Aimee Cunningham

So similarly, when we see people who prefer ChatGPT or a similar synthetic text extruding machine as a source of medical information, that means those are people who are under-served in the current system.

Students, staff, faculty turning to ChatGPT? That means they are being asked to do things they don't have the time, resources, support, etc to do.

In early 2024, I got to speak to Deans from up & down the West Coast of the US & Canada about "AI". I told them that the only value of ChatGPT for university administrators is as a contrast-dye test to show where resources are lacking.

Vaccination coverage doesn’t collapse overnight.

Yes, we are definitely already seeing outbreaks, and yes we are already seeing substantial declines in vaccine coverage.

But the true horror awaits a few years from now, barring another pandemic of a novel pathogen.

One of the most disturbing things about the U.S. government getting themselves into the anti-vaccine game is that it is a time-release poison pill.

It will take a few years before the worst of the harm is visible to enough people that they will truly understand what has been done to them.

Insurance coverage of hepatitis B vaccine won’t change, industry and officials say | CNN Parents will still be able to get the hepatitis B vaccine for their children at no cost even though the US Centers for Disease and Control Prevention’s vaccine advisers recommended a major change to t...

Because the vaccine prevents chronic hepatitis B for which there is no cure and the lifelong treatment costs more than a single birth dose of the vaccine. Insurance companies recognize this is a no brainer.
Brought to you by prevention beats treatment any day.
www.cnn.com/2025/12/07/h...

In voting to eliminate the universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, ACIP ignored decades of evidence confirming its strong safety profile and effectiveness. Its decision will result in more hepatitis B infections and more people with chronic liver disease.

Lastly, we may not see the consequences of this devastating changes in recommendations for years - because an infant who acquires Hep B usually won't present with symptoms until they are an adult in their 30s or 40s with cirhhosis or worse yet, liver cancer.

Moving to individual decision-making places the burden on parents/caregivers, and clinicians, whereas a clear, universal recommendation provides structural support that doesn't put the onus on them.

The decision by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to downgrade its recommendations to protect infants from hepatitis B is a dangerous move that will harm children.

Click here to read AAP's full statement: bit.ly/3Y9ZQJT

The #ACIP just voted to harm children. What a sad day.

From 1918 to COVID-19, epidemics are stories about people. Will we remember? A century’s worth of science has helped us fend off infectious pathogens. But we have a lot to learn from the people who lived and died during epidemics.

It's because of the massive success of vaccines that many infectious diseases are no longer a regular threat to health. Here's a reminder of the times before shots for smallpox, polio and measles were available (including Dr. Anthony Fauci's memories of getting the smallpox shot when he was six).

Limiting childhood vaccines puts everyone's health at risk Recent U.S. decisions about vaccines signal bigger changes to come that could threaten the foundation of the national childhood immunization schedule.

As the new members of ACIP — some of whom have ties to anti-vaccine groups — chip away at the childhood vaccine schedule, it threatens to take the United States back in time, when infectious diseases regularly hospitalized children and unnecessarily cut short young lives.

I've talked the last few semesters with my public health students (in a building celebrating the Jonas Salk legacy) about the way that Americans' lack of memory of things like smallpox and polio drives a hubris about not needing to safeguard vaccine access and mandates. But it wasn't THAT long ago!

I am real sick of hearing "We haven't had a case of X in 30 years, why do we need to get a booster or initial vaccine?" COME ON, PEOPLE. USE THOSE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS. The reason you haven't seen a case in years IS BECAUSE OF THE VACCINE.

The country's biggest anti-vaccine lawyer, the guy behind weakened school mandates in Mississippi and West Virginia, who pulls in millions a year harassing the CDC on behalf of Del Bigtree's anti-vaxx org is ... presenting at ACIP. This panel is anti-vaccine theater. It's a cruel joke.

A CDC panel has struck down universal newborn hepatitis B vaccination A reshaped vaccine committee voted to scale back newborn hepatitis B shots despite decades of data showing the birth dose is safe, effective and vital.

The majority of ACIP members, all handpicked by the current administration, dismissed decades of evidence that supports the safety and efficacy of the universal hepatitis B birth dose. The committee's decision to no longer recommend the vaccine for all newborns will harm babies, experts say.

When we say "vaccines are a victim of their own success," this is exactly what we mean: ACIP is trying to justify altering the very vaccine recommendation that is the reason why we're not seeing much disease [Hep B]. The HBV vaccine is *that* successful, and safe, and effective.

If anyone says we "don't have enough evidence" on HepB vaccine safety, that's just wrong.

Our review has found 42 HepB RCTs plus decades of post-licensure monitoring (VAERS, VSD, FDA BEST, big cohort studies).

The problem isn't lack of data, it's ignoring it.

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

World map labeled “Global hepatitis B birth dose vaccination policies,” with many countries in green indicating universal HepB birth-dose, others in yellow (partially universal), orange (selective), and red (no birth dose).

A claim that the U.S. is an “outlier” for having a universal hepatitis B birth dose is false.

ACIP’s own September map shows many countries with universal birth-dose policies. We’d become an outlier only by rolling ours back.

www.cdc.gov/acip/downloa...

According to the WHO, 45% of people in its member states receive a hepatitis B birth dose.

The US isn't an outlier.

Risky behavior for acquisition of hep B in children include: putting things in their mouths, biting, scratching, touching their eyes, etc.

"Waiting for vaccination until risky behavior" = shortly after birth, so no change?

#ACIP #hepatitisB #HepBVaccine #vaccines

An ACIP member reports that they received 3 versions of the votes in past 72 hours, committee now on break because CDC presenter is having to deal with making sure slides align w current vote language, which seems not to be what she was last given. Once again, the committee has devolved into chaos.

Risks of Revising Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccination Recommendation This Viewpoint from infectious disease experts cautions about the consequences of rescinding the ACIP policy to immunize all newborns against hepatitis B.

“Delaying the first hepatitis B vaccine dose beyond the newborn period introduces risks that have lifelong detrimental consequences and no measurable health benefit.”

Important and timely piece by an amazing team - Mike Abers, Angela Ulrich, & Rochelle Walensky. 👏👏

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

From the “first consolidated World Health Organization report on viral hepatitis epidemiology, service coverage and product access,” “Globally, 115 countries have introduced universal hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination, and 45% of infants received the hepatitis B birth dose within the first 24 hours of birth in 2022. Twenty-three countries have selective programmes with targeted provision of the hepatitis B birth dose (the vaccine is provided to the infants of mothers who are HBsAg positive). Infant immunization schedules in 190 countries include the hepatitis B vaccine. Of the 38 WHO focus countries for the viral hepatitis response, 25 have introduced birth-dose programmes and all provide the hepatitis B vaccine (usually as part of pentavalent vaccines) in their infant vaccination programme. In theory, if these vaccines are included in the national programme, all children should have access; however, in practice, coverage varies widely across regions and countries (Table 3.23 and Fig. 3.32). Chapter 4 presents detailed information for the 38 WHO focus countries for viral hepatitis.” https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240091672

Did you know?

190 countries have infant immunization schedules that include the Hep B vaccine

115 countries recommend a universal birth-dose of the Hep B vaccine, one of the key actions WHO recommends to reduce Hep B prevalence

Read more in the WHO Hep B Report ➡️
iris.who.int/server/api/c...

The agenda and speaker list is essentially a summit of the most prominent anti-vaccine voices and talking points of the past 25 years.

The ACIP meeting sounds like an anti-vaccine convention.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is meeting today to discuss newborn hepatitis B vaccines. Here's what you need to know.

This doesn’t prove shingles vaccination treats dementia but it strongly suggests preventing VZV reactivation (or boosting immune fitness more broadly) may slow cognitive decline across the entire dz course.

The effect of shingles vaccination at different stages of the dementia disease course A natural experiment found that herpes zoster vaccination reduced the occurrence of mild cognitive impairment and deaths due to dementia, indicating that the vaccine may slow the progression of dement...

I really enjoyed reading this.
A fascinating new natural-experiment study in Cell adding to the evidence that shingles vaccination may have cognitive benefits beyond preventing zoster. i.e. may slow dementia progression.
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...