Tanya Lewis

CDC Vaccine Panel Scraps Guidance for Universal Hepatitis B Shots at Birth New guidance from the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel would do away with a decades-old universal birth dose recommendation for hepatitis B that helped cut infections by 99 percent in the U.S.

“In my career, I have seen children with hepatitis B. I’ve seen children die of liver failure, which is a horrible death. I would never wish this on anybody,” say Yvonne Maldonado, Stanford pediatrician. These risks have now increased under the new ACIP vaccine vote today. More @sciam.bsky.social:

CDC Vaccine Panel Scraps Guidance for Universal Hepatitis B Shots at Birth New guidance from the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel would do away with a decades-old universal birth dose recommendation for hepatitis B that helped cut infections by 99 percent in the U.S.

An CDC advisory panel voted today to end universal Hepatitis B vaccination at birth. If adopted by CDC, this would reverse a longstanding policy that has been widely effective at lowering hep B cases and deaths in children, @laurenjyoung.bsky.social reports www.scientificamerican.com/article/cdc-...

Great points. The presumption is that more vaccines = bad. But where is the chart showing how many fewer DISEASES kids get today because of vaccines?

Of course they visualize the schedule like this because it elicits a strong emotional reaction—especially among new parents. Let’s add some critical context to this image…

Sen. Bill Cassidy, who cast the deciding vote to confirm RFK Jr. as health and human services secretary, disapproves of what Kennedy's handpicked panel has done to limit access to hep B vaccines.

Trump Gutted AIDS Health Care at the Worst Possible Time By the first World AIDS Day of his second term, Trump gutted LGBTQ+ employment globally and put humanity at greater risk of AIDS.

1/ For six months, I've been traveling the world on Pulitzer Ctr & Fund For Investigative Journalism grants investigating Trump's effect on HIV & LGBTQ health. On World AIDS Day, @theintercept.com is publishing an overview essay of Afeef Nessouli & my findings. theintercept.com/2025/12/01/w...

Why ‘Saving Room’ for Big Holiday Meals Can Be Bad for Gut Health Skipping meals before a big holiday feast probably isn’t the best idea for gut health, experts say. Here’s how to prevent overeating on an empty stomach—and tips for if you do

Skipping meals before a big holiday feast probably isn’t the best idea for gut health, experts say. Here’s how to prevent overeating on an empty stomach—and tips for if you do

US cases of norovirus on the rise with double the rate of positive tests since August Cases of norovirus are rising across the United States, doubling over the last few months, according to updated data from the CDC.

abcnews.go.com/Health/us-ca...

The updated page did not go through normal scientific clearance, Dan Jernigan, a top CDC leader who resigned in August, told STAT, citing conversations with CDC staff. Another person familiar with the situation, not authorized to speak publicly, also said that the CDC office that manages the page was not involved in the decision.

the nation’s public health agency, held hostage www.statnews.com/2025/11/20/c...

RFK, Jr., Releases Report Attacking Medical Care for Trans Children A new report from the HHS that is critical of gender-affirming care for minors updates a similar, widely criticized report in May

RFK, Jr.'s HHS released another report critical of gender-affirming care for trans children yesterday. @danvergano.bsky.social explains what it says and how it contradicts medical consensus @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/rfk-...

The Americas Are No Longer Officially Measles-Free Canada lost its official measles elimination status after a year of continuous transmission

Canada already lost its measles-free status last week, @humbertobasilio.bsky.social wrote: www.scientificamerican.com/article/cana...

North America May Soon No Longer Be Officially Measles-Free, Experts Say A meeting of the Pan American Health Organization this week will address the resurgence of measles in the Americas

The U.S. is poised to lose its measles elimination status in January, if current outbreaks in Utah and Arizona aren't brought under control. @sipappas.bsky.social recently wrote about what that would mean for @sciam.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/meas...

Jeffrey Epstein E-mails Reveal Depth of Ties to High-Profile Scientists A trove of e-mails from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was released by a congressional committee on Wednesday

ICYMI: An excellent overview of Jeffrey Epstein's ties to scientists (including some with ties to this magazine), by @danvergano.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/jeff...

NIH abruptly places outspoken critic of Trump administration on leave Jenna Norton, a vocal critic of Trump administration actions at the NIH, was abruptly placed on administrative leave this week.

Yesterday, the NIH abruptly placed @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social, who has been a vocal critic of the administration’s changes to the NIH, on leave

“It is intended as a threat,” she told me yesterday
www.statnews.com/2025/11/14/n...

The Big Risk Factors for Dementia to Avoid High blood sugar, hearing loss and low educational levels named top three risk factors for dementia in U.S. population

The Big Risk Factors for Dementia to Avoid.
As an individual, treat/prevent high blood sugar, hearing loss. As a society, improve educational system. These factors named top three risk factors for dementia in U.S. population

www.aarp.org/health/condi...

The Virus That Causes Mono May Also Cause Lupus Early findings indicate that Epstein-Barr Virus may also cause the autoimmune disease lupus

The Epstein-Barr virus that causes mono and has also been linked to multiple sclerosis has now been found to be linked to the autoimmune disease lupus. By @humbertobasilio.bsky.social @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

FDA Strips Health Risk Warnings from Menopause Hormone Therapy In a reversal, the Food and Drug Administration has removed black box warnings on hormone replacement therapies for menopause

Today the FDA removed the "black box" warning labels from hormone therapy for menopause. Here's what that means, and why the risks—and benefits—of HRT might be overstated. By me and @laurenjyoung.bsky.social @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/fda-...

Canada was measles-free for 22 years, but that ended today. The U.S. may be next. By @humbertobasilio.bsky.social

ARFID Is More Than Picky Eating—And the Condition Is on the Rise Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, or ARFID, can cause malnutrition and weight loss in children and adults even when body image is not a factor

Clinicians are noticing a steady climb in diagnoses of ARFID, a type of eating disorder that presents as a food avoidance so persistent and pervasive it can cause severe malnutrition in kids and adults. More @sciam.bsky.social: www.scientificamerican.com/article/what...

North America May Soon No Longer Be Officially Measles-Free, Experts Say A meeting of the Pan American Health Organization this week will address the resurgence of measles in the Americas

Measles could officially become endemic again in the U.S. The country (and Canada) risk losing their measles elimination status if they have a year of continuous transmission, which could have happened already. By @sipappas.bsky.social‬ @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/meas...

I’ve been AI hijacked. Please report as spam.

Several readers have sent me Instagram posts that include videos of me arguing in favor of not eating breakfast , fasting, or promoting wellness products.  These more-or-less look like me speaking, and more-or-less sound like me. But they are not my…

Best news I’ve read today.

Federal food assistance program may slow cognitive decline, study suggests New research links receiving food assistance through SNAP to better brain health. Earlier this month, Trump enacted major cuts to the program.

Seems like a good time to resurface my story on the health benefits of SNAP:

Federal food assistance program may slow cognitive decline, study suggests
New research links receiving food assistance through SNAP to better brain health.

share.google/TqhDCjqKQPMF...

Most women get uterine fibroids. This researcher wants to know why Biomedical engineer Erika Moore investigates diseases that disproportionately affect women of color.

Erika Moore says her education has given her great scientific power. The biomedical engineer says she’ll use that power responsibly to study diseases, such as uterine fibroids that affect women. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/erika-moore-uterine-fibroids-research

FDA Warns People Not to Eat Recalled Eggs Contaminated with Salmonella This is the third Salmonella-related egg recall of 2025. Here’s what to do if you have recalled eggs

Beware of eggs recalled for possible salmonella contamination, FDA warns. Here's what to know about the latest recall and the symptoms of this nasty bacterium: www.scientificamerican.com/article/fda-...

The TikTok Trend of Writing in Margins Is Based on Real Neuroscience Annotating the margins of books is an important part of deep reading and has a long legacy of merit in both science and literature

TikTok and Instagram readers FTW! Annotating your books is cool and Science™️ agrees! Also, shout out to Copy Dept. for letting me sneak a #GirlmoreGirls reference in here 😉📚

www.scientificamerican.com/article/go-a...

Avoiding Recalled Food Can Spare You From These Common Infections Foodborne illnesses such as E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria and Norovirus can make you seriously sick. Here’s how to protect yourself

And here's a great explainer by Kate Graham-Shaw on how to know if you have foodborne illness in general, and how to avoid it: www.scientificamerican.com/article/comm...

Here's how to keep yourself safe from salmonella in eggs (by @mfischetti.bsky.social) www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

There's a Dangerous Gap in Drug Research in Pregnancy Less than 1 percent of clinical trials include pregnant or breastfeeding people. Experts say that needs to change

With all the fuss over tylenol, we're missing a bigger issue: we don't know enough about medication safety in pregnancy because so few drug studies include pregnant people. And that harms both women and their fetuses. My latest @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/what...

Even Elite Athletes Can't Exceed This Fundamental Metabolic Limit A new study finds that even elite endurance athletes run up against a hard metabolic ceiling

NEW: a study published today identifies a fundamental energetic limit of the human body—one that even the most elite ultramarathoners seem unable to break

my first for @sciam.bsky.social, with sharp edits from @tanyalewis.bsky.social 🧪