Alt CDC 2

So fucking infuriating. Polio killed and disabled millions around the world. It is a threat to public health and should be eradicated by a robust and vigorous vaccination program.

I was so happy to have Kate and Milo from @altusds.bsky.social on the show!

The way they spoke about tech development shows how differently it can be done if the will is there. It’s so different from techies who build tools for themselves then say everyone else should just learn to code.

We've received multiple reports from employees being told to wear their badges at ALL times or facing disciplinary action for leaving their smart card unattended in their laptop.

While these are unconfirmed reports, we are sharing out of an abundance of caution and encourage you to take extra care.

This…this is why Feds are so careful about changes. The downstream effects on people can de disastrous.

a man in a suit stands in front of a crowd and says anyway ALT: a man in a suit stands in front of a crowd and says anyway

www.techradar.com/news/live/x-...

If your kid(s) get measles, understand that YOU did that to them.

YOU allowed your kid to get a disease that was preventable.

YOU put your kid's life in danger.

YOU are a shitty parent, because YOU are a stupid person.

Your kid deserves better than YOU!

Fuck yeah we are!

Elon Musk staffers are drawing six-figure government salaries funded by taxpayers.

When isolation, trauma and despair are weaponized; building community, helping people heal, and bringing hope are acts of resistance.

Connect people. Resist bullies. Protect the vulnerable. Shine light on the fighters. Give yourself and others grace.

We are in this together. You are not alone.

Some DOGE Staffers Are Drawing Six-Figure Government Salaries Engineers and executives at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency are drawing healthy taxpayer-funded salaries—sometimes from the very agencies they are cutting.

Some DOGE staffers are getting paid six-figure salaries from the very agencies they're slashing and burning

killer scoop from @knibbs.bsky.social !!!!
www.wired.com/story/doge-g...

🚨 Public health data disappeared. We’re restoring it. 🚨

RestoredCDC.org preserves unaltered CDC content after key pages were removed or changed without notice.

Public data belongs to all of us. 🔗 RestoredCDC.org

#PublicHealth #ScienceTransparency #RestoredCDC

Halle-fucking-lujah. Let’s do this shit.

18F was doing exactly the type of work that DOGE claims to want – yet we were eliminated shortly after midnight. Read our letter to the American people:
18f.org

Sad to share the news that our colleagues at 18F were illegally fired overnight (emails coming in around 1am Sat.). About 90 people.

18Fers are technologists, like USDSers, and often would be co-deployed or work across different parts of the same agency.

It’s just another example of how DOGE made things worse not better but will pretend it’s a win.

And DOGE gutted the program. The team at the CDC that was working on NBS modernization was largely fired meaning the work is halted and states now aren’t going to get the support and updates they need.

The CDC has been in a years long effort to modernize and improve the NBS platform for the 21st century and expand its capabilities and ease of use. It’s work that would make public health more efficient, save money, and save lives.

For example, if there’s an E. coli outbreak in a local area, states can use NBS to identify and examine cases and trace back to the source of the infection preventing it from getting worse.

NBS is used in over 18 states and territories, including Texas who is currently dealing with a measles epidemic, and is the cornerstone of good public health efforts.

National Electronic Disease Surveillance System Base System Placeholder

NBS is an integrated disease surveillance system that makes it easier for state public health officials to identify and combat outbreaks at the local level. www.cdc.gov/nbs/php/inde...

Upheaval and firings at CDC raise fears about disease outbreak response Staff and observers worry that the agency may not be prepared for emerging threats including bird flu and insect-borne diseases.

As this story goes out on @npr.org and folks wonder about multiple outbreaks, something that’s been lost in all the firings was how a system the CDC built to support disease monitoring and prevention was gutted by DOGE. www.npr.org/sections/sho...

Not only is measles highly contagious and deadly but even if you survive it, your body can experience “immune amnesia” meaning your body loses immunity to conditions you have previously survived. This means you risk getting secondary infections that could also prove deadly. asm.org/articles/201...

While this is bad, the main euro manufacture (egg based) and the us manufactures with mRNA based vaccines with confer with the WHO on strains of interest. Also note: the mRNA vaccines had more efficacy this season (in the US) and take far less time to stand up a supply.

There are now 955 cases & 60 deaths from an unknown illness in DRC (links below). As this outbreak is growing, CDC is not permitted to exchange information with WHO and USAID outbreak response support is banned. Yesterday the Supreme court “paused” a federal judge order for USAID payments to resume.

❓Ask Us Anything! We will hold the AMA on BSky tomorrow and are excited to your answer questions.

Currently Thursday 2/27 at 9PM ET but we are working on finding a time that works better for international folks. Stay tuned!

Texts with my pediatrician

21 federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE slash size of government Twenty-one civil service employees have resigned from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, saying they're refusing to use their technical expertise to “dismantle ...

Fucking fire is what this is. God bless you all USDS. 💪 🖥️ 🇺🇸

apnews.com/article/doge...

CSPAN Caller from West Virginia: I’m a diabetic and I’m on Medicare. When Biden was in there, my insulin was $6 for a 28 day supply. I just went to CVS, it went back up to $80…

🚨 "Move fast and break things" sounds great—until it’s your Social Security check that’s missing or your healthcare application that’s glitched. Government must prioritize stability over speed.

Here’s why: www.wethebuilders.org/posts/move-f...

#SaveOurServices #altgov #altUSDS #DefendDemocracy

We all agree that Musk’s crusade against remote work has everything to do with him being a terrible leader, boss, and human being right?

If you’re good at management and leadership you don’t need to be in the same room or same building as your employees.