,400 more deaths in most permissive and permissive firearm law states.
•No increase in the stricter law states.
•Decreases in 4 strict law states.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

I Like My Teeth

Some good info here around fluoride and dental health!
ilikemyteeth.org

The effects of Covid in pregnancy are devastating and preventable by vaccination; now we have strong data from Penn Medicine that vaccines protect children and adolescents from long Covid

MAHA Propaganda on the Growth of the Childhood Vaccine Schedule Did you notice how the new MAHA report talked about the Growth of the Childhood Vaccine Schedule?

The MAHA Report on the Growth of the Childhood Vaccine Schedule is pure anti-vaccine propaganda. stopantivaxpropaganda.substack.com/p/maha-propa... #StopAntiVaccinePropaganda

This! The administration that says pollution is leading to chronic conditions in kids is the same administration that is pulling back environmental regulations to allow more pollution.

MAHA Commission report paints a dark picture of U.S. children's health The Health Secretary's report blames environmental toxins, ultraprocessed foods and more for the poor state of kids' health in the U.S.

The difference between these two takes on the recently released MAHA report is shocking.

They even quote one of the same experts, but in very different ways. The NYT article definitely avoids much needed criticism of this report.

www.npr.org/sections/sho...

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/w...

In vivo screen of Plasmodium targets for mosquito-based malaria control - Nature An in vivo screen of small-molecule compounds to inhibit the mosquito-stage development of Plasmodium identified hits that can be incorporated into bed nets and led to effective parasite killing in th...

The details in this paper make my eyes glaze over, but the concept is so cool! Antiparasitic agent in bednets impairs malaria development - a new target given lots of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

NIH cuts baby 'Safe to Sleep' team. Here's what parents should know For three decades the NIH has led 'Safe to Sleep,' helping parents reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related injuries. The NIH cuts come as cases have been rising.

We talk about safe sleep with all parents in our newborn nursery. It saves lives. Yet another depressing headline.

Glad to see a strong condemnation of the HHS Report by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Gender-affirming healthcare saves lives.

We have this conversation every week that I work in our well baby nursery. Anecdotally seeing a lot more vaccine refusal/hesitancy over the last few months than the previous few years.

It won’t end with COVID: Countering the next phase of American antivaccine activism 2025–29

My article in @plosglobalpublichealth.org on some immediate things we can do

journals.plos.org/globalpublic...

The American Academy of Pediatrics is working to fight misinformation with this helpful resource: www.aap.org/en/news-room...

Secretary RFK Jr. is a danger to the public’s health and should resign or be fired, says APHA. Logo

HHS Secretary RFK Jr. is a danger to the public’s health and should resign or be fired, says APHA. In just a few short weeks, his actions on vacccines, fluoride and other public health science have shown how wrong he is for the job. Read & share our statement: apha.org/news-and-med...

Correction: US allows 4mg/dL, but CDC recommends 0.7mg/dL... For now.

This is Utah in case anyone’s wondering how pissed off people are. I have never seen anything like this.

I knew it was only a matter of time. Spent 2 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana. Wouldn't be the person/pediatrician/mom/human I am today without those grueling, eye-opening, humbling and joyful two years.

www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

Protect Utah Workers

Signed the petition to protect Utah workers today!

Find more opportunities to sign here:
www.protectutahworkers.com

"MEASLES: A Dangerous Illness" From The Encephalitis Society: Measles causes encephalitis in around 1-3 in 1,000 children. Measles encephalitis caused the death of Roald Dahl's daughter Olivia in 1962. He became an ardent supporter...

www.roalddahlfans.com/dahls-work/e...

An unvaccinated child has died in the Texas measles outbreak A child who was not vaccinated has died from measles in West Texas. It's the first death in an outbreak that began late last month and the first from measles in the U.S. since 2015.

First reported death in a school-aged child. Heartbreaking. Infuriating. Preventable. apnews.com/article/meas...

90! www.dshs.texas.gov/news-alerts/...

Utah Legislature approves ban on cities adding fluoride in public water • Utah News Dispatch The Utah Legislature approved a controversial bill that prohibits cities from adding fluoride to public water systems.

Uuggghhh utahnewsdispatch.com/2025/02/21/u...