Madhu Pai, MD, PhD

‘Viruses don’t know borders’: US anti-vaccine rhetoric could impact global measles crisis Experts say global measles vaccination rates are falling as Trump officials signal a deprioritization of the virus

“The US government has amplified anti-vaccine rhetoric and signaled that it does not consider measles to be a priority, which could have global ramifications”

@whatsitlike.me

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

My new article in @jhppl.bsky.social situates the current attacks on public health in a historical perspective.

What I found surprised me. We've seen this before, and it's not as unprecedented as it feels.

Thanks to @sarahgollust.bsky.social @oberlanderunc.bsky.social for editing! Read free below.

‘Viruses don’t know borders’: US anti-vaccine rhetoric could impact global measles crisis Experts say global measles vaccination rates are falling as Trump officials signal a deprioritization of the virus

“The US government has amplified anti-vaccine rhetoric and signaled that it does not consider measles to be a priority, which could have global ramifications”

@whatsitlike.me

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Four Conditions Make Cash Transfers Save Lives The success of other countries shows these programs can work in the United States.

Why does cash save lives in Tanzania but barely move the needle in Texas?

Thoughtful piece in @theatlantic.com by @draaron.bsky.social & @hthirumurthy.bsky.social what conditions make cash transfers work

www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...

Chelsea Clinton: In a Time of US Retreat, Dr. Paul Farmer’s Legacy Calls Us to Stand Up Four years after Farmer’s death, Clinton reflects on preserving her mentor’s lifework in health care and remembers his tender tenacity.

In a Time of US Retreat, Dr. Paul Farmer’s Legacy Calls Us to Stand Up

www.vanityfair.com/news/story/c...

WHO now recommends near point-of-care tests, tongue swabs, and sputum pooling for TB diagnosis!

Big advance!!

www.who.int/teams/global...

Robert F Kennedy Jr: 1 year of failure In his first speech as Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F Kennedy Jr laid out a plan to restore trust. The COVID-19 pandemic saw public faith in Federal health...

"The destruction that Kennedy has wrought in 1 year might take generations to repair, and there is little hope for US health and
science while he remains at the helm"

@thelancet.com

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Trump’s Foreign Policy: Resurrecting Empire

A new form of Imperialism is what we are witnessing...

We are regressing as humankind

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/u...

India to launch HPV vax drive for 14-year-old girls this month - The Times of India The Times of India brings the Latest & Top Breaking News on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Cricket, Sports, Business, Bollywood News and Entertainment, Science, Technology, ...

Even as antivaccine and disinformation is spreading in the west, it is wonderful to see India’s efforts to eliminate cervical cancer through vaccination

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-...

Robert F Kennedy Jr: 1 year of failure In his first speech as Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F Kennedy Jr laid out a plan to restore trust. The COVID-19 pandemic saw public faith in Federal health...

"The destruction that Kennedy has wrought in 1 year might take generations to repair, and there is little hope for US health and
science while he remains at the helm"

@thelancet.com

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

WHO now recommends near point-of-care tests, tongue swabs, and sputum pooling for TB diagnosis!

Big advance!!

www.who.int/teams/global...

The potential impact of reduced international donor funding on the household economic burden of tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries: A modeling study In a modelling study, Allison Portnoy and colleagues investigate the potential impact of reduced international donor funding on the household economic burden of Tuberculosis in low- and middle-income ...

New @plosmedicine.org

"eliminating all external funding for tuberculosis could lead to nearly 80 billion US dollars in additional household costs and more than 40 million extra households facing catastrophic costs"

journals.plos.org/plosmedicine...

India to launch HPV vax drive for 14-year-old girls this month - The Times of India The Times of India brings the Latest & Top Breaking News on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Cricket, Sports, Business, Bollywood News and Entertainment, Science, Technology, ...

Even as antivaccine and disinformation is spreading in the west, it is wonderful to see India’s efforts to eliminate cervical cancer through vaccination

timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-...

📰 Comment: Three reasons why the European region should worry about #tuberculosis

"Ongoing deaths, conflicts, and forced migration must motivate us to act and do more to end tuberculosis worldwide"

🔓 Read in full here: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

@madhupai.bsky.social @who.int

New health products only save lives if they reach those who need them.

In a new @plosglobalpublichealth.org article, Unitaid’s Janet Ginnard and co-authors examine how market shaping expanded access to HIV, TB, malaria, hepatitis C and Ebola products.

Learn more: journals.plos.org/globalpublic...

👏🏽👏🏽

Shameless is exactly the word to use here

New, online short course @mcgill.ca

Primary Care Without Borders: Global Lessons for Local Action

www.mcgill.ca/summerinstit...

Please congratulate him

I hope the next Jurassic World film shows T Rex running like a chicken!

Wow! He is an undergrad?

Total science rock star in the making!!

Chelsea Clinton: In a Time of US Retreat, Dr. Paul Farmer’s Legacy Calls Us to Stand Up Four years after Farmer’s death, Clinton reflects on preserving her mentor’s lifework in health care and remembers his tender tenacity.

In a Time of US Retreat, Dr. Paul Farmer’s Legacy Calls Us to Stand Up

www.vanityfair.com/news/story/c...

The potential impact of reduced international donor funding on the household economic burden of tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries: A modeling study In a modelling study, Allison Portnoy and colleagues investigate the potential impact of reduced international donor funding on the household economic burden of Tuberculosis in low- and middle-income ...

New @plosmedicine.org

"eliminating all external funding for tuberculosis could lead to nearly 80 billion US dollars in additional household costs and more than 40 million extra households facing catastrophic costs"

journals.plos.org/plosmedicine...

New, online short course @mcgill.ca

Primary Care Without Borders: Global Lessons for Local Action

www.mcgill.ca/summerinstit...

Powerpoint slide on what's in and what's out in 2026 What's in includes authoritarianism, nationalism, broligarchy, science denialism, conflicts What's out includes democracy, multilateralism, global solidarity, equity, diversity, respect for human rights, peace

Preparing this slide for a global health lecture this week...

Pretty sad state of affairs in 2026, but that's what we are up against, and that's what we need to plan for and counter

Fears of polio resurgence as US vaccine adviser questions need for childhood shots Survivors say US healthcare system not ready for new cases – ‘the only thing to fix polio is the polio vaccine’

“The best prevention is: don’t get polio,” he said, highlighting the importance of vaccination.” - Dr Allan

“With polio, you’re never going to fix us, and that’s the problem. The only thing to fix polio is the polio vaccine.” - Yours truly

Shoutout to @melodyschreiber.com for this amazing work! 💜

Doctors were complicit in Epstein’s abuse—survivors must now be our priority A spectacle around Jeffrey Epstein’s depravity is overshadowing rights and justice for the survivors of the sex offender and his network, which included doctors, writes Jocalyn Clark The theme for I...

Two things are being overlooked in the #EpsteinFiles

The complicity of doctors

The extent of violence

My new piece @bmj.com #IWD #Epstein #Healthwashing #VAW

Opinion | What Happened in Chicago When Science Became the Enemy

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"Thirteen months into the second Trump administration, science, medicine and public health have been hijacked by a cadre of grifters and ideologues and by the politicians in obvious thrall to both. Federal institutions have been all but dismantled."

Gift link

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/o...

You did an amazing job, Bruce

Thank you!

And, to this horror, add a measles virus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis for a full scale outbreak with devastating consequences

Thanks @madhupai.bsky.social for the spotlight on TB in Europe. Additionally, lack of access to treatment due to unavailability, high prices, and fragmented supply of TB medicines remains a major challenge. Critical DR-TB meds are exorbitantly priced in the region: some over 100x than in LMICs!