Vaccination, Choice, Public Health Options 7
This is a continuation of the topic Vaccination, Choice, Public Health Options 6.
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1margd
This Is the Vaccine Story RFK Jr. Doesn’t Want You to Hear
Jonathan Cohn | Jan 25, 2026
The Trump administration says we should learn from other countries. Maybe they should have looked someplace besides Denmark.
"... in rare cases {meningococcal disease} transforms into invasive disease, striking even healthy people with shocking speed. In a matter of hours, what seems like a routine, flu-like illness transforms into a full-body emergency of shock, blood clotting, and swelling of the brain. Between 10 and 15 percent of those who get meningococcal disease will die, even with rapid treatment. Many more will suffer permanent physical or cognitive impairments.
... THE OBVIOUS REASON to consider France is that it simply looks a lot more like the United States than Denmark does.
It has Western Europe’s third-largest economy, with a population of nearly 70 million that is literally ten times larger than Denmark’s. France doesn’t have the kind of economic inequality that you find in the United States, because no Western or Northern European democracy does, but its socioeconomic breakdown looks more like America’s than Denmark’s. Even the French health care system is a better analogue to that of the United States. It delivers universal coverage through a mixed public-private system in which access can vary depending on insurance type and wealth.3
But there’s something else about France that makes its experience relevant. Like the United States, France has a vocal anti-vaccination movement, rooted partly in a political culture supportive of a strong central government but distrustful (by European standards) of the people and institutions who run them. “I think we are one of the world champions when it comes to vaccine hesitancy,” Muhamed Kheir-Taha, who directs the invasive bacterial infections unit at Institut Pasteur in Paris, told me. There’s survey data to back that up..."
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-the-vaccine-story-rfk-jr-doesnt-want-you-to...
Jonathan Cohn | Jan 25, 2026
The Trump administration says we should learn from other countries. Maybe they should have looked someplace besides Denmark.
"... in rare cases {meningococcal disease} transforms into invasive disease, striking even healthy people with shocking speed. In a matter of hours, what seems like a routine, flu-like illness transforms into a full-body emergency of shock, blood clotting, and swelling of the brain. Between 10 and 15 percent of those who get meningococcal disease will die, even with rapid treatment. Many more will suffer permanent physical or cognitive impairments.
... THE OBVIOUS REASON to consider France is that it simply looks a lot more like the United States than Denmark does.
It has Western Europe’s third-largest economy, with a population of nearly 70 million that is literally ten times larger than Denmark’s. France doesn’t have the kind of economic inequality that you find in the United States, because no Western or Northern European democracy does, but its socioeconomic breakdown looks more like America’s than Denmark’s. Even the French health care system is a better analogue to that of the United States. It delivers universal coverage through a mixed public-private system in which access can vary depending on insurance type and wealth.3
But there’s something else about France that makes its experience relevant. Like the United States, France has a vocal anti-vaccination movement, rooted partly in a political culture supportive of a strong central government but distrustful (by European standards) of the people and institutions who run them. “I think we are one of the world champions when it comes to vaccine hesitancy,” Muhamed Kheir-Taha, who directs the invasive bacterial infections unit at Institut Pasteur in Paris, told me. There’s survey data to back that up..."
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-the-vaccine-story-rfk-jr-doesnt-want-you-to...
2margd
Vaccines Are Helping Older People More Than We Knew
Paula Span | January 14, 2026
... Stefania Maggi, a geriatrician and senior fellow at the Institute of Neuroscience at the National Research Council in Padua, Italy ... is the lead author of a recent meta-analysis, published in the British journal Age and Ageing, that found reduced risks of dementia after vaccination for an array of diseases. Given those “downstream effects,” she said, vaccines “are key tools to promote healthy aging and prevent physical and cognitive decline.”
... Healthy older adults vaccinated against flu have substantially lower risks of hospitalization for heart failure, as well as for pneumonia and other respiratory infections. Vaccination against influenza has also been associated with lower risks of heart attack and stroke..."
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/vaccines-off-target-benefits-older-adults...
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Stefania Maggi et al. 2025. Association between vaccinations and risk of dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Age Aging 2025 Oct 30;54(11):afaf331. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afaf331 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41269248/
Abstract
... Results. Twenty-one studies (n = 104 031 186 participants) were included. Vaccination against herpes zoster was associated with a reduced risk of any dementia (RR 0.76 ...) and Alzheimer's disease (RR 0.53 ...). Influenza vaccination was linked to a reduction in dementia risk (RR 0.87 ...), as was pneumococcal vaccination (RR 0.64 ...) for Alzheimer's disease. Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) vaccination was also associated with a significant reduction for any dementia (RR 0.67 ...)...
----------------------------------------------------
K L Nichol et al. 1998. Benefits of influenza vaccination for low-, intermediate-, and high-risk senior citizens. Arch Intern Med 1998 Sep 14;158(16):1769-76. doi: 0.1001/archinte.158.16.1769. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9738606/
Abstract
.. Results: ...Vaccination over the 6 seasons was associated with an overall reduction of 39% for pneumonia hospitalizations ..., a 32% decrease in hospitalizations for all respiratory conditions ... , and a 27% decrease in hospitalizations for congestive heart failure... Immunization was also associated with a 50% reduction in all-cause mortality ... Within the risk subgroups, vaccine effectiveness was 29%, 32%, and 49% for high-, intermediate-, and low-risk senior citizens for reducing hospitalizations for pneumonia and influenza ... Effectiveness was 19%, 39%, and 33% ..., respectively, for reducing hospitalizations for all respiratory conditions and 49%, 64%, and 55% for reducing deaths from all causes ... Vaccination was also associated with direct medical care cost savings of $73 per individual vaccinated for all subjects combined ... Estimates of cost savings within each risk group suggest that vaccination would be cost saving for each subgroup (range of cost savings of $171 per individual vaccinated for high risk to $7 for low risk), although within the subgroups these findings did not reach statistical significance ...
--------------------------------------------------
M Naghavi et al. 2000. Association of influenza vaccination and reduced risk of recurrent myocardial infarction. Circulation 2000 Dec 19;102(25):3039-45. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.102.25.3039. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11120692/
"Abstract
... Methods and results: ... Adjusted for history of influenza vaccination in previous years, multivariate logistic regression revealed risk of MI to be associated with current hypertension (OR* 4.96 ...), hypercholesterolemia (OR 4.08 ...), smoking (OR 3.75 ...), and influenza vaccination (OR 0.33 ...). Despite significant association in univariate analysis, multivitamin therapy and physical exercise were not associated with risk of reinfarction in multivariate analysis.
Conclusions: In this study in patients with chronic CHD {coronary heart disease}, vaccination against influenza was negatively associated with the development of new MI during the same influenza season..."
* "An Odds Ratio (OR) is a statistical measure comparing the likelihood of an event (e.g., disease, outcome) occurring in one group to its likelihood in another ... It is commonly used in case-control studies. While useful for rare events ... , OR can overestimate risk compared to Relative Risk (RR) when outcomes are common. Key Aspects of Odds Ratio (OR) Interpretation: An OR of {1.0} indicates no difference in odds, {greater than 1.0} indicates higher odds in the exposed group, and {less than 1.0} indicates lower odds." (Google AI)
---------------------------------------------
Philippa Lavallée et al. 2002. Association between influenza vaccination and reduced risk of brain infarction. Stroke 2002 Feb;33(2):513-8. doi: 10.1161/hs0202.102328. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11823662/
Abstract
"... Results: We found significantly fewer vaccinated subjects during the last vaccination campaign among patients with brain infarction than among controls (46.7% versus 59.4% ...) and fewer patients vaccinated every year during the last 5 years (41.1% versus 56.1% ...). After adjustment for age, traditional risk factors, and recent use of antibiotics, the risk of stroke was reduced in the subjects vaccinated during the year of the study and in those vaccinated during the last 5 years, with an odds ratio* of 0.50 ... and 0.42 ... , respectively. Similar associations were observed in cases and controls free of previous cardiovascular history. Subjects younger than 75 years and subjects free of risk factors or in high social class were significantly less often vaccinated than controls..."
* "An Odds Ratio (OR) is a statistical measure comparing the likelihood of an event (e.g., disease, outcome) occurring in one group to its likelihood in another ... It is commonly used in case-control studies. While useful for rare events ... , OR can overestimate risk compared to Relative Risk (RR) when outcomes are common. Key Aspects of Odds Ratio (OR) Interpretation: An OR of {1.0} indicates no difference in odds, {greater than 1.0} indicates higher odds in the exposed group, and {less than 1.0} indicates lower odds." (Google AI)
Paula Span | January 14, 2026
... Stefania Maggi, a geriatrician and senior fellow at the Institute of Neuroscience at the National Research Council in Padua, Italy ... is the lead author of a recent meta-analysis, published in the British journal Age and Ageing, that found reduced risks of dementia after vaccination for an array of diseases. Given those “downstream effects,” she said, vaccines “are key tools to promote healthy aging and prevent physical and cognitive decline.”
... Healthy older adults vaccinated against flu have substantially lower risks of hospitalization for heart failure, as well as for pneumonia and other respiratory infections. Vaccination against influenza has also been associated with lower risks of heart attack and stroke..."
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/vaccines-off-target-benefits-older-adults...
--------------------------------------------------
Stefania Maggi et al. 2025. Association between vaccinations and risk of dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Age Aging 2025 Oct 30;54(11):afaf331. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afaf331 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41269248/
Abstract
... Results. Twenty-one studies (n = 104 031 186 participants) were included. Vaccination against herpes zoster was associated with a reduced risk of any dementia (RR 0.76 ...) and Alzheimer's disease (RR 0.53 ...). Influenza vaccination was linked to a reduction in dementia risk (RR 0.87 ...), as was pneumococcal vaccination (RR 0.64 ...) for Alzheimer's disease. Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) vaccination was also associated with a significant reduction for any dementia (RR 0.67 ...)...
----------------------------------------------------
K L Nichol et al. 1998. Benefits of influenza vaccination for low-, intermediate-, and high-risk senior citizens. Arch Intern Med 1998 Sep 14;158(16):1769-76. doi: 0.1001/archinte.158.16.1769. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9738606/
Abstract
.. Results: ...Vaccination over the 6 seasons was associated with an overall reduction of 39% for pneumonia hospitalizations ..., a 32% decrease in hospitalizations for all respiratory conditions ... , and a 27% decrease in hospitalizations for congestive heart failure... Immunization was also associated with a 50% reduction in all-cause mortality ... Within the risk subgroups, vaccine effectiveness was 29%, 32%, and 49% for high-, intermediate-, and low-risk senior citizens for reducing hospitalizations for pneumonia and influenza ... Effectiveness was 19%, 39%, and 33% ..., respectively, for reducing hospitalizations for all respiratory conditions and 49%, 64%, and 55% for reducing deaths from all causes ... Vaccination was also associated with direct medical care cost savings of $73 per individual vaccinated for all subjects combined ... Estimates of cost savings within each risk group suggest that vaccination would be cost saving for each subgroup (range of cost savings of $171 per individual vaccinated for high risk to $7 for low risk), although within the subgroups these findings did not reach statistical significance ...
--------------------------------------------------
M Naghavi et al. 2000. Association of influenza vaccination and reduced risk of recurrent myocardial infarction. Circulation 2000 Dec 19;102(25):3039-45. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.102.25.3039. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11120692/
"Abstract
... Methods and results: ... Adjusted for history of influenza vaccination in previous years, multivariate logistic regression revealed risk of MI to be associated with current hypertension (OR* 4.96 ...), hypercholesterolemia (OR 4.08 ...), smoking (OR 3.75 ...), and influenza vaccination (OR 0.33 ...). Despite significant association in univariate analysis, multivitamin therapy and physical exercise were not associated with risk of reinfarction in multivariate analysis.
Conclusions: In this study in patients with chronic CHD {coronary heart disease}, vaccination against influenza was negatively associated with the development of new MI during the same influenza season..."
* "An Odds Ratio (OR) is a statistical measure comparing the likelihood of an event (e.g., disease, outcome) occurring in one group to its likelihood in another ... It is commonly used in case-control studies. While useful for rare events ... , OR can overestimate risk compared to Relative Risk (RR) when outcomes are common. Key Aspects of Odds Ratio (OR) Interpretation: An OR of {1.0} indicates no difference in odds, {greater than 1.0} indicates higher odds in the exposed group, and {less than 1.0} indicates lower odds." (Google AI)
---------------------------------------------
Philippa Lavallée et al. 2002. Association between influenza vaccination and reduced risk of brain infarction. Stroke 2002 Feb;33(2):513-8. doi: 10.1161/hs0202.102328. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11823662/
Abstract
"... Results: We found significantly fewer vaccinated subjects during the last vaccination campaign among patients with brain infarction than among controls (46.7% versus 59.4% ...) and fewer patients vaccinated every year during the last 5 years (41.1% versus 56.1% ...). After adjustment for age, traditional risk factors, and recent use of antibiotics, the risk of stroke was reduced in the subjects vaccinated during the year of the study and in those vaccinated during the last 5 years, with an odds ratio* of 0.50 ... and 0.42 ... , respectively. Similar associations were observed in cases and controls free of previous cardiovascular history. Subjects younger than 75 years and subjects free of risk factors or in high social class were significantly less often vaccinated than controls..."
* "An Odds Ratio (OR) is a statistical measure comparing the likelihood of an event (e.g., disease, outcome) occurring in one group to its likelihood in another ... It is commonly used in case-control studies. While useful for rare events ... , OR can overestimate risk compared to Relative Risk (RR) when outcomes are common. Key Aspects of Odds Ratio (OR) Interpretation: An OR of {1.0} indicates no difference in odds, {greater than 1.0} indicates higher odds in the exposed group, and {less than 1.0} indicates lower odds." (Google AI)
3margd
Global aid cuts could lead to 23 million deaths by 2030, study estimates
Laine Bergeson | February 4, 2026
"... estimated that higher levels of official development assistance (ODA) were associated with a 23% reduction in age-standardized all-cause mortality and a 39% reduction in deaths among children younger than 5 years across LMICs {low- and middle-income countries} from 2002 to 2021. The biggest declines were observed for deaths from communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS (70%), malaria (56%), and neglected tropical diseases (54%). Other significant declines were seen in deaths from tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, lower respiratory tract infections, and maternal/perinatal causes.
...In 2023, total ODA (official development assistance) reached a record $250.3 billion, but major donor countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, have since announced substantial reductions. These changes mark the first major funding decline in almost three decades. ..."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-health/global-aid-cuts-could-lead-23-million-d...
