Jonathan Sellman, MD, MPH

Video shows doctor with measles treating kids. RFK Jr later praised him as an ‘extraordinary’ healer A video shows a Texas doctor, who has been treating children in a measles outbreak, with a measles rash on his face in a clinic while caring for patients a week before he met with Health Secretary Rob...

This is horrifying:

#Measles #Texas

The absurdity of this letter is quite well.... read the letter.

Children Seeking Cholera Care Die After U.S. Cuts Aid, Charity Says The victims died on a grueling three-hour walk in scorching heat as they tried to reach the nearest remaining health facility, officials of Save the Children said.

Fuck Trump

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/w...

CDC denies help for lead poisoning in Milwaukee schools due to layoffs The CDC rejected a request for help "due to the complete loss" of their lead poisoning experts.

While RFK Jr chases fictional threats to human health, he has defunded the CDC's Lead Response Team which assists in investigations in the ACTUAL (and unfortunately quite prevalent) neurotoxin, lead.

#Pb #Lead #Neurotoxin #PublicHealth #RFK

www.cbsnews.com/news/milwauk...

Second child with measles dies in Texas, according to hospital officials A second child in Texas has died with measles, according to hospital officials.

Another child has died due to (totally preventable) measles.

#Measles #Texas

Trump officials quietly move to reverse bans on toxic ‘forever chemicals’ EPA bids to change chemical risk evaluations, which could expose public to higher levels of PFAS and other pollutants

The Trump Administration has quietly moved to remove bans on "forever chemicals" that are persistent environmental pollutants.

Layoffs threaten US firefighter cancer registry, mine research and mask lab The layoffs are stalling — and perhaps ending — many programs, including a firefighter cancer registry and a lab that is key to certifying respirators for many.

Musk, Trump, and RFK have laid off 85% of the staff of NIOSH (including the director John Howard), threatening research into occupational hazards in mining, healthcare, firefighting, among others.

Yes, tuberculosis is still a thing — John Green's new book tells us why | CBC Books Bookends On Bookends with Mattea Roach, the American author dives into the wild history of the disease, why it persists today and Green's personal relationship with a young tuberculosis patient from Sierra Leo...

Yes, tuberculosis is still a thing — @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social new book tells us why www.cbc.ca/books/booken...

Millions of Americans believe they’re safe from wildfires in their cities. New research shows they’re not Many of the suburbs and cities hit hardest in recent years were caught off-guard, and key stakeholders are racing to understand the dynamics that drive these fires

I have trained as a wildland firefighter and have been part of multiple prescribed burns. The ongoing & worsening climate catastrophe will bring unimaginable fire risks to suburban and urban communities.

#wildlandfire

😀 That vid does a nice job of presenting the issues in a non-threatening way by using the animal parties.

Histoplasmosis

New IDSA 2025 Guideline Update on the Treatment of Asymptomatic Histoplasma Pulmonary Nodules (Histoplasmomas) and Mild or Moderate Acute Pulmonary Histoplasmosis in Adults, Children, and Pregnant People

Led by @fungaldoc.bsky.social & Sandra Arnold

www.idsociety.org/practice-gui... #IDSky #MedSky

RFK Jr. forces out Peter Marks, FDA’s top vaccine scientist Marks, an architect of Operation Warp Speed, warned that a recent measles outbreak shows how confidence in science and public health is being “undermined.”

Breaking: RFK Jr. has forced out PETER MARKS, the nation’s top vaccine regulator.

In his resignation letter, obtained by the Post, Marks said he was willing to work with RFK Jr on his vaccine concerns — but said Kennedy wishes “subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.”

The entire staff of the federal government's Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy is expected to be laid off, multiple federal health officials told CBS News Friday.

#InfectiousDiseases #ID #HIV #AIDS

www.msn.com/en-us/health...

NEW: Per a source with knowledge, the entire HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy, or OIDP, was just fired.

For Some Measles Patients, Vitamin A Remedy Supported by RFK Jr. Leaves Them More Ill (Gift Article) After the health secretary promoted vitamin A as a cure, parents in West Texas began giving their children high doses, sometimes to prevent infection.

As the Texas measles outbreak continues, doctors there are treating some children given so much vitamin A that they have signs of liver damage. Story by @teddyrosenbluth.bsky.social Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/h...

Parents of unvaccinated 6-year-old killed by measles in Texas speak out. They still are anti-vax Children’s Health Defense official says parents affected by measles outbreak ‘would rather have’ untested treatments ‘than the MMR vaccination’

As a physician who has treated #measles, this is infuriating. A 6-year-old dies, yet the parents double down on anti-vax misinformation instead of warning others. This isn’t just tragic—it’s dangerous. Science isn’t an opinion, and denial kills. #VaccinesWork

www.yahoo.com/news/parents...

YouTube video by Ze Frank True Facts: Fireflies Need Your Help!

Ze doesn't mention it, but you can also stop using pesticides, leave the leaves, avoid mowing your lawn too short, and convert lawn to areas with native plants to help protect fireflies.

Feat. @xercessociety.bsky.social !

youtu.be/czt_io0h-CA?...

First aider mice seen trying to bring their 'freshly deceased' friends back to life Mice will lick the faces and pull at the tongues of other mice if they're found unconscious, with more vigorous grooming resulting in faster recovery.

And now for a heartwarming post:

Mice that find another mouse unconscious will attempt to resuscitate it in a similar manner to people giving first aid.
The behavior was more forceful in rescuer mice that knew the "deceased," & resulted in a quicker recovery time.

🐀

Highly recommend HCWs read this opinion piece and follow the accounts of @ericreinhart.bsky.social and @physiciandemocracy.medsky.social

Any current reductions to CDC, NIH, NOAA, FDA capabilities will make us more dependent on WHO and other global resources in the future

Immune history shapes human antibody responses to H5N1 influenza viruses - Nature Medicine H5N1 strain-specific antibodies are higher in older individuals and correlate more with birth year than with age, suggesting that younger individuals are potentially more likely to benefit from H5N1 v...

Today @natmedicine.bsky.social published our study showing the older individuals born prior to 1968 have more antibodies that cross-react to #H5N1 relative to younger individuals. If H5N1 causes a pandemic, children will likely be the most susceptible. 1/2

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

Measles cases in Texas rise to 259, state health department says The Texas health department reported 259 measles cases in the state on Friday, an increase of 36 cases from its previous count on March 11, as one of the largest outbreaks the U.S. has seen in the last decade spreads.

🦠 Measles 🦠

We reported a month ago that Texas was suppressing the number of measles cases. We can’t give specifics to protect staff, but we remain confident that the actual number of measles cases is FAR higher than the official count of 294 lab confirmed cases.

Columbia University stripped of $400 million, Johns Hopkins of $800 million... This administration is dead set on destroying the scientific achievements that led to US dominance in the post-war period.

BREAKING: Department of Veterans Affairs rescinds policy letting transgender vets be treated with dignity (exclusive) The Trump administration quietly reversed the policy.

SCOOP: The Department of Veterans Affairs has quietly rescinded longstanding VHA Directive 1341, which outlined how transgender vets should be treated with dignity in VA facilities.

www.advocate.com/news/transge...

This is quite amazing: Volunteer public health folks along with web developers have replicated the CDC's webpages from prior to January 20th, 2025.

The site functions like the CDC website previously did.

#CDC #PublicHealth

#Measles #Texas

RFK Jr. warns vaccinating poultry for bird flu could backfire Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warned vaccines could turn "birds into mutant factories."

This CBS News article is written to suggest there is near consensus opposing vaccination of poultry & instead pursuing RFK's plan "the possibility of letting it run through the flock so that we can identify the birds & preserve the birds that are immune to it." Good luck with that approach.

Additional bonus: Moving international conferences to these visa-friendly locales would also inject Developed World travel dollars into the local economies of the Global South.

USDA eliminates two food safety advisory committees The U.S. Department of Agriculture has eliminated two committees that advise it on food safety, the agency said on Friday, raising concerns about government oversight of the food supply as the Trump administration seeks to downsize the federal bureaucracy and slash costs.

USDA has eliminated two food safety advisory committees for microbiological contamination and meat inspection. Most recently, they had been reviewing regulatory approaches in response to the fatal Listeria outbreak from Boar’s Head meats and fatal Cronobacter contamination in powdered infant formula