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Andrea Ferreira da Silva et al. 2025. Impact of two decades of humanitarian and development assistance and the projected mortality consequences of current defunding to 2030: retrospective evaluation and forecasting analysis. The Lancet Global Health (February 02, 2026). https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(26)00008-2/fullt... Open access
,
Laine Bergeson | February 4, 2026
"... estimated that higher levels of official development assistance (ODA) were associated with a 23% reduction in age-standardized all-cause mortality and a 39% reduction in deaths among children younger than 5 years across LMICs {low- and middle-income countries} from 2002 to 2021. The biggest declines were observed for deaths from communicable diseases, including HIV/AIDS (70%), malaria (56%), and neglected tropical diseases (54%). Other significant declines were seen in deaths from tuberculosis, diarrheal diseases, lower respiratory tract infections, and maternal/perinatal causes.
...In 2023, total ODA (official development assistance) reached a record $250.3 billion, but major donor countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, have since announced substantial reductions. These changes mark the first major funding decline in almost three decades. ..."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/public-health/global-aid-cuts-could-lead-23-million-d...
--------------------------------------------------------
Andrea Ferreira da Silva et al. 2025. Impact of two decades of humanitarian and development assistance and the projected mortality consequences of current defunding to 2030: retrospective evaluation and forecasting analysis. The Lancet Global Health (February 02, 2026). https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(26)00008-2/fullt... Open access
,
4margd
2024-25 COVID vaccine 80% effective against death, CDC estimates
Mary Van Beusekom | February 4, 2026
"The 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine was an estimated 40% effective against hospital admission and 79% effective against invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) or death, with similar efficacy against the KP.3.1.1 and XEC variants, although with considerable uncertainty ... "
Protection stayed steady for 6 months ...
VE {vaccine effectiveness} against death higher than that against hospital stay ..."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/2024-25-covid-vaccine-80-effective-against-d...
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Kevin C. Ma et al. 2026. Estimated Effectiveness of 2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccination Against Severe COVID-19. JAMA Netw Open. Published Online: February 3, 2026. 2026;9;(2):e2557415. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.57415. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2844612.
ABSTRACT
... Conclusions and Relevance. In this multicenter, case-control analysis of VE, 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines may have provided protection against hospitalizations and severe in-hospital outcomes as multiple JN.1 descendant lineages circulated. Monitoring COVID-19 VE, including stratifying by SARS-CoV-2 lineage and spike protein mutations, remains important to guide COVID-19 vaccine composition and recommendations.
Mary Van Beusekom | February 4, 2026
"The 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine was an estimated 40% effective against hospital admission and 79% effective against invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) or death, with similar efficacy against the KP.3.1.1 and XEC variants, although with considerable uncertainty ... "
Protection stayed steady for 6 months ...
VE {vaccine effectiveness} against death higher than that against hospital stay ..."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/2024-25-covid-vaccine-80-effective-against-d...
-----------------------------------------------------
Kevin C. Ma et al. 2026. Estimated Effectiveness of 2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccination Against Severe COVID-19. JAMA Netw Open. Published Online: February 3, 2026. 2026;9;(2):e2557415. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.57415. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2844612.
ABSTRACT
... Conclusions and Relevance. In this multicenter, case-control analysis of VE, 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines may have provided protection against hospitalizations and severe in-hospital outcomes as multiple JN.1 descendant lineages circulated. Monitoring COVID-19 VE, including stratifying by SARS-CoV-2 lineage and spike protein mutations, remains important to guide COVID-19 vaccine composition and recommendations.
5margd
Chow, F.C., Granerod, J., Kim, C.Y. et al. The global threat of vaccine-preventable neurological diseases. Nat Rev Neurol 22, 110–122 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-025-01172-w https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-025-01172-w
Key points
A global resurgence of vaccine-preventable neurological diseases, including recent outbreaks of measles and poliomyelitis, is being driven by declining vaccination coverage worldwide.
Neurological involvement in vaccine-preventable diseases leads to severe acute and chronic morbidity, including cognitive impairment, encephalitis and paralysis — conditions that are avoidable with readily available and effective vaccines.
Reduced immunization rates following the COVID-19 pandemic have been compounded by disruptions to targeted immunization campaigns in regions vulnerable to climate crises and geopolitical instability, as well as vaccine hesitancy fuelled by misinformation, disinformation and pervasive distrust in public health agencies.
Inequitable access to vaccines for low-income and middle-income countries is disproportionately high owing to inadequate public health infrastructure, economic insecurity and geographical or conflict-associated disruptions in resource-limited settings.
Tackling vaccine hesitancy necessitates multimodal and transparent communication strategies to repair public trust in public health officials and to increase health literacy.
The mRNA vaccine platforms implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with nanoparticle-encapsulated delivery systems, might address gaps in vaccine availability through modular, rapid and scalable production pipelines for thermostable vaccine formulations.
Key points
A global resurgence of vaccine-preventable neurological diseases, including recent outbreaks of measles and poliomyelitis, is being driven by declining vaccination coverage worldwide.
Neurological involvement in vaccine-preventable diseases leads to severe acute and chronic morbidity, including cognitive impairment, encephalitis and paralysis — conditions that are avoidable with readily available and effective vaccines.
Reduced immunization rates following the COVID-19 pandemic have been compounded by disruptions to targeted immunization campaigns in regions vulnerable to climate crises and geopolitical instability, as well as vaccine hesitancy fuelled by misinformation, disinformation and pervasive distrust in public health agencies.
Inequitable access to vaccines for low-income and middle-income countries is disproportionately high owing to inadequate public health infrastructure, economic insecurity and geographical or conflict-associated disruptions in resource-limited settings.
Tackling vaccine hesitancy necessitates multimodal and transparent communication strategies to repair public trust in public health officials and to increase health literacy.
The mRNA vaccine platforms implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with nanoparticle-encapsulated delivery systems, might address gaps in vaccine availability through modular, rapid and scalable production pipelines for thermostable vaccine formulations.
6margd
New analysis links flu vaccination to 18% lower odds of heart attack
Laine Bergeson | February 9, 2026
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-vaccines/new-analysis-links-flu-vaccination...
-----------------------------------------------
Wu, Y., Zhao, Y., Liu, Z. et al. Influenza vaccination and the risk of myocardial infarction: a meta-epidemiology study. BMC Public Health (7 Feb 2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-26541-y https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-026-26541-y#Abs1
ABSTRACT
... Results
Fifteen studies (seven cohort studies, seven case-control studies, and one self-controlled case-series) involving 23,484,167 individuals were included. Influenza vaccination was associated with lower odds of MI compared with no vaccination (OR {odds ratio} = 0.82 ...). The direction of association was consistent across study designs, age categories, and MI history. Subgroup estimates were broadly comparable, although several analyses were based on a limited number of studies and should be interpreted with caution. Meta-regression did not identify study design, age, prior MI, or follow-up duration as significant sources of heterogeneity. No significant publication bias was detected.
Conclusions
Influenza vaccination is associated with lower odds of myocardial infarction in observational studies. While causal inference cannot be established, these findings support the potential role of influenza vaccination in cardiovascular risk prevention and highlight the need for further well-designed studies to clarify the nature and durability of this association.
Laine Bergeson | February 9, 2026
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-vaccines/new-analysis-links-flu-vaccination...
-----------------------------------------------
Wu, Y., Zhao, Y., Liu, Z. et al. Influenza vaccination and the risk of myocardial infarction: a meta-epidemiology study. BMC Public Health (7 Feb 2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-26541-y https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-026-26541-y#Abs1
ABSTRACT
... Results
Fifteen studies (seven cohort studies, seven case-control studies, and one self-controlled case-series) involving 23,484,167 individuals were included. Influenza vaccination was associated with lower odds of MI compared with no vaccination (OR {odds ratio} = 0.82 ...). The direction of association was consistent across study designs, age categories, and MI history. Subgroup estimates were broadly comparable, although several analyses were based on a limited number of studies and should be interpreted with caution. Meta-regression did not identify study design, age, prior MI, or follow-up duration as significant sources of heterogeneity. No significant publication bias was detected.
Conclusions
Influenza vaccination is associated with lower odds of myocardial infarction in observational studies. While causal inference cannot be established, these findings support the potential role of influenza vaccination in cardiovascular risk prevention and highlight the need for further well-designed studies to clarify the nature and durability of this association.
7margd
AMA Joins Vaccine Review Effort as CDC Trust Plummets
— The system has "now effectively collapsed," the AMA said
Jennifer Henderson | February 10, 2026
"The American Medical Association (AMA) and the Vaccine Integrity Project* announced that they will independently assess vaccine safety and effectiveness for the 2026-2027 respiratory virus season.
... According to the two groups, the review process will consist of:
- Structured discussions to define key policy questions
- Ongoing expert panels and monthly scientific meetings
- Systematic literature reviews and evidence summaries
- Comparative analyses across vaccines and populations
- Data transparency, including a public protocol, allowing the results to be independently verified ..."
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/vaccines/119828
----------------------------------------------------
* "... the Vaccine Integrity Project, an initiative of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). The Vaccine Integrity Project is supported by an unrestricted gift from Alumbra Innovations Foundation, established by philanthropist Christy Walton. With feedback from over 60 organizations, the Vaccine Integrity Project aims to safeguard vaccine use in the U.S. by ensuring it remains rooted in the best available science, free from external influence, and focused on safely optimizing protection of individuals, families, and communities against vaccine-preventable diseases ..." (https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/117286)
— The system has "now effectively collapsed," the AMA said
Jennifer Henderson | February 10, 2026
"The American Medical Association (AMA) and the Vaccine Integrity Project* announced that they will independently assess vaccine safety and effectiveness for the 2026-2027 respiratory virus season.
... According to the two groups, the review process will consist of:
- Structured discussions to define key policy questions
- Ongoing expert panels and monthly scientific meetings
- Systematic literature reviews and evidence summaries
- Comparative analyses across vaccines and populations
- Data transparency, including a public protocol, allowing the results to be independently verified ..."
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/vaccines/119828
----------------------------------------------------
* "... the Vaccine Integrity Project, an initiative of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). The Vaccine Integrity Project is supported by an unrestricted gift from Alumbra Innovations Foundation, established by philanthropist Christy Walton. With feedback from over 60 organizations, the Vaccine Integrity Project aims to safeguard vaccine use in the U.S. by ensuring it remains rooted in the best available science, free from external influence, and focused on safely optimizing protection of individuals, families, and communities against vaccine-preventable diseases ..." (https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/117286)
8margd
Thure E. Cerling et al. 2026. Lead in archived hair documents a decline in lead exposure to humans since the establishment of the US Environmental Protection Agency. PNAS, February 2, 2026. 123 (6) e2525498123. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2525498123 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2525498123
Abstract
Lead (Pb) is well known to be toxic to humans. We use archived hair from individuals living along the Wasatch Front in Utah to evaluate changes in exposure to lead over the last 100 y. Current concentrations of lead in hair from this population average almost 100 times lower than before the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency. This low level of lead exposure is likely due to the environmental regulations established by Environmental Protection Agency.
Abstract
Lead (Pb) is well known to be toxic to humans. We use archived hair from individuals living along the Wasatch Front in Utah to evaluate changes in exposure to lead over the last 100 y. Current concentrations of lead in hair from this population average almost 100 times lower than before the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency. This low level of lead exposure is likely due to the environmental regulations established by Environmental Protection Agency.
9margd
Exclusive: Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation
Max Kozlov | 13 February 2026
"Staff members at the United States’s premier infectious-disease research institute have been instructed to remove the words “biodefense” and “pandemic preparedness” from the institute’s web pages, according to e-mails Nature has obtained.
The directive comes amid a broader shake-up at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of 27 institutes and centres at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIAID is expected to deprioritize the two topics in an overhaul of its funded research projects, according to four NIAID employees who spoke to Nature on the condition of anonymity, because they are not authorized to speak to the press.
NIH director Jay Bhattacharya explained the restructure at an event with other top agency officials on 30 January. “It’s a complete transformation of {the NIAID} away from this old model” that has historically prioritized research on HIV, biodefence and pandemic preparedness, he said. The institute will focus more on basic immunology and other infectious diseases currently affecting people in the United States, he added, rather than on predicting future diseases ..."
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00468-1
Max Kozlov | 13 February 2026
"Staff members at the United States’s premier infectious-disease research institute have been instructed to remove the words “biodefense” and “pandemic preparedness” from the institute’s web pages, according to e-mails Nature has obtained.
The directive comes amid a broader shake-up at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of 27 institutes and centres at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIAID is expected to deprioritize the two topics in an overhaul of its funded research projects, according to four NIAID employees who spoke to Nature on the condition of anonymity, because they are not authorized to speak to the press.
NIH director Jay Bhattacharya explained the restructure at an event with other top agency officials on 30 January. “It’s a complete transformation of {the NIAID} away from this old model” that has historically prioritized research on HIV, biodefence and pandemic preparedness, he said. The institute will focus more on basic immunology and other infectious diseases currently affecting people in the United States, he added, rather than on predicting future diseases ..."
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00468-1
10margd
Measles Just Hit an ICE Facility. I've Seen What Happens Next.
— When infectious disease and incarceration collide, the outcome is predictable
Theresa Cheng, MD, JD | February 15, 2026
... Earlier this month, measles was detected in two people detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, one of the largest family detention facilities in the country and the same place where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was detained. More than 1,200 people are currently held there, including more than 400 children. The detection of measles in this setting is not a routine public health issue. It is a crisis.
... Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to medicine, up to 12 times more transmissible than influenza and up to six times more transmissible than COVID. Up to 90% of non-immune people exposed will become infected. The virus can linger in the air for up to 2 hours after an infected person leaves a room. Its early symptoms are indistinguishable from routine respiratory illnesses, and the characteristic rash does not appear until 3-5 days later. By the time measles is recognized, infected individuals have often already been transmitting the virus for days.
... For children, the risks of measles are especially grave. Complications, which occur in one in five people who have the disease, can include pneumonia, blindness, permanent neurologic injury, and death. These outcomes are well-documented, particularly among young children and those with delayed access to medical care.
Immigration detention facilities, often run by private for-profit operators, are fundamentally incompatible with infection prevention and disease control ...
Conditions inside the Dilley Immigration Processing Center are already subject to federal court oversight under the Flores Settlement ...
Compounding the danger, ICE stopped paying some medical providers at detention centers around the country last fall ... Meanwhile, people in immigration custody are transferred rapidly between facilities across states ...
... Carceral settings function as epidemic amplifiers. Overcrowding, rapid population turnover, and inadequate infection control intensify transmission inside these facilities. Staff move in and out daily. Detainees are transferred or released into communities across the country. What emerges is not just spillover, but a magnified outbreak that places local hospitals, schools, and households at risk.
... families delay or avoid routine vaccinations and primary care because they fear immigration enforcement...
https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/119883
— When infectious disease and incarceration collide, the outcome is predictable
Theresa Cheng, MD, JD | February 15, 2026
... Earlier this month, measles was detected in two people detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, one of the largest family detention facilities in the country and the same place where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was detained. More than 1,200 people are currently held there, including more than 400 children. The detection of measles in this setting is not a routine public health issue. It is a crisis.
... Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to medicine, up to 12 times more transmissible than influenza and up to six times more transmissible than COVID. Up to 90% of non-immune people exposed will become infected. The virus can linger in the air for up to 2 hours after an infected person leaves a room. Its early symptoms are indistinguishable from routine respiratory illnesses, and the characteristic rash does not appear until 3-5 days later. By the time measles is recognized, infected individuals have often already been transmitting the virus for days.
... For children, the risks of measles are especially grave. Complications, which occur in one in five people who have the disease, can include pneumonia, blindness, permanent neurologic injury, and death. These outcomes are well-documented, particularly among young children and those with delayed access to medical care.
Immigration detention facilities, often run by private for-profit operators, are fundamentally incompatible with infection prevention and disease control ...
Conditions inside the Dilley Immigration Processing Center are already subject to federal court oversight under the Flores Settlement ...
Compounding the danger, ICE stopped paying some medical providers at detention centers around the country last fall ... Meanwhile, people in immigration custody are transferred rapidly between facilities across states ...
... Carceral settings function as epidemic amplifiers. Overcrowding, rapid population turnover, and inadequate infection control intensify transmission inside these facilities. Staff move in and out daily. Detainees are transferred or released into communities across the country. What emerges is not just spillover, but a magnified outbreak that places local hospitals, schools, and households at risk.
... families delay or avoid routine vaccinations and primary care because they fear immigration enforcement...
https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/second-opinions/119883
11margd
The Disastrous First Year of RFK Jr.
Jill Lawrence | Feb 16, 2026
"The damage the HHS secretary has done to science and public health is appalling—and it could have been avoided ...
More disease, more death
No guilt, no shame, no regrets
... {R Senators} Cassidy and McConnell could do a literal world of good if they spent the rest of 2026 speaking out against Kennedy and joining his Democratic critics in calling for him to be removed from his job. They could help gin up so much negative attention that Kennedy becomes an unsustainable drag on Trump and is fired or relocated ..."
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/rfk-robert-kennedy-jr-hhs-health-secretary-year-one...
Jill Lawrence | Feb 16, 2026
"The damage the HHS secretary has done to science and public health is appalling—and it could have been avoided ...
More disease, more death
No guilt, no shame, no regrets
... {R Senators} Cassidy and McConnell could do a literal world of good if they spent the rest of 2026 speaking out against Kennedy and joining his Democratic critics in calling for him to be removed from his job. They could help gin up so much negative attention that Kennedy becomes an unsustainable drag on Trump and is fired or relocated ..."
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/rfk-robert-kennedy-jr-hhs-health-secretary-year-one...
12margd
Jesper Dahl et al. 2026. COVID-19 mRNA vaccination and all-cause mortality in the adult population in Norway during 2021–2023: a population-based cohort study. BMJ Public Health, 5 Feb 2026;4:e001859. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjph-2024-001859 https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/4/1/e001859
ABSTRACT
"... Results The study included 4 645 910 individuals (49.8% women) with 132 963 deaths during follow-up. There was a higher proportion of individuals that were part of a risk group among fully vaccinated individuals compared with unvaccinated individuals in all age groups and a lower unadjusted rate of death: 51.5 versus 73.6 per 100 000 person years (py) among individuals aged 18–44 years, 295.1 versus 405.3 per 100 000 py among 45–64 years and 3620.2 versus 4783.8 per 100 000 py among 65 years or older. The adjusted IRR of death for the same age groups was 0.42 ... , 0.39 ... and 0.42 ... , respectively. The differences in the rate of death between vaccination groups were larger among men and peaked during 2022.
Conclusion Vaccinated individuals had a lower all-cause mortality rate than unvaccinated individuals during 2021–2023. This difference was larger among men and most prominent following the removal of COVID-19 control measures in 2022 but persisted throughout the study period."
ABSTRACT
"... Results The study included 4 645 910 individuals (49.8% women) with 132 963 deaths during follow-up. There was a higher proportion of individuals that were part of a risk group among fully vaccinated individuals compared with unvaccinated individuals in all age groups and a lower unadjusted rate of death: 51.5 versus 73.6 per 100 000 person years (py) among individuals aged 18–44 years, 295.1 versus 405.3 per 100 000 py among 45–64 years and 3620.2 versus 4783.8 per 100 000 py among 65 years or older. The adjusted IRR of death for the same age groups was 0.42 ... , 0.39 ... and 0.42 ... , respectively. The differences in the rate of death between vaccination groups were larger among men and peaked during 2022.
Conclusion Vaccinated individuals had a lower all-cause mortality rate than unvaccinated individuals during 2021–2023. This difference was larger among men and most prominent following the removal of COVID-19 control measures in 2022 but persisted throughout the study period."
13margd
COVID infection may impair male fertility, but vaccination shows no effect, review suggests
Laine Bergeson | February 12, 2026
"COVID-19 infection may meaningfully affect male reproductive health, while having limited consequences for female fertility or assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes, according to a new umbrella review published this week in Vaccine. In contrast, COVID vaccination showed little impact on fertility in either men or women ..."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-infection-may-impair-male-fertility-va...
--------------------------------------------------
Qi Cao et al. 2026. Assessing the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination on fertility and assisted reproductive techniques {ART} outcomes: an umbrella review. Vaccine
Volume 76, 19 March 2026, 128293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2026.128293 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264410X26001015
ABSTRACT
"... Study design. This is an Umbrella Review of Meta-analyses. We searched major databases until December 30, 2023. ...
... Conclusion. SARS-CoV-2 infection primarily affects male fertility, leading to reductions in sperm quality, count, and motility. However, female fertility and ART outcomes show little to no impact. COVID-19 vaccination shows minimal impact on fertility and ART outcomes. The quality of evidence is rated as very low to low. High-quality prospective studies with longer follow-up periods are needed.
Laine Bergeson | February 12, 2026
"COVID-19 infection may meaningfully affect male reproductive health, while having limited consequences for female fertility or assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes, according to a new umbrella review published this week in Vaccine. In contrast, COVID vaccination showed little impact on fertility in either men or women ..."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-infection-may-impair-male-fertility-va...
--------------------------------------------------
Qi Cao et al. 2026. Assessing the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination on fertility and assisted reproductive techniques {ART} outcomes: an umbrella review. Vaccine
Volume 76, 19 March 2026, 128293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2026.128293 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264410X26001015
ABSTRACT
"... Study design. This is an Umbrella Review of Meta-analyses. We searched major databases until December 30, 2023. ...
... Conclusion. SARS-CoV-2 infection primarily affects male fertility, leading to reductions in sperm quality, count, and motility. However, female fertility and ART outcomes show little to no impact. COVID-19 vaccination shows minimal impact on fertility and ART outcomes. The quality of evidence is rated as very low to low. High-quality prospective studies with longer follow-up periods are needed.
14margd
FDA will now review flu vaccine it had rejected
Peter Sullivan | Feb 18, 2026
"Moderna on Wednesday said the Food and Drug Administration will review its application for a new mRNA flu vaccine, reversing the surprise refusal to evaluate the shot last week after the company amended the proposal.
... Why it matters: The denial sent shockwaves through the drug industry and raised new fears about the Trump administration chilling the development of new vaccines.
Driving the news: Moderna said on Wednesday that the review is proceeding after it met with regulators and amended its application.
The new proposal seeks full approval for people age 50 to 64, and accelerated approval for those 65 and older, with a requirement for an additional study in older adults once the vaccine is on the market ..."
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/18/fda-flu-vaccine-review-moderna
Peter Sullivan | Feb 18, 2026
"Moderna on Wednesday said the Food and Drug Administration will review its application for a new mRNA flu vaccine, reversing the surprise refusal to evaluate the shot last week after the company amended the proposal.
... Why it matters: The denial sent shockwaves through the drug industry and raised new fears about the Trump administration chilling the development of new vaccines.
Driving the news: Moderna said on Wednesday that the review is proceeding after it met with regulators and amended its application.
The new proposal seeks full approval for people age 50 to 64, and accelerated approval for those 65 and older, with a requirement for an additional study in older adults once the vaccine is on the market ..."
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/18/fda-flu-vaccine-review-moderna
15margd
Individualized mRNA vaccines train the immune system to recognize triple-negative breast cancer: 10 /14 patients remained relapse-free at ~5-year mark!!
("Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is frequently associated with metastatic relapse, even at an early stage.")
Sahin, U., Schmidt, M., Derhovanessian, E. et al. Individualized mRNA vaccines evoke durable T cell immunity in adjuvant TNBC. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10004-2 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10004-2 Open Access
"Abstract
... These findings demonstrate the feasibility of individualized RNA vaccines in TNBC {Triple Negative Breast Cancer}, document persistence of vaccine-induced, functional neoantigen-specific T cells and provide insights into possible immune escape mechanisms that will guide future approaches.
... Discussion.
Our study shows the clinical feasibility, safety, and robust immunogenicity of an individualized uridine mRNA-based neoantigen vaccine in patients with TNBC following adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy. The vaccine was well tolerated and consistently elicited strong neoantigen-specific T cell responses in nearly all patients against several of their neoantigens. ...
... The TNBC study extends our previous findings from other tumour types and shows that this personalized vaccine approach can be broadly used. In MELANOMA, we demonstrated a profound reduction in the cumulative rate of metastatic events, indicating the applicability of mRNA neoantigen vaccine to tumours with high mutation load... In PANCREATIC CANCER, a tumour with low number of mutations and highly immune suppressive environment, this vaccine induced immune responses in 50% of patients, which correlated positively with clinical outcome... In TNBC {TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER}, a cancer with low to moderate mutational load, we now demonstrate that all patients developed neoantigen-specific T cell responses with more than 85% being of high magnitude. TNBC has a poor prognosis, especially in patients who do not achieve pathological complete response after completion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy... Strong immunogenicity of the neoantigen vaccine in the majority of patients, durability of the induced T cell responses, and early signs of clinical activity warrant further clinical testing in this patient population."
("Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is frequently associated with metastatic relapse, even at an early stage.")
Sahin, U., Schmidt, M., Derhovanessian, E. et al. Individualized mRNA vaccines evoke durable T cell immunity in adjuvant TNBC. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10004-2 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10004-2 Open Access
"Abstract
... These findings demonstrate the feasibility of individualized RNA vaccines in TNBC {Triple Negative Breast Cancer}, document persistence of vaccine-induced, functional neoantigen-specific T cells and provide insights into possible immune escape mechanisms that will guide future approaches.
... Discussion.
Our study shows the clinical feasibility, safety, and robust immunogenicity of an individualized uridine mRNA-based neoantigen vaccine in patients with TNBC following adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy. The vaccine was well tolerated and consistently elicited strong neoantigen-specific T cell responses in nearly all patients against several of their neoantigens. ...
... The TNBC study extends our previous findings from other tumour types and shows that this personalized vaccine approach can be broadly used. In MELANOMA, we demonstrated a profound reduction in the cumulative rate of metastatic events, indicating the applicability of mRNA neoantigen vaccine to tumours with high mutation load... In PANCREATIC CANCER, a tumour with low number of mutations and highly immune suppressive environment, this vaccine induced immune responses in 50% of patients, which correlated positively with clinical outcome... In TNBC {TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER}, a cancer with low to moderate mutational load, we now demonstrate that all patients developed neoantigen-specific T cell responses with more than 85% being of high magnitude. TNBC has a poor prognosis, especially in patients who do not achieve pathological complete response after completion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy... Strong immunogenicity of the neoantigen vaccine in the majority of patients, durability of the induced T cell responses, and early signs of clinical activity warrant further clinical testing in this patient population."
16margd
Heather Cox Richardson · February 19, 2026 (Thursday)
https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson
"... Lena Sun and Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post reported today that having pulled out of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Trump administration has called for creating an alternative run by the U.S. that would recreate WHO systems. The cost would be $2 billion a year funded through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), up from the $680 million the U.S. provided to the WHO. The secretary of HHS is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Public health experts told the journalists it was unlikely that any new U.S.-based system could match the reach of the WHO. Director Tom Inglesby of the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said: “Spending two to three times the cost to create what we already had access to makes absolutely no sense in terms of fiscal stewardship. We’re not going to get the same quality or breadth of information we would have by being in the WHO,or have anywhere {near} the influence we had.”
Only sovereign nations can join the WHO, but California, Illinois, New York, and Wisconsin, as well as New York City, have joined the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network ..."
https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson
"... Lena Sun and Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post reported today that having pulled out of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Trump administration has called for creating an alternative run by the U.S. that would recreate WHO systems. The cost would be $2 billion a year funded through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), up from the $680 million the U.S. provided to the WHO. The secretary of HHS is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Public health experts told the journalists it was unlikely that any new U.S.-based system could match the reach of the WHO. Director Tom Inglesby of the Center for Health Security at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said: “Spending two to three times the cost to create what we already had access to makes absolutely no sense in terms of fiscal stewardship. We’re not going to get the same quality or breadth of information we would have by being in the WHO,or have anywhere {near} the influence we had.”
Only sovereign nations can join the WHO, but California, Illinois, New York, and Wisconsin, as well as New York City, have joined the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network ..."
17margd
In 2023-24, RSV vaccines were 79% effective against virus-related blood clots in older adults, CDC estimates
Mary Van Beusekom | February 18, 2026
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv/2023-24-rsv-vaccines-...
----------------------------------------------------
Wiegand, R. E., Sung, H., Zhang, Y., Chavez, A., Kautz, A., Mak, J....Payne, A. B. (2026). Effectiveness of RSV Vaccines against RSV-Associated Thromboembolic Events. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 32(2), 246-249. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3202.251520 https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/32/2/25-1520_article
Abstract
We evaluated effectiveness of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines against RSV-associated thromboembolic events among community-dwelling Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries 65+ years of age in the United States enrolled during October 1, 2023–March 30, 2024. RSV vaccines protected against RSV-associated thromboembolic events (effectiveness 79% ...) in the same season as vaccine receipt.
Mary Van Beusekom | February 18, 2026
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv/2023-24-rsv-vaccines-...
----------------------------------------------------
Wiegand, R. E., Sung, H., Zhang, Y., Chavez, A., Kautz, A., Mak, J....Payne, A. B. (2026). Effectiveness of RSV Vaccines against RSV-Associated Thromboembolic Events. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 32(2), 246-249. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid3202.251520 https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/32/2/25-1520_article
Abstract
We evaluated effectiveness of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines against RSV-associated thromboembolic events among community-dwelling Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries 65+ years of age in the United States enrolled during October 1, 2023–March 30, 2024. RSV vaccines protected against RSV-associated thromboembolic events (effectiveness 79% ...) in the same season as vaccine receipt.
18margd
More reason for HPV vaccination:
Cervical Precancers Linked to Increased Heart Risks
— HPV is hypothesized to affect vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis, researchers say
Mike Bassett | February 20, 2026
"-Cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions are associated with HPV infection, which is hypothesized to affect vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis.
-In a nationwide Swedish study, females ages 15 to 24 with prior cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.
-Risks were increased if the patient's mother and/or father had any diagnosis of cardiovascular disease ..."
https://www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/cervicalcancer/119979
---------------------------------------------
Hytting J, et al 2026. Cardiovascular events in women with prior cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. JAMA Oncol 2026; DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.6504 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2845277
ABSTRACT
"... Results. We included 29 960 female AYAs (median ... age, 23 ... years) with prior cervical HSIL {moderate or severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ, corresponding to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2-3} and 149 606 matched controls. ... These AYAs had a higher risk of CVD (HR, 1.20 ...), with particularly elevated risks for myocardial infarction (MI; HR, 1.58 ...), heart failure (HR, 1.38 ...), and cerebrovascular disease (HR, 1.42 ...) ... Family history increased risk if the mother (HR, 1.11 ... ) and/or father (HR, 1.08 ...) had any CVD diagnosis.
During follow-up, 3.1% of AYAs with prior cervical HSIL and 2.1% of controls died ... All-cause (HR, 1.52 ...) and cardiovascular mortality (HR, 1.49 ...) were higher among these AYAs. MI and sudden cardiac death were the leading causes of death, followed by acute respiratory distress and strangulation.
Cancer-specific mortality was infrequent but higher in AYAs with prior cervical HSIL than controls (HR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.54-3.27; P
Cervical Precancers Linked to Increased Heart Risks
— HPV is hypothesized to affect vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis, researchers say
Mike Bassett | February 20, 2026
"-Cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions are associated with HPV infection, which is hypothesized to affect vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis.
-In a nationwide Swedish study, females ages 15 to 24 with prior cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.
-Risks were increased if the patient's mother and/or father had any diagnosis of cardiovascular disease ..."
https://www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/cervicalcancer/119979
---------------------------------------------
Hytting J, et al 2026. Cardiovascular events in women with prior cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. JAMA Oncol 2026; DOI: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.6504 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2845277
ABSTRACT
"... Results. We included 29 960 female AYAs (median ... age, 23 ... years) with prior cervical HSIL {moderate or severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ, corresponding to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2-3} and 149 606 matched controls. ... These AYAs had a higher risk of CVD (HR, 1.20 ...), with particularly elevated risks for myocardial infarction (MI; HR, 1.58 ...), heart failure (HR, 1.38 ...), and cerebrovascular disease (HR, 1.42 ...) ... Family history increased risk if the mother (HR, 1.11 ... ) and/or father (HR, 1.08 ...) had any CVD diagnosis.
During follow-up, 3.1% of AYAs with prior cervical HSIL and 2.1% of controls died ... All-cause (HR, 1.52 ...) and cardiovascular mortality (HR, 1.49 ...) were higher among these AYAs. MI and sudden cardiac death were the leading causes of death, followed by acute respiratory distress and strangulation.
Cancer-specific mortality was infrequent but higher in AYAs with prior cervical HSIL than controls (HR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.54-3.27; P
19margd
Real-world medical questions stump AI chatbots
Tina Hesman Saey | February 17, 2026
"... In the lab, AI chatbots could identify medical issues with 95 percent accuracy and correctly recommend actions such as calling a doctor or going to urgent care more than 56 percent of the time. When humans conversationally presented medical scenarios to the AI chatbots, things got messier. Accuracy dropped to less than 35 percent for diagnosing the condition and about 44 percent for identifying the right action, researchers report February 9 in Nature Medicine.
... mostly the problem seems to be the way people engaged with the LLMs. People tend to dole out information slowly, instead of giving the whole story at once, Mahdi says. And chatbots can be easily distracted by irrelevant or partial information. Participants sometimes ignored chatbot diagnoses even when they were correct..."
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/medical-advice-ai-chatbots-symptoms
---------------------------------------------
Bean, A.M., Payne, R.E., Parsons, G. et al. Reliability of LLMs as medical assistants for the general public: a randomized preregistered study. Nat Med 32, 609–615 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04074-y https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-04074-y#Abs1
Tina Hesman Saey | February 17, 2026
"... In the lab, AI chatbots could identify medical issues with 95 percent accuracy and correctly recommend actions such as calling a doctor or going to urgent care more than 56 percent of the time. When humans conversationally presented medical scenarios to the AI chatbots, things got messier. Accuracy dropped to less than 35 percent for diagnosing the condition and about 44 percent for identifying the right action, researchers report February 9 in Nature Medicine.
... mostly the problem seems to be the way people engaged with the LLMs. People tend to dole out information slowly, instead of giving the whole story at once, Mahdi says. And chatbots can be easily distracted by irrelevant or partial information. Participants sometimes ignored chatbot diagnoses even when they were correct..."
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/medical-advice-ai-chatbots-symptoms
---------------------------------------------
Bean, A.M., Payne, R.E., Parsons, G. et al. Reliability of LLMs as medical assistants for the general public: a randomized preregistered study. Nat Med 32, 609–615 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04074-y https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-04074-y#Abs1
20margd
Jennifer Abbasi 2026. Mechanisms Are Emerging for COVID-19 Vaccine−Associated Myocarditis. JAMA Medical News. JAMA, Published Online: February 6, 2026
doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.25866 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2844962
"... The authors concluded that their work “implicates the CXCL10–IFN-γ axis as a key mediator of myocardial injury in multiple preclinical models of mRNA vaccination and proposes a potential strategy {genistein} to mitigate this adverse effect.”
... Estrogen can be protective against cardiovascular events, {Vassilios Vassiliou, MBBS, PhD, MA, a clinical professor of cardiac medicine and consultant cardiologist at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK, not involved in study}, so it’s natural to speculate that the female hormone could influence why fewer women than men experience vaccine-induced myocarditis. The study wasn’t designed to test this idea directly, but the genistein findings do suggest it, {Physician-scientist Joseph C. Wu, MD, PhD, the study’s senior author and director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute} said.
... Wu cautioned that the incidence of myocarditis after vaccination is too low to widely recommend genistein for prevention: “We’re not advocating giving genistein to everybody,” he said. He does, however, think the plant compound could have broad applications for inflammatory conditions if its potency can be increased, something his laboratory is working on.
Wu also said he thinks vaccine-makers could test next-generation COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in human iPSC-derived platforms to find the safest formulation. But for now, he emphasized that his study should not be interpreted to mean that COVID-19 vaccination is unsafe. “That’s the wrong message,” he said. “It very, very rarely causes myocarditis.”"
---------------------------------------
Xu Cao et al. 2025. Inhibition of CXCL10 and IFN-γ ameliorates myocarditis in preclinical models of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination. Science Translational Medicine,
10 Dec 2025. Vol 17, Issue 828. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adq0143 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.adq0143
doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.25866 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2844962
"... The authors concluded that their work “implicates the CXCL10–IFN-γ axis as a key mediator of myocardial injury in multiple preclinical models of mRNA vaccination and proposes a potential strategy {genistein} to mitigate this adverse effect.”
... Estrogen can be protective against cardiovascular events, {Vassilios Vassiliou, MBBS, PhD, MA, a clinical professor of cardiac medicine and consultant cardiologist at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK, not involved in study}, so it’s natural to speculate that the female hormone could influence why fewer women than men experience vaccine-induced myocarditis. The study wasn’t designed to test this idea directly, but the genistein findings do suggest it, {Physician-scientist Joseph C. Wu, MD, PhD, the study’s senior author and director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute} said.
... Wu cautioned that the incidence of myocarditis after vaccination is too low to widely recommend genistein for prevention: “We’re not advocating giving genistein to everybody,” he said. He does, however, think the plant compound could have broad applications for inflammatory conditions if its potency can be increased, something his laboratory is working on.
Wu also said he thinks vaccine-makers could test next-generation COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in human iPSC-derived platforms to find the safest formulation. But for now, he emphasized that his study should not be interpreted to mean that COVID-19 vaccination is unsafe. “That’s the wrong message,” he said. “It very, very rarely causes myocarditis.”"
---------------------------------------
Xu Cao et al. 2025. Inhibition of CXCL10 and IFN-γ ameliorates myocarditis in preclinical models of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination. Science Translational Medicine,
10 Dec 2025. Vol 17, Issue 828. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adq0143 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.adq0143
21margd
Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum | 8:55 PM · Feb 22, 2026: {X.com}
@TheAtlantic and @SNFAgoraJHU. Author of Gulag, Iron Curtain, Red Famine, Twilight of Democracy and now AUTOCRACY INC
"Quietly, the Trump administration is now ending even the life-saving aid that they had promised would be preserved"
--------------------------------------------
The Trump Administration Is Ending Aid That It Says Saves Lives
Hana Kiros | February 22, 2026
"The State Department will let lifesaving projects expire because “there is no strong nexus between the humanitarian response and U.S. national interests,” according to an internal email ..."
{Gift article} https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/02/trump-state-department-ending-aid-sev...
@TheAtlantic and @SNFAgoraJHU. Author of Gulag, Iron Curtain, Red Famine, Twilight of Democracy and now AUTOCRACY INC
"Quietly, the Trump administration is now ending even the life-saving aid that they had promised would be preserved"
--------------------------------------------
The Trump Administration Is Ending Aid That It Says Saves Lives
Hana Kiros | February 22, 2026
"The State Department will let lifesaving projects expire because “there is no strong nexus between the humanitarian response and U.S. national interests,” according to an internal email ..."
{Gift article} https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/02/trump-state-department-ending-aid-sev...
22margd
>19 margd:, contd.
Ashwin Ramaswamy et al. 2026. ChatGPT Health performance in a structured test of triage recommendations. Nat Med (23 Feb 2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04297-7 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04297-7#Abs1
{We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.}
Abstract
ChatGPT Health launched in January 2026 as OpenAI’s consumer health tool, reaching millions of users. Here, we conducted a structured stress test of triage recommendations using 60 clinician-authored vignettes across 21 clinical domains under 16 factorial conditions (960 total responses). Performance followed an inverted U-shaped pattern, with the most dangerous failures concentrated at clinical extremes: non-urgent presentations (35%) and emergency conditions (48%). Among gold-standard emergencies, the system under-triaged 52% of cases, directing patients with diabetic ketoacidosis and impending respiratory failure to 24–48-hour evaluation rather than the emergency department, while correctly triaging classical emergencies such as stroke and anaphylaxis. When family or friends minimized symptoms (anchoring bias), triage recommendations shifted significantly in edge cases (OR {Odds ratio} 11.7 ...), with the majority of shifts toward less urgent care. Crisis intervention messages activated unpredictably across suicidal ideation presentations, firing more when patients described no specific method than when they did. Patient race, gender, and barriers to care showed no significant effects, though confidence intervals did not exclude clinically meaningful differences. Our findings reveal missed high-risk emergencies and inconsistent activation of crisis safeguards, raising safety concerns that warrant prospective validation before consumer-scale deployment of artificial intelligence triage systems.
Ashwin Ramaswamy et al. 2026. ChatGPT Health performance in a structured test of triage recommendations. Nat Med (23 Feb 2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04297-7 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04297-7#Abs1
{We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.}
Abstract
ChatGPT Health launched in January 2026 as OpenAI’s consumer health tool, reaching millions of users. Here, we conducted a structured stress test of triage recommendations using 60 clinician-authored vignettes across 21 clinical domains under 16 factorial conditions (960 total responses). Performance followed an inverted U-shaped pattern, with the most dangerous failures concentrated at clinical extremes: non-urgent presentations (35%) and emergency conditions (48%). Among gold-standard emergencies, the system under-triaged 52% of cases, directing patients with diabetic ketoacidosis and impending respiratory failure to 24–48-hour evaluation rather than the emergency department, while correctly triaging classical emergencies such as stroke and anaphylaxis. When family or friends minimized symptoms (anchoring bias), triage recommendations shifted significantly in edge cases (OR {Odds ratio} 11.7 ...), with the majority of shifts toward less urgent care. Crisis intervention messages activated unpredictably across suicidal ideation presentations, firing more when patients described no specific method than when they did. Patient race, gender, and barriers to care showed no significant effects, though confidence intervals did not exclude clinically meaningful differences. Our findings reveal missed high-risk emergencies and inconsistent activation of crisis safeguards, raising safety concerns that warrant prospective validation before consumer-scale deployment of artificial intelligence triage systems.
23MsMixte
>21 margd: Oh, but there IS a strong nexus. The United States of America has a strong national interest in having as many non-white people in 'third world countries' die as possible. If they are dead, they won't be trying to illegally enter the United States (mind you, the only immigration to be allowed in the future, under the current administration, will be whites in rich nations).
24margd
More {US} Parents Say 'No' to Vitamin K Shots for Newborns
— Rising refusal rates spark concerns about brain bleed risks
Judy George | February 27, 2026
"... a systematic literature review showed refusal {vitamin K shots for newborns} in the U.S. remained low but upward trends were evident, reported Kate Semidey, MD, of Florida International University in Miami, and co-authors in an abstract released ahead of the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting "... our review also found that babies who do not get the vitamin K injection are 81 times more likely to develop vitamin K deficiency bleeding,"
... vitamin K deficiency bleeding {is} a rare but severe condition. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended the vitamin K shot since 1961.
... Late vitamin K deficiency bleeding occurs 1 week to 6 months after birth and often presents with intracranial hemorrhage, carrying 15% to 20% mortality and up to 50% long-term neurological disability, Semidey and colleagues said. "Despite proven safety, refusal of intramuscular vitamin K is rising worldwide, paralleling vaccine hesitancy," they noted.
... research recently published in JAMA led by Kristan Scott, MD, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Based on Epic electronic health records from 403 U.S. hospitals, Scott and colleagues showed that the percentage of infants not receiving intramuscular vitamin K rose from 2.92% in 2017 to 5.18% in 2024."
... Semidey and co-authors conducted a systematic review of literature from 2005 to 2025, analyzing data from 25 peer-reviewed studies that met their inclusion criteria.
Refusal rates {under 1% in most hospitals} rose from 0.9% in 2015 to 1.6% in 2019 in Minnesota, they found. In California, Connecticut, and Iowa, refusal ranged from 0.2% to 1.3% in 2018 and 2019, with more than half of healthcare professionals perceiving increases.
In other countries, refusal rates ranged from 1% to 3% in Canada, New Zealand, and Scotland, and was over 30% in some birthing centers, Semidey and colleagues said.
Infants without intramuscular vitamin K prophylaxis were 81 times more likely to develop late vitamin K deficiency bleeding, they reported. Case series of vitamin K deficiency bleeding in infants showed that approximately 63% had intracranial hemorrhage, 40% had sustained neurological disabilities, and 14% died ..."
https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aan/120095
— Rising refusal rates spark concerns about brain bleed risks
Judy George | February 27, 2026
"... a systematic literature review showed refusal {vitamin K shots for newborns} in the U.S. remained low but upward trends were evident, reported Kate Semidey, MD, of Florida International University in Miami, and co-authors in an abstract released ahead of the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting "... our review also found that babies who do not get the vitamin K injection are 81 times more likely to develop vitamin K deficiency bleeding,"
... vitamin K deficiency bleeding {is} a rare but severe condition. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended the vitamin K shot since 1961.
... Late vitamin K deficiency bleeding occurs 1 week to 6 months after birth and often presents with intracranial hemorrhage, carrying 15% to 20% mortality and up to 50% long-term neurological disability, Semidey and colleagues said. "Despite proven safety, refusal of intramuscular vitamin K is rising worldwide, paralleling vaccine hesitancy," they noted.
... research recently published in JAMA led by Kristan Scott, MD, of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Based on Epic electronic health records from 403 U.S. hospitals, Scott and colleagues showed that the percentage of infants not receiving intramuscular vitamin K rose from 2.92% in 2017 to 5.18% in 2024."
... Semidey and co-authors conducted a systematic review of literature from 2005 to 2025, analyzing data from 25 peer-reviewed studies that met their inclusion criteria.
Refusal rates {under 1% in most hospitals} rose from 0.9% in 2015 to 1.6% in 2019 in Minnesota, they found. In California, Connecticut, and Iowa, refusal ranged from 0.2% to 1.3% in 2018 and 2019, with more than half of healthcare professionals perceiving increases.
In other countries, refusal rates ranged from 1% to 3% in Canada, New Zealand, and Scotland, and was over 30% in some birthing centers, Semidey and colleagues said.
Infants without intramuscular vitamin K prophylaxis were 81 times more likely to develop late vitamin K deficiency bleeding, they reported. Case series of vitamin K deficiency bleeding in infants showed that approximately 63% had intracranial hemorrhage, 40% had sustained neurological disabilities, and 14% died ..."
https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aan/120095
25margd
"... In 2021, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, doctors identified a new condition called vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (known as VITT). It was observed after vaccination with adenovirus vector-based vaccines – notably the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, used in Australia ..."
New Study Finally Uncovers the Molecular Trigger Behind Rare COVID Vaccine Blood Clots
Flinders University | March 1, 2026
"... in a very small number of people the immune system can mistakenly identify a normal adenovirus protein as platelet factor 4 (or PF4), a protein found in human blood.
When this mix-up occurs, the immune system generates antibodies that activate clotting. Although the reaction is extremely uncommon, pinpointing its cause gives vaccine designers a way to alter the adenovirus protein and potentially prevent the complication, making future vaccines even safer.
... a genetic risk factor involving an antibody gene known as IGLV3.21*02.
Researchers say the findings will help ensure future vaccines built on this technology remain effective, accessible, and even safer, particularly in regions where adenovirus‑vector vaccines are critical tools for disease prevention." {Adenovirus "vaccine is stable at refrigerator temperatures for a longer period of time. It does not have to go into cold frozen storage the way that the messenger RNA vaccines are." (Mayo Clinic)}
https://scitechdaily.com/new-study-finally-uncovers-the-molecular-trigger-behind...
-----------------------------------------------
Jing Jing Wang et al. 2026. Adenoviral Inciting Antigen and Somatic Hypermutation in VITT. New England Journal of Medicine (11 February 2026). DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa2514824 https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2514824
ABSTRACT
... Conclusions. The results of our study indicate that VITT occurs when, in persons with immunoglobulin light-chain allele IGLV3-21*02 or *03, a specific somatic hypermutation develops that affects antibodies that recognize a specific epitope on the adenoviral core protein pVII, which results in misdirection of antibody targeting toward PF4.
New Study Finally Uncovers the Molecular Trigger Behind Rare COVID Vaccine Blood Clots
Flinders University | March 1, 2026
"... in a very small number of people the immune system can mistakenly identify a normal adenovirus protein as platelet factor 4 (or PF4), a protein found in human blood.
When this mix-up occurs, the immune system generates antibodies that activate clotting. Although the reaction is extremely uncommon, pinpointing its cause gives vaccine designers a way to alter the adenovirus protein and potentially prevent the complication, making future vaccines even safer.
... a genetic risk factor involving an antibody gene known as IGLV3.21*02.
Researchers say the findings will help ensure future vaccines built on this technology remain effective, accessible, and even safer, particularly in regions where adenovirus‑vector vaccines are critical tools for disease prevention." {Adenovirus "vaccine is stable at refrigerator temperatures for a longer period of time. It does not have to go into cold frozen storage the way that the messenger RNA vaccines are." (Mayo Clinic)}
https://scitechdaily.com/new-study-finally-uncovers-the-molecular-trigger-behind...
-----------------------------------------------
Jing Jing Wang et al. 2026. Adenoviral Inciting Antigen and Somatic Hypermutation in VITT. New England Journal of Medicine (11 February 2026). DOI:10.1056/NEJMoa2514824 https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2514824
ABSTRACT
... Conclusions. The results of our study indicate that VITT occurs when, in persons with immunoglobulin light-chain allele IGLV3-21*02 or *03, a specific somatic hypermutation develops that affects antibodies that recognize a specific epitope on the adenoviral core protein pVII, which results in misdirection of antibody targeting toward PF4.
26margd
Omicron-adapted COVID vaccines may reduce death, hospitalization risk
Laine Bergeson | 10 March 2026
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/omicron-adapted-covid-vaccines-may-reduce-de...
---------------------------------------------
Andreea Dobrescu et al. 2026. Effectiveness, Comparative Effectiveness, and Harms of COVID-19 Vaccines in Adults Who Are Not Pregnant or Immunocompromised: A Rapid Review for the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine, 24 February 2026. https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-25-05044 FREE
Abstract
... Data Synthesis: ... In adults of all ages, Omicron-adapted vaccination probably reduces all-cause mortality (vaccine effectiveness {VE} ranged from 26.6% ... to 75.2% ... ; moderate CoE {certainty of evidence}) and COVID-19–related hospitalization (VE ranged from 16.6% ... to 67.8% ... ; moderate CoE) compared with no Omicron-adapted vaccination. When administered more than 365 days after the prior vaccine, it probably reduces all-cause mortality (VE, 36.1% ...; moderate CoE) and COVID-19–related hospitalization (VE, 22.2% ... moderate CoE). When administered earlier, it may result in no difference in COVID-19–related hospitalization. Omicron-adapted vaccination may increase myocarditis (incidence rate ratio, 2.7 ... ; low CoE) in adults aged 50 years or older. The mRNA-1283.222 bivalent vaccine probably results in no difference in all-cause mortality or serious adverse events compared with mRNA-1273.222 in adults of all ages.
... Conclusion: Omicron-adapted vaccines improve protection compared with no Omicron-adapted vaccines, particularly when administered more than 365 days after the prior vaccination.
... Discussion
This rapid review synthesizes and critically appraises the available evidence on the effectiveness, comparative effectiveness, and harms of Omicron-adapted vaccines in nonpregnant, nonimmunocompromised populations, with a focus on health outcomes. In adults of any age, vaccination with an Omicron-adapted vaccine reduces all-cause mortality and COVID-19–related hospitalization compared with no Omicron-adapted vaccination, with or without prior primary vaccination. When administered 365 days or more after the prior vaccine, Omicron-adapted vaccines reduce mortality and hospitalization in adults of all ages; no benefit was observed when they were given less than 365 days after the prior vaccine. In head-to-head comparisons, the mRNA-1283.222 and mRNA-1273.222 bivalent vaccines result in no difference in all-cause mortality or risk for serious adverse events in any adult age group. Overall, evidence of vaccine-related harm is limited...
Laine Bergeson | 10 March 2026
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/omicron-adapted-covid-vaccines-may-reduce-de...
---------------------------------------------
Andreea Dobrescu et al. 2026. Effectiveness, Comparative Effectiveness, and Harms of COVID-19 Vaccines in Adults Who Are Not Pregnant or Immunocompromised: A Rapid Review for the American College of Physicians. Annals of Internal Medicine, 24 February 2026. https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-25-05044 FREE
Abstract
... Data Synthesis: ... In adults of all ages, Omicron-adapted vaccination probably reduces all-cause mortality (vaccine effectiveness {VE} ranged from 26.6% ... to 75.2% ... ; moderate CoE {certainty of evidence}) and COVID-19–related hospitalization (VE ranged from 16.6% ... to 67.8% ... ; moderate CoE) compared with no Omicron-adapted vaccination. When administered more than 365 days after the prior vaccine, it probably reduces all-cause mortality (VE, 36.1% ...; moderate CoE) and COVID-19–related hospitalization (VE, 22.2% ... moderate CoE). When administered earlier, it may result in no difference in COVID-19–related hospitalization. Omicron-adapted vaccination may increase myocarditis (incidence rate ratio, 2.7 ... ; low CoE) in adults aged 50 years or older. The mRNA-1283.222 bivalent vaccine probably results in no difference in all-cause mortality or serious adverse events compared with mRNA-1273.222 in adults of all ages.
... Conclusion: Omicron-adapted vaccines improve protection compared with no Omicron-adapted vaccines, particularly when administered more than 365 days after the prior vaccination.
... Discussion
This rapid review synthesizes and critically appraises the available evidence on the effectiveness, comparative effectiveness, and harms of Omicron-adapted vaccines in nonpregnant, nonimmunocompromised populations, with a focus on health outcomes. In adults of any age, vaccination with an Omicron-adapted vaccine reduces all-cause mortality and COVID-19–related hospitalization compared with no Omicron-adapted vaccination, with or without prior primary vaccination. When administered 365 days or more after the prior vaccine, Omicron-adapted vaccines reduce mortality and hospitalization in adults of all ages; no benefit was observed when they were given less than 365 days after the prior vaccine. In head-to-head comparisons, the mRNA-1283.222 and mRNA-1273.222 bivalent vaccines result in no difference in all-cause mortality or risk for serious adverse events in any adult age group. Overall, evidence of vaccine-related harm is limited...
27margd
Anne Bjerg Nielsen et al. 2026. High-Dose vs Standard-Dose Influenza Vaccine in Older Adults With Diabetes: A Secondary Analysis of the DANFLU-2 Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA Intern Med. Published Online: January 12, 2026. 2026;186;(3):311-320. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.7286 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2843860
Abstract
... Results Among 332 438 participants ... Overall, HD-IIV {high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine} compared with SD-IIV {standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccine} was associated with reduced cardiorespiratory hospitalization, cardiovascular hospitalization, and influenza hospitalization. Effect estimates were similar for participants with and without diabetes for cardiorespiratory hospitalization ... , cardiovascular hospitalization ... , and influenza hospitalization ... Duration of diabetes appeared to modify the effect of HD-IIV vs SD-IIV for cardiorespiratory hospitalization, with suggested benefit of HD-IIV in participants with diabetes duration longer than 5 years ... , but not in those with shorter duration ...
Conclusions and Relevance The trial results suggest that, among adults 65 years or older, HD-IIV provided consistent benefit for cardiorespiratory, cardiovascular, and influenza hospitalizations compared with SD-IIV, regardless of diabetes status.
JAMA Intern Med. Published Online: January 12, 2026. 2026;186;(3):311-320. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.7286 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2843860
Abstract
... Results Among 332 438 participants ... Overall, HD-IIV {high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine} compared with SD-IIV {standard-dose inactivated influenza vaccine} was associated with reduced cardiorespiratory hospitalization, cardiovascular hospitalization, and influenza hospitalization. Effect estimates were similar for participants with and without diabetes for cardiorespiratory hospitalization ... , cardiovascular hospitalization ... , and influenza hospitalization ... Duration of diabetes appeared to modify the effect of HD-IIV vs SD-IIV for cardiorespiratory hospitalization, with suggested benefit of HD-IIV in participants with diabetes duration longer than 5 years ... , but not in those with shorter duration ...
Conclusions and Relevance The trial results suggest that, among adults 65 years or older, HD-IIV provided consistent benefit for cardiorespiratory, cardiovascular, and influenza hospitalizations compared with SD-IIV, regardless of diabetes status.
28margd
Scientific American: Infections from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli bacteria are the most common cause of travelers’ diarrhea, and they commonly cause childhood diarrhea in low-income regions. In children below the age of five, whose immune systems are still developing, the infections can lead to malnourishment; they cause up to 42,000 deaths annually. Soon there may be a vaccine to protect against these infections.
ETVAX is the first vaccine that offers significant protection against pathogenic E. coli in children
Sahas Mehra | March 10, 2026
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/first-of-its-kind-vaccine-protects-ch...
----------------------------------------------------------
M Jahangir Hossain et al. 2026. Efficacy of ETVAX, a vaccine against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-positive diarrhoea in Gambian children: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, February 16, 2026. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(25)00774-1/fullt... Open access
ETVAX is the first vaccine that offers significant protection against pathogenic E. coli in children
Sahas Mehra | March 10, 2026
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/first-of-its-kind-vaccine-protects-ch...
----------------------------------------------------------
M Jahangir Hossain et al. 2026. Efficacy of ETVAX, a vaccine against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-positive diarrhoea in Gambian children: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, February 16, 2026. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(25)00774-1/fullt... Open access
29margd
Judge Blocks RFK Jr.'s Overhaul of Vaccine Recommendations
Joyce Frieden | March 16, 2026
"A federal judge in Boston has temporarily blocked federal health officials from cutting the number of vaccines recommended for every child, and says Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. likely violated federal procedures in revamping the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The decision on Monday halts an order by Kennedy -- announced in January -- to end broad recommendations for all children to be vaccinated against the flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, some forms of meningitis, and RSV, and blocks ACIP's Wednesday meeting from going on as planned.
Kennedy, a leading anti-vaccine activist before becoming the nation's top health official, fired the entire 17-member ACIP panel last year and replaced it with a group that includes several anti-vaccine voices.
Judge Brian Murphy, nominated to the bench by former President Joe Biden, put Kennedy's ACIP appointments and the vaccine recommendations made by those members -- including for shots against influenza and COVID -- on hold ..."
https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/vaccines/120328
Joyce Frieden | March 16, 2026
"A federal judge in Boston has temporarily blocked federal health officials from cutting the number of vaccines recommended for every child, and says Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. likely violated federal procedures in revamping the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).
The decision on Monday halts an order by Kennedy -- announced in January -- to end broad recommendations for all children to be vaccinated against the flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, some forms of meningitis, and RSV, and blocks ACIP's Wednesday meeting from going on as planned.
Kennedy, a leading anti-vaccine activist before becoming the nation's top health official, fired the entire 17-member ACIP panel last year and replaced it with a group that includes several anti-vaccine voices.
Judge Brian Murphy, nominated to the bench by former President Joe Biden, put Kennedy's ACIP appointments and the vaccine recommendations made by those members -- including for shots against influenza and COVID -- on hold ..."
https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/vaccines/120328
30margd
Shingles vaccine tied to half the risk of cardiac events in older adults with heart disease
Mary Van Beusekom | 17 March 2026
"... The study findings will be presented at the upcoming American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in New Orleans. {so not yet published}
Risk reduction on par with quitting smoking ..."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/varicella/shingles-vaccine-tied-half-risk-cardiac-eve...
-----------------------------------------------
News Release 17-Mar-2026
Shingles vaccine drastically cuts risk of serious cardiac events
Reports and Proceedings | American College of Cardiology
Study suggests the vaccine’s heart-protective effects may be amplified in those with heart disease ...
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120143
Mary Van Beusekom | 17 March 2026
"... The study findings will be presented at the upcoming American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in New Orleans. {so not yet published}
Risk reduction on par with quitting smoking ..."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/varicella/shingles-vaccine-tied-half-risk-cardiac-eve...
-----------------------------------------------
News Release 17-Mar-2026
Shingles vaccine drastically cuts risk of serious cardiac events
Reports and Proceedings | American College of Cardiology
Study suggests the vaccine’s heart-protective effects may be amplified in those with heart disease ...
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1120143
31margd
Reposted by virologist Florian Krammer:
Littlewisehen @littlewisehen | 12:11 PM · Mar 18, 2026
Translated from German
"Pharmaceutical Industry vs Wellness Industry
We'd rather not even talk about the esoteric nonsense... 😇"
{Infographic: wellness industry is 4X as big as "Big Pharma"} https://x.com/littlewisehen/status/2034301648906936525/photo/1
Littlewisehen @littlewisehen | 12:11 PM · Mar 18, 2026
Translated from German
"Pharmaceutical Industry vs Wellness Industry
We'd rather not even talk about the esoteric nonsense... 😇"
{Infographic: wellness industry is 4X as big as "Big Pharma"} https://x.com/littlewisehen/status/2034301648906936525/photo/1
32margd
IntegralAnswers @IntegralAnswers | 11:21 PM · Mar 22, 2026:
Science & medicine communicator. Exposing the misinformation that harms health—and the evidence that protects it.
https://x.com/IntegralAnswers/status/2035919902968787253
1/ A viral narrative claims vaccines are uniquely protected, poorly tested, and driving chronic disease.
We reviewed 50 claims in detail.
Here’s what holds up—and what doesn’t. 🧵
Vaccine Claims: A Forensic Review, by Aaron Siri @IntegralAnswers
50 Claims Tested. Evidence Examined.
https://x.com/IntegralAnswers/status/2035919902968787253/photo/1
2/ The argument is simple:
Vaccines are:
• legally protected
• insufficiently tested
• responsible for rising chronic illness
It’s compelling.
But is it true?
3/ Across 50 claims, a pattern emerges:
• Narrow the evidence
• Expand the implication
• Replace uncertainty with conclusion
This is the engine behind the narrative.
4/ A central claim:
Vaccines are shielded from liability → therefore unsafe.
But liability ≠ safety.
Vaccines operate under a different legal framework, not an absence of oversight.
5/ One of the strongest rhetorical moves:
“Show me the exact study.”
But:
Absence of a specific study
≠
Evidence of harm
This is a classic absence-of-evidence fallacy.
6/ Yes—mortality from many diseases declined before vaccines.
But that’s not the full story.
Vaccines reduced:
• infection
• spread
• complications
Mortality ≠ total disease burden.
7/ Another key move:
Chronic disease ↑
Vaccine schedule ↑
Conclusion: vaccines caused it.
But:
Correlation ≠ causation
This is an ecological fallacy.
8/ Claims often cite Amish populations as “unvaccinated controls.”
But:
Different lifestyle
Different environment
Different healthcare access
≠ valid comparison group
9/ The argument often changes the rules:
Only specific types of studies are accepted.
Everything else is dismissed.
This creates the illusion that:
“there’s no evidence”
10/ Another simplification:
“If a vaccine doesn’t fully stop transmission, it doesn’t work.”
But real biology is not binary.
Reducing transmission ≠ eliminating transmission
11/ At its core:
This is less a critique of science…
…and more a critique of institutions.
That distinction matters.
12/ After reviewing 50 claims:
Strong rhetoric
Weak causal evidence
The arguments raise important questions—
…but don’t establish what they claim.
Science & medicine communicator. Exposing the misinformation that harms health—and the evidence that protects it.
https://x.com/IntegralAnswers/status/2035919902968787253
1/ A viral narrative claims vaccines are uniquely protected, poorly tested, and driving chronic disease.
We reviewed 50 claims in detail.
Here’s what holds up—and what doesn’t. 🧵
Vaccine Claims: A Forensic Review, by Aaron Siri @IntegralAnswers
50 Claims Tested. Evidence Examined.
https://x.com/IntegralAnswers/status/2035919902968787253/photo/1
2/ The argument is simple:
Vaccines are:
• legally protected
• insufficiently tested
• responsible for rising chronic illness
It’s compelling.
But is it true?
3/ Across 50 claims, a pattern emerges:
• Narrow the evidence
• Expand the implication
• Replace uncertainty with conclusion
This is the engine behind the narrative.
4/ A central claim:
Vaccines are shielded from liability → therefore unsafe.
But liability ≠ safety.
Vaccines operate under a different legal framework, not an absence of oversight.
5/ One of the strongest rhetorical moves:
“Show me the exact study.”
But:
Absence of a specific study
≠
Evidence of harm
This is a classic absence-of-evidence fallacy.
6/ Yes—mortality from many diseases declined before vaccines.
But that’s not the full story.
Vaccines reduced:
• infection
• spread
• complications
Mortality ≠ total disease burden.
7/ Another key move:
Chronic disease ↑
Vaccine schedule ↑
Conclusion: vaccines caused it.
But:
Correlation ≠ causation
This is an ecological fallacy.
8/ Claims often cite Amish populations as “unvaccinated controls.”
But:
Different lifestyle
Different environment
Different healthcare access
≠ valid comparison group
9/ The argument often changes the rules:
Only specific types of studies are accepted.
Everything else is dismissed.
This creates the illusion that:
“there’s no evidence”
10/ Another simplification:
“If a vaccine doesn’t fully stop transmission, it doesn’t work.”
But real biology is not binary.
Reducing transmission ≠ eliminating transmission
11/ At its core:
This is less a critique of science…
…and more a critique of institutions.
That distinction matters.
12/ After reviewing 50 claims:
Strong rhetoric
Weak causal evidence
The arguments raise important questions—
…but don’t establish what they claim.
33margd
Pfizer to seek FDA approval for Lyme disease vaccine candidate despite trial miss
Angelica Peebles | Mar 23 2026
"Key Points
- Pfizer said it will seek regulatory approval for a Lyme disease vaccine candidate despite failing a late-stage trial.
- Pfizer said not enough people contracted Lyme disease to be confident in the results, but cited “strong efficacy” {70%} for its decision to move forward.
- Partner Valneva has said the Lyme disease shot could reach annual peak sales of more than $1 billion.
... Moving forward with a shot that technically failed a clinical trial under an administration that has preached stricter scrutiny for vaccines may prove risky for Pfizer, and it could serve as a litmus test for vaccine policy in the U.S.
... The companies said they didn’t observe any safety concerns in the trial ..."
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/23/pfizer-lyme-disease-vaccine-trial-fda-approval.h...
-----------------------------------------------
Press Release: New diagnostics, effective treatments
RFK Jr., Smith push solutions to tick-borne disease pandemic
Washington, Dec 16, 2025
"... Throughout the roundtable discussion, Sec. Kennedy—who described the personal impact of Lyme disease on his family—announced numerous, significant HHS initiatives to better research and treat Lyme disease ..."
https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx
Angelica Peebles | Mar 23 2026
"Key Points
- Pfizer said it will seek regulatory approval for a Lyme disease vaccine candidate despite failing a late-stage trial.
- Pfizer said not enough people contracted Lyme disease to be confident in the results, but cited “strong efficacy” {70%} for its decision to move forward.
- Partner Valneva has said the Lyme disease shot could reach annual peak sales of more than $1 billion.
... Moving forward with a shot that technically failed a clinical trial under an administration that has preached stricter scrutiny for vaccines may prove risky for Pfizer, and it could serve as a litmus test for vaccine policy in the U.S.
... The companies said they didn’t observe any safety concerns in the trial ..."
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/23/pfizer-lyme-disease-vaccine-trial-fda-approval.h...
-----------------------------------------------
Press Release: New diagnostics, effective treatments
RFK Jr., Smith push solutions to tick-borne disease pandemic
Washington, Dec 16, 2025
"... Throughout the roundtable discussion, Sec. Kennedy—who described the personal impact of Lyme disease on his family—announced numerous, significant HHS initiatives to better research and treat Lyme disease ..."
https://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx
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Tuberculosis, one of humankind's most persistent scourges: reviews of its immunopathology and progress on vaccines
Van Riet E et al. 2026. Accelerating research and development of new vaccines against tuberculosis: 5-year progress on the global roadmap (REVIEW). The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 18 March 2026; 0. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(26)00019-8/abstr...
ABSTRACT. In 2021, a global tuberculosis vaccine research and development roadmap proposed a series of actions to accelerate the development of new, effective, and affordable vaccines that are urgently needed to eliminate tuberculosis globally. Since then, the pipeline has diversified, several candidates are currently in phase 3 clinical trials, and many low-income and middle-income countries have made important steps in anticipating regulatory approval. However, the number of candidates in active clinical trials is small and product development challenges persist. Engagement with vaccine manufacturers has increased but is hampered by unclear demand and insufficient committed procurement. Investment in tuberculosis vaccine research and development therefore remains risky and inadequate. In parallel, more work is needed to identify and plan for cost-effective implementation while mitigating potential hesitancy and stigma to ensure uptake of new tuberculosis vaccines once licensed. Increased diversification of funders and strategic coordination of multiple stakeholders is needed more than ever.
--------------------------------------------
Thomas J. Scriba et al. 2024. Immunopathology in human tuberculosis (REVIEW). Science Immunology, 13 Dec 2024. Vol 9, Issue 102
DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.ado5951 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.ado5951
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) is a bacterial pathogen that has evolved in humans, and its interactions with the host are complex and best studied in humans. Myriad immune pathways are involved in infection control, granuloma formation, and progression to tuberculosis (TB) disease. Inflammatory cells, such as macrophages, neutrophils, conventional and unconventional T cells, B cells, NK cells, and innate lymphoid cells, interact via cytokines, cell-cell communication, and eicosanoid signaling to contain or eliminate infection but can alternatively mediate pathological changes required for pathogen transmission. Clinical manifestations include pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB, as well as post-TB lung disease. Risk factors for TB progression, in turn, largely relate to immune status and, apart from traditional chemotherapy, interventions primarily target immune mechanisms, highlighting the critical role of immunopathology in TB. Maintaining a balance between effector mechanisms to achieve protective immunity and avoid detrimental inflammation is central to the immunopathogenesis of TB. Many research gaps remain and deserve prioritization to improve our understanding of human TB immunopathogenesis.
Van Riet E et al. 2026. Accelerating research and development of new vaccines against tuberculosis: 5-year progress on the global roadmap (REVIEW). The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 18 March 2026; 0. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(26)00019-8/abstr...
ABSTRACT. In 2021, a global tuberculosis vaccine research and development roadmap proposed a series of actions to accelerate the development of new, effective, and affordable vaccines that are urgently needed to eliminate tuberculosis globally. Since then, the pipeline has diversified, several candidates are currently in phase 3 clinical trials, and many low-income and middle-income countries have made important steps in anticipating regulatory approval. However, the number of candidates in active clinical trials is small and product development challenges persist. Engagement with vaccine manufacturers has increased but is hampered by unclear demand and insufficient committed procurement. Investment in tuberculosis vaccine research and development therefore remains risky and inadequate. In parallel, more work is needed to identify and plan for cost-effective implementation while mitigating potential hesitancy and stigma to ensure uptake of new tuberculosis vaccines once licensed. Increased diversification of funders and strategic coordination of multiple stakeholders is needed more than ever.
--------------------------------------------
Thomas J. Scriba et al. 2024. Immunopathology in human tuberculosis (REVIEW). Science Immunology, 13 Dec 2024. Vol 9, Issue 102
DOI: 10.1126/sciimmunol.ado5951 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciimmunol.ado5951
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) is a bacterial pathogen that has evolved in humans, and its interactions with the host are complex and best studied in humans. Myriad immune pathways are involved in infection control, granuloma formation, and progression to tuberculosis (TB) disease. Inflammatory cells, such as macrophages, neutrophils, conventional and unconventional T cells, B cells, NK cells, and innate lymphoid cells, interact via cytokines, cell-cell communication, and eicosanoid signaling to contain or eliminate infection but can alternatively mediate pathological changes required for pathogen transmission. Clinical manifestations include pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB, as well as post-TB lung disease. Risk factors for TB progression, in turn, largely relate to immune status and, apart from traditional chemotherapy, interventions primarily target immune mechanisms, highlighting the critical role of immunopathology in TB. Maintaining a balance between effector mechanisms to achieve protective immunity and avoid detrimental inflammation is central to the immunopathogenesis of TB. Many research gaps remain and deserve prioritization to improve our understanding of human TB immunopathogenesis.
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Adam W. Gaffney et al. 2026. The Dismantling of Environmental Protections — A Grave Threat to America’s Health (Perspective). New England Journal of Medicine. Published March 25, 2026. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp2514370 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp2514370 {PAYWALL}
Abstract
"The Trump administration’s wide-ranging actions to dismantle U.S. environmental regulations will cause long-lasting health harms, disproportionately affecting low-income and other vulnerable groups."
Abstract
"The Trump administration’s wide-ranging actions to dismantle U.S. environmental regulations will cause long-lasting health harms, disproportionately affecting low-income and other vulnerable groups."
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Kennedy’s Vaccine Agenda Hits Roadblocks, Diminishing His Clout
Sheryl Gay Stolberg | March 26, 2026
"Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism is posing challenges for the Trump administration. Top health jobs are unfilled, and a court has blocked his vaccine schedule changes ..."
{Gift Link} https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/us/politics/kennedy-vaccines-trump.html?unloc...
Sheryl Gay Stolberg | March 26, 2026
"Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism is posing challenges for the Trump administration. Top health jobs are unfilled, and a court has blocked his vaccine schedule changes ..."
{Gift Link} https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/us/politics/kennedy-vaccines-trump.html?unloc...
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The Horrors That Could Lie Ahead if Vaccines Vanish
Lucas Waldron and Patricia Callahan, with illustrations by Daniel Zender for ProPublica. Design by Zisiga Mukulu. | March 27, 2026
"Researchers at Stanford University modeled how many people could die or be disabled in 25 years if vaccines for polio, measles, rubella or diphtheria were no longer available.
... The number of paralytic polio cases, measles deaths, cases of congenital rubella syndrome and diphtheria deaths in this story are the average values generated by a model created by Stanford University researchers Mathew Kiang and Nathan Lo, which ran 2,000 simulations for each disease. When we refer to a “range” of possibilities, we mean the values within the upper and lower bounds of a 95% uncertainty interval — meaning across all simulations, 95% of the results fall within those bounds. For the worst-case scenario of deaths from diphtheria, the number used is the high end of this range.
For polio, the model generated an average of 23,066 cases of paralytic polio and a range of 0 to 74,934 cases.
For measles, the model generated an average of 290,129 deaths and a range of 285,271 to 294,286 deaths.
For rubella, the model generated an average of 41,441 cases of congenital rubella syndrome and a range of 34,876 to 48,373 cases.
For diphtheria, the model generated an average of 138,284 deaths and a range of 0 to 1,460,394 deaths.
For current vaccination rates, the researchers used the average of the rates from 2004 to 2023 in each state ..."
https://projects.propublica.org/childhood-vaccines-deaths-modeling/
--------------------------------------
Mathew V. Kiang et al. 2025. Modeling Reemergence of Vaccine-Eliminated Infectious Diseases Under Declining Vaccination in the US. JAMA. Published Online: April 24, 2025.
2025;333;(24):2176-2187. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.6495 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2833361
Lucas Waldron and Patricia Callahan, with illustrations by Daniel Zender for ProPublica. Design by Zisiga Mukulu. | March 27, 2026
"Researchers at Stanford University modeled how many people could die or be disabled in 25 years if vaccines for polio, measles, rubella or diphtheria were no longer available.
... The number of paralytic polio cases, measles deaths, cases of congenital rubella syndrome and diphtheria deaths in this story are the average values generated by a model created by Stanford University researchers Mathew Kiang and Nathan Lo, which ran 2,000 simulations for each disease. When we refer to a “range” of possibilities, we mean the values within the upper and lower bounds of a 95% uncertainty interval — meaning across all simulations, 95% of the results fall within those bounds. For the worst-case scenario of deaths from diphtheria, the number used is the high end of this range.
For polio, the model generated an average of 23,066 cases of paralytic polio and a range of 0 to 74,934 cases.
For measles, the model generated an average of 290,129 deaths and a range of 285,271 to 294,286 deaths.
For rubella, the model generated an average of 41,441 cases of congenital rubella syndrome and a range of 34,876 to 48,373 cases.
For diphtheria, the model generated an average of 138,284 deaths and a range of 0 to 1,460,394 deaths.
For current vaccination rates, the researchers used the average of the rates from 2004 to 2023 in each state ..."
https://projects.propublica.org/childhood-vaccines-deaths-modeling/
--------------------------------------
Mathew V. Kiang et al. 2025. Modeling Reemergence of Vaccine-Eliminated Infectious Diseases Under Declining Vaccination in the US. JAMA. Published Online: April 24, 2025.
2025;333;(24):2176-2187. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.6495 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2833361
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Levine, K.S., Blanc, R., Wang, Q. et al. Self-amplifying COVID-19 mRNA vaccination induces longitudinally enhanced antibody function in a Phase 3 trial. npj Vaccines (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41541-026-01431-x https://www.nature.com/articles/s41541-026-01431-x#Abs1
"Abstract. ... Self-amplifying mRNA (sa-mRNA) vaccines such as ARCT-154 can prolong antigen production and durability of humoral immune response post-immunization, and can thus be administered at a lower dose. ... we identified that the sa-mRNA vaccine ARCT-154 elicited a unique antibody response compared to BNT162B2 defined by a sustained, activating profile to the vaccine-encoded Spike protein and a broad spectrum of drifted Spikes. Notably, potently activating FcγRIIIA-binding antibodies showed a sustained stimulation in the ARCT-154-treatment arm, and this translated to an enhanced natural killer (NK) cell activation. The NK-activation through ARCT-154 was present for both target WT Spike and the antigenically drifted BA.5 Spike, which was the predominant form of SARS-CoV-2 during the observation period. Our results support a model whereby prolonged antigen expression and presentation moves immune profiles towards activating phenotypes with broad antigenic coverage.
"Abstract. ... Self-amplifying mRNA (sa-mRNA) vaccines such as ARCT-154 can prolong antigen production and durability of humoral immune response post-immunization, and can thus be administered at a lower dose. ... we identified that the sa-mRNA vaccine ARCT-154 elicited a unique antibody response compared to BNT162B2 defined by a sustained, activating profile to the vaccine-encoded Spike protein and a broad spectrum of drifted Spikes. Notably, potently activating FcγRIIIA-binding antibodies showed a sustained stimulation in the ARCT-154-treatment arm, and this translated to an enhanced natural killer (NK) cell activation. The NK-activation through ARCT-154 was present for both target WT Spike and the antigenically drifted BA.5 Spike, which was the predominant form of SARS-CoV-2 during the observation period. Our results support a model whereby prolonged antigen expression and presentation moves immune profiles towards activating phenotypes with broad antigenic coverage.
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Eric Topol {MD scientist, Scripps} @erictopol.bsky.social | 4:49 PM · Apr 1, 2026:
https://bsky.app/profile/erictopol.bsky.social/post/3mihkutly722f
"The Shingles vaccine is linked w/ reduced risk of Alzheimer's in 4 large natural experiments
Today, the potential of high-dose flu vaccines vs standard dose in a large retrospective age 65+ cohort for less Alzheimer’s. More pronounced in women (like Shingles vaccines)"
--------------------------------------------
Avram Samuel Bukhbinder et al. 2026. Risk of Alzheimer Dementia After High-Dose vs Standard-Dose Influenza Vaccination. Neurology, April 28, 2026 issue. 106 (8) e214782. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000214782 https://www.neurology.org/doi/pdfdirect/10.1212/WNL.0000000000214782
ABSTRACT ...
Results. The H-IIV {high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine} group included 120,775 unique participants ..., and the S-IIV {standard dose inactivated influenza vaccine} group included 44,022 participants ... H-IIV was associated with
significantly lower AD {Alzheimer Dementia} risk during months 1–25 postvaccination (minimum NNT {number needed to treat} = 185.2 at 25
months). After sex stratification, risk reduction persisted longer among women (months 1–13, minimum NNT = 416.7) than men (months 17–24, significant only in intention-to-treat analysis, minimum NNT = 232.6).
Discussion. High-dose influenza vaccination is associated with reduced AD risk compared with standard dose vaccination in adults 65 years {& older}, with a stronger effect among women ...
https://bsky.app/profile/erictopol.bsky.social/post/3mihkutly722f
"The Shingles vaccine is linked w/ reduced risk of Alzheimer's in 4 large natural experiments
Today, the potential of high-dose flu vaccines vs standard dose in a large retrospective age 65+ cohort for less Alzheimer’s. More pronounced in women (like Shingles vaccines)"
--------------------------------------------
Avram Samuel Bukhbinder et al. 2026. Risk of Alzheimer Dementia After High-Dose vs Standard-Dose Influenza Vaccination. Neurology, April 28, 2026 issue. 106 (8) e214782. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000214782 https://www.neurology.org/doi/pdfdirect/10.1212/WNL.0000000000214782
ABSTRACT ...
Results. The H-IIV {high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine} group included 120,775 unique participants ..., and the S-IIV {standard dose inactivated influenza vaccine} group included 44,022 participants ... H-IIV was associated with
significantly lower AD {Alzheimer Dementia} risk during months 1–25 postvaccination (minimum NNT {number needed to treat} = 185.2 at 25
months). After sex stratification, risk reduction persisted longer among women (months 1–13, minimum NNT = 416.7) than men (months 17–24, significant only in intention-to-treat analysis, minimum NNT = 232.6).
Discussion. High-dose influenza vaccination is associated with reduced AD risk compared with standard dose vaccination in adults 65 years {& older}, with a stronger effect among women ...
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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social:
"And this today on reduced CV {cardiovascular} events and flu shots even without infection protection"
------------------------------------------------
Croci Roberto et al. 2026. Influenza vaccination attenuates acute myocardial infarction and stroke risk following influenza infection: a register-based, self-controlled case series study, Denmark, 2014 to 2025. Euro Surveill. 2026;31(13):pii=2500706. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.13.2500706 https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.13.2500706
Key public health message
What did you want to address in this study and why?
Catching influenza increases the short-term risk of heart attack and stroke. Influenza vaccination has been shown to reduce this risk by preventing infection, but it is unclear whether it also offers protection among people who become infected despite vaccination. We wanted to quantify how much more at risk of heart attack and stroke adults in Denmark are shortly after catching influenza, and to assess if prior vaccination can attenuate this risk.
What have we learnt from this study?
In adults 40 years or older in Denmark, hospital admissions for heart attack and stroke were more frequent in the first week after testing positive for influenza than during any other period in the year before and after their test, almost threefold for stroke and fivefold for heart attack. This increased risk was about half as high among people who tested positive for influenza but had received the influenza vaccine that season.
What are the implications of your findings for public health?
Influenza vaccination may offer cardiovascular protection even in instances when it does not prevent infection. If confirmed by additional studies in other settings, this would strengthen the case for prioritising influenza vaccination among people at risk of heart disease or stroke and would support refining recommendations across Europe.
"And this today on reduced CV {cardiovascular} events and flu shots even without infection protection"
------------------------------------------------
Croci Roberto et al. 2026. Influenza vaccination attenuates acute myocardial infarction and stroke risk following influenza infection: a register-based, self-controlled case series study, Denmark, 2014 to 2025. Euro Surveill. 2026;31(13):pii=2500706. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.13.2500706 https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2026.31.13.2500706
Key public health message
What did you want to address in this study and why?
Catching influenza increases the short-term risk of heart attack and stroke. Influenza vaccination has been shown to reduce this risk by preventing infection, but it is unclear whether it also offers protection among people who become infected despite vaccination. We wanted to quantify how much more at risk of heart attack and stroke adults in Denmark are shortly after catching influenza, and to assess if prior vaccination can attenuate this risk.
What have we learnt from this study?
In adults 40 years or older in Denmark, hospital admissions for heart attack and stroke were more frequent in the first week after testing positive for influenza than during any other period in the year before and after their test, almost threefold for stroke and fivefold for heart attack. This increased risk was about half as high among people who tested positive for influenza but had received the influenza vaccine that season.
What are the implications of your findings for public health?
Influenza vaccination may offer cardiovascular protection even in instances when it does not prevent infection. If confirmed by additional studies in other settings, this would strengthen the case for prioritising influenza vaccination among people at risk of heart disease or stroke and would support refining recommendations across Europe.
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CDC delays publishing report showing covid vaccine benefits
Lena H. Sun | April 9, 2026
"The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention {Jay Bhattacharya} has delayed publication of a CDC report showing the covid-19 vaccine cut the likelihood of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for healthy adults last winter by about half ...
The move has raised concerns among current and former officials that information about the vaccine’s benefits are being downplayed because they conflict with the views of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been an outspoken critic of the shots.
... The report had been scheduled for publication March 19 in the CDC’s flagship scientific journal, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report ...
... The report had cleared the agency’s scientific-review process ..."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/04/09/covid-vaccine-report-delayed/
Lena H. Sun | April 9, 2026
"The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention {Jay Bhattacharya} has delayed publication of a CDC report showing the covid-19 vaccine cut the likelihood of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for healthy adults last winter by about half ...
The move has raised concerns among current and former officials that information about the vaccine’s benefits are being downplayed because they conflict with the views of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been an outspoken critic of the shots.
... The report had been scheduled for publication March 19 in the CDC’s flagship scientific journal, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report ...
... The report had cleared the agency’s scientific-review process ..."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/04/09/covid-vaccine-report-delayed/
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Jeremy W. Jacobs et al. 2026. Directed donations for unvaccinated blood: A departure from evidence-based medicine associated with clinical harm, resource waste, and oversight gaps in a two-year single-center series. Transfusion. First published: 28 March 2026 https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.70195 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/trf.70195 OPEN ACCESS
... 4 DISCUSSION
In this series, all directed donor units received at VUMC {Vanderbilt University Medical Center} in 2024 and 2025 were motivated by requests for “unvaccinated blood”... These cases highlight a systems vulnerability whereby routing requests directly to an online directed-donation workflow may bypass standardized counseling and escalation pathways recommended in published guidance.
4.1 Comparison with structured intervention programs
Our findings contrast with reports from institutions that use structured pathways for vaccine-related transfusion concerns. At Mayo Clinic, a shared decision-making approach within a Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Program resulted in most patients ultimately accepting standard blood products, and the institution subsequently restricted directed donation in the absence of medical indication... Similarly, at Seattle Children's Hospital, structured consultation involving transfusion medicine and ethics supported families in ultimately accepting standard inventory products in pediatric cardiac surgery cases...
Our series reflects a different institutional reality ... resulting in 15 patients proceeding to directed donation with multiple downstream impacts ...
Our cohort included urgent and emergent cases and a majority of pediatric patients, as 9 of 15 patients (60%) and 8 of 13 transfused patients (62%) were under 18 years of age. This observation carries distinct ethical weight. Unlike autonomous adult refusals of standard care, these represent surrogate decisions made by parents on behalf of patients who cannot consent ... warrants further investigation given that parental directed donations carry the highest infectious disease marker positivity rates...
Moreover, the clinical deterioration observed in our series, including hemodynamic shock and severe symptomatic anemia while awaiting directed units, challenges claims by some groups that non-medically indicated directed donation is a benign or low-risk accommodation ...
4.2 Blood center policy variation
A critical systemic factor enabling the cases we observed is heterogeneity in blood center policies...
This policy variation creates a critical expertise gap. When a surgeon, nurse, or perioperative staff member assists a patient or family in completing an online directed donation form—as appears to have occurred in many of our cases—the request bypasses transfusion medicine experts who possess specialized knowledge regarding transfusion safety, infectious disease risks in directed donation, and evidence-based alternatives.
4.3 Risks specific to directed donation
Despite being framed as “safer,” directed donations may paradoxically increase risk. Directed units, particularly from family members, have been associated with higher infectious disease marker positivity than volunteer donations. ... First-time parental donors exhibit infectious disease marker positivity rates of 6–7%, substantially higher than community donors ... directed donors are often first-time or family donors, groups associated with less favorable infectious-risk profiles than repeat volunteer donors. These elevated rates likely reflect social pressure within patient-related donor networks that may compromise the integrity of donor screening. In the parent–child setting, donors may underreport high-risk behaviors out of a mistaken belief that their blood could not harm their child... Contemporary testing has reduced residual transfusion-transmitted viral risk to very low levels, but not to zero, and first-time donors are estimated to carry a several-fold higher residual risk of transfusion-transmitted infection than repeat donors. Notably, all transfused patients in our series received at least one product from a family member, making these concerns especially relevant in our cohort.
Furthermore, directed donations from biological relatives also require irradiation to prevent transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD), a potentially fatal complication. This mandatory processing step adds operational complexity and cost that clinical teams initiating directed donation requests outside transfusion medicine oversight may not anticipate, and failure to irradiate a biologically related donor unit could have catastrophic consequences...
Beyond these immediate hazards, directed donations from close relatives carry immunologic consequences that non-transfusion medicine clinicians may not recognize. Recipients may form human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies against a family donor, potentially precluding that individual as a future stem cell or organ donor, a particularly consequential outcome in pediatric patients for whom related-donor transplantation may later become necessary. The risk is further heightened when mothers donate to their children. During pregnancy, mothers commonly develop HLA antibodies against paternally inherited fetal antigens; transfusing maternal blood to the child therefore carries an elevated risk of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), a serious and potentially fatal reaction. Without transfusion medicine involvement in directed donation discussions, these risks may go unappreciated until harm has occurred.
In addition to the risks to the intended recipient, the disposition of unused directed units raises distinct concerns. Although 12 RBC units (25% of all directed units received) were released to the general allogeneic inventory, ostensibly mitigating waste, this disposition does not represent equivalent resource recovery. These units originated from directed donors, predominantly first-time family members, a population with elevated infectious disease marker positivity rates. Once crossed over, however, these units become indistinguishable from standard volunteer community donor products to the ordering clinician and receiving patient. The downstream recipient has no knowledge that the unit they received bypassed the foundational safety layer of voluntary, anonymous donation free from social coercion, nor did they consent to receive such a unit. While infectious disease testing is highly effective, the safety of the blood supply is predicated on layered risk reduction in which no single layer, including testing, is assumed to be infallible. Releasing directed units into the general supply thus does not recoup inefficiency; rather, it transfers risk from the requesting family's unused product to an uninvolved third party, raising concerns about population-level nonmaleficence that extend beyond the index patient.
4.4 Practical implications for health systems
Building on the Mayo Clinic and Seattle Children's experience and established ethical frameworks for directed donation, ... health systems should consider several key interventions ... : (1) mandatory transfusion medicine consultation for all directed donation requests before blood collection proceeds, replacing optional online submission pathways; (2) dedicated bloodless medicine specialists or patient blood management programs with expertise in shared decision-making; (3) explicit institutional policies prohibiting directed donation solely for donor vaccination concerns or other donor characteristics irrelevant to transfusion safety (e.g., race, ethnicity); and (4) differentiated pathways for urgent, emergent, and pediatric cases given the heightened clinical and ethical stakes in these populations.
Proposed algorithm to approach requests for directed donations of blood products.
Such policies also serve a protective function for clinicians, who may face sustained pressure from patients or families to accommodate non-medically indicated requests. A clear institutional policy removes the burden of individual refusal and provides a framework for redirecting these conversations to transfusion medicine and ethics for shared decision-making with appropriate expertise.
Educational materials should explicitly address the false perception that directed donation is safer than standard inventory, emphasizing that COVID-19 vaccination status is not a medically relevant blood safety attribute and that directed donations based on such characteristics lack scientific support but carry unnecessary risk. ... In addition, some blood centers may charge supplemental per-unit fees for directed donations ... , which may partially offset collection and processing costs but do not eliminate the downstream operational and financial burdens borne by hospital transfusion services. These burdens may include product modifications, separate inventory management and storage, and workflow changes related to issuance. ... More than one-third of directed units received by our blood bank were not transfused to the intended recipient, illustrating the resource inefficiency inherent in these requests. Moreover, the release of unused directed units to general inventory should not be interpreted as efficient utilization, as these units carry risk profiles distinct from those of standard volunteer donor products. Health systems should work collaboratively with their blood suppliers to ensure that consultation requirements are implemented upstream, before blood collection proceeds.
5 LIMITATIONS ...
6 CONCLUSION
Directed donation pursued for “unvaccinated” blood concerns occurred across pediatric and adult settings in both elective and urgent clinical scenarios. These requests were associated with clinical deterioration, care delays, and resource inefficiencies when standard inventory products were refused. The near absence of documented ethics and transfusion medicine oversight in these cases represents a critical gap. Standardized institutional pathways aligned with existing professional guidance may mitigate patient-care risk and operational disruption.
... 4 DISCUSSION
In this series, all directed donor units received at VUMC {Vanderbilt University Medical Center} in 2024 and 2025 were motivated by requests for “unvaccinated blood”... These cases highlight a systems vulnerability whereby routing requests directly to an online directed-donation workflow may bypass standardized counseling and escalation pathways recommended in published guidance.
4.1 Comparison with structured intervention programs
Our findings contrast with reports from institutions that use structured pathways for vaccine-related transfusion concerns. At Mayo Clinic, a shared decision-making approach within a Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Program resulted in most patients ultimately accepting standard blood products, and the institution subsequently restricted directed donation in the absence of medical indication... Similarly, at Seattle Children's Hospital, structured consultation involving transfusion medicine and ethics supported families in ultimately accepting standard inventory products in pediatric cardiac surgery cases...
Our series reflects a different institutional reality ... resulting in 15 patients proceeding to directed donation with multiple downstream impacts ...
Our cohort included urgent and emergent cases and a majority of pediatric patients, as 9 of 15 patients (60%) and 8 of 13 transfused patients (62%) were under 18 years of age. This observation carries distinct ethical weight. Unlike autonomous adult refusals of standard care, these represent surrogate decisions made by parents on behalf of patients who cannot consent ... warrants further investigation given that parental directed donations carry the highest infectious disease marker positivity rates...
Moreover, the clinical deterioration observed in our series, including hemodynamic shock and severe symptomatic anemia while awaiting directed units, challenges claims by some groups that non-medically indicated directed donation is a benign or low-risk accommodation ...
4.2 Blood center policy variation
A critical systemic factor enabling the cases we observed is heterogeneity in blood center policies...
This policy variation creates a critical expertise gap. When a surgeon, nurse, or perioperative staff member assists a patient or family in completing an online directed donation form—as appears to have occurred in many of our cases—the request bypasses transfusion medicine experts who possess specialized knowledge regarding transfusion safety, infectious disease risks in directed donation, and evidence-based alternatives.
4.3 Risks specific to directed donation
Despite being framed as “safer,” directed donations may paradoxically increase risk. Directed units, particularly from family members, have been associated with higher infectious disease marker positivity than volunteer donations. ... First-time parental donors exhibit infectious disease marker positivity rates of 6–7%, substantially higher than community donors ... directed donors are often first-time or family donors, groups associated with less favorable infectious-risk profiles than repeat volunteer donors. These elevated rates likely reflect social pressure within patient-related donor networks that may compromise the integrity of donor screening. In the parent–child setting, donors may underreport high-risk behaviors out of a mistaken belief that their blood could not harm their child... Contemporary testing has reduced residual transfusion-transmitted viral risk to very low levels, but not to zero, and first-time donors are estimated to carry a several-fold higher residual risk of transfusion-transmitted infection than repeat donors. Notably, all transfused patients in our series received at least one product from a family member, making these concerns especially relevant in our cohort.
Furthermore, directed donations from biological relatives also require irradiation to prevent transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD), a potentially fatal complication. This mandatory processing step adds operational complexity and cost that clinical teams initiating directed donation requests outside transfusion medicine oversight may not anticipate, and failure to irradiate a biologically related donor unit could have catastrophic consequences...
Beyond these immediate hazards, directed donations from close relatives carry immunologic consequences that non-transfusion medicine clinicians may not recognize. Recipients may form human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies against a family donor, potentially precluding that individual as a future stem cell or organ donor, a particularly consequential outcome in pediatric patients for whom related-donor transplantation may later become necessary. The risk is further heightened when mothers donate to their children. During pregnancy, mothers commonly develop HLA antibodies against paternally inherited fetal antigens; transfusing maternal blood to the child therefore carries an elevated risk of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), a serious and potentially fatal reaction. Without transfusion medicine involvement in directed donation discussions, these risks may go unappreciated until harm has occurred.
In addition to the risks to the intended recipient, the disposition of unused directed units raises distinct concerns. Although 12 RBC units (25% of all directed units received) were released to the general allogeneic inventory, ostensibly mitigating waste, this disposition does not represent equivalent resource recovery. These units originated from directed donors, predominantly first-time family members, a population with elevated infectious disease marker positivity rates. Once crossed over, however, these units become indistinguishable from standard volunteer community donor products to the ordering clinician and receiving patient. The downstream recipient has no knowledge that the unit they received bypassed the foundational safety layer of voluntary, anonymous donation free from social coercion, nor did they consent to receive such a unit. While infectious disease testing is highly effective, the safety of the blood supply is predicated on layered risk reduction in which no single layer, including testing, is assumed to be infallible. Releasing directed units into the general supply thus does not recoup inefficiency; rather, it transfers risk from the requesting family's unused product to an uninvolved third party, raising concerns about population-level nonmaleficence that extend beyond the index patient.
4.4 Practical implications for health systems
Building on the Mayo Clinic and Seattle Children's experience and established ethical frameworks for directed donation, ... health systems should consider several key interventions ... : (1) mandatory transfusion medicine consultation for all directed donation requests before blood collection proceeds, replacing optional online submission pathways; (2) dedicated bloodless medicine specialists or patient blood management programs with expertise in shared decision-making; (3) explicit institutional policies prohibiting directed donation solely for donor vaccination concerns or other donor characteristics irrelevant to transfusion safety (e.g., race, ethnicity); and (4) differentiated pathways for urgent, emergent, and pediatric cases given the heightened clinical and ethical stakes in these populations.
Proposed algorithm to approach requests for directed donations of blood products.
Such policies also serve a protective function for clinicians, who may face sustained pressure from patients or families to accommodate non-medically indicated requests. A clear institutional policy removes the burden of individual refusal and provides a framework for redirecting these conversations to transfusion medicine and ethics for shared decision-making with appropriate expertise.
Educational materials should explicitly address the false perception that directed donation is safer than standard inventory, emphasizing that COVID-19 vaccination status is not a medically relevant blood safety attribute and that directed donations based on such characteristics lack scientific support but carry unnecessary risk. ... In addition, some blood centers may charge supplemental per-unit fees for directed donations ... , which may partially offset collection and processing costs but do not eliminate the downstream operational and financial burdens borne by hospital transfusion services. These burdens may include product modifications, separate inventory management and storage, and workflow changes related to issuance. ... More than one-third of directed units received by our blood bank were not transfused to the intended recipient, illustrating the resource inefficiency inherent in these requests. Moreover, the release of unused directed units to general inventory should not be interpreted as efficient utilization, as these units carry risk profiles distinct from those of standard volunteer donor products. Health systems should work collaboratively with their blood suppliers to ensure that consultation requirements are implemented upstream, before blood collection proceeds.
5 LIMITATIONS ...
6 CONCLUSION
Directed donation pursued for “unvaccinated” blood concerns occurred across pediatric and adult settings in both elective and urgent clinical scenarios. These requests were associated with clinical deterioration, care delays, and resource inefficiencies when standard inventory products were refused. The near absence of documented ethics and transfusion medicine oversight in these cases represents a critical gap. Standardized institutional pathways aligned with existing professional guidance may mitigate patient-care risk and operational disruption.
43margd
Jeremy W. Jacobs et al. 2026. Directed donations for unvaccinated blood: A departure from evidence-based medicine associated with clinical harm, resource waste, and oversight gaps in a two-year single-center series. Transfusion. First published: 28 March 2026 https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.70195 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/trf.70195 OPEN ACCESS
... 4 DISCUSSION
In this series, all directed donor units received at VUMC {Vanderbilt University Medical Center} in 2024 and 2025 were motivated by requests for “unvaccinated blood”... These cases highlight a systems vulnerability whereby routing requests directly to an online directed-donation workflow may bypass standardized counseling and escalation pathways recommended in published guidance.
4.1 Comparison with structured intervention programs
Our findings contrast with reports from institutions that use structured pathways for vaccine-related transfusion concerns. At Mayo Clinic, a shared decision-making approach within a Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Program resulted in most patients ultimately accepting standard blood products, and the institution subsequently restricted directed donation in the absence of medical indication... Similarly, at Seattle Children's Hospital, structured consultation involving transfusion medicine and ethics supported families in ultimately accepting standard inventory products in pediatric cardiac surgery cases...
Our series reflects a different institutional reality ... resulting in 15 patients proceeding to directed donation with multiple downstream impacts ...
Our cohort included urgent and emergent cases and a majority of pediatric patients, as 9 of 15 patients (60%) and 8 of 13 transfused patients (62%) were under 18 years of age. This observation carries distinct ethical weight. Unlike autonomous adult refusals of standard care, these represent surrogate decisions made by parents on behalf of patients who cannot consent ... warrants further investigation given that parental directed donations carry the highest infectious disease marker positivity rates...
Moreover, the clinical deterioration observed in our series, including hemodynamic shock and severe symptomatic anemia while awaiting directed units, challenges claims by some groups that non-medically indicated directed donation is a benign or low-risk accommodation ...
4.2 Blood center policy variation
A critical systemic factor enabling the cases we observed is heterogeneity in blood center policies...
This policy variation creates a critical expertise gap. When a surgeon, nurse, or perioperative staff member assists a patient or family in completing an online directed donation form—as appears to have occurred in many of our cases—the request bypasses transfusion medicine experts who possess specialized knowledge regarding transfusion safety, infectious disease risks in directed donation, and evidence-based alternatives.
4.3 Risks specific to directed donation
Despite being framed as “safer,” directed donations may paradoxically increase risk. Directed units, particularly from family members, have been associated with higher infectious disease marker positivity than volunteer donations. ... First-time parental donors exhibit infectious disease marker positivity rates of 6–7%, substantially higher than community donors ... directed donors are often first-time or family donors, groups associated with less favorable infectious-risk profiles than repeat volunteer donors. These elevated rates likely reflect social pressure within patient-related donor networks that may compromise the integrity of donor screening. In the parent–child setting, donors may underreport high-risk behaviors out of a mistaken belief that their blood could not harm their child... Contemporary testing has reduced residual transfusion-transmitted viral risk to very low levels, but not to zero, and first-time donors are estimated to carry a several-fold higher residual risk of transfusion-transmitted infection than repeat donors. Notably, all transfused patients in our series received at least one product from a family member, making these concerns especially relevant in our cohort.
Furthermore, directed donations from biological relatives also require irradiation to prevent transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD), a potentially fatal complication. This mandatory processing step adds operational complexity and cost that clinical teams initiating directed donation requests outside transfusion medicine oversight may not anticipate, and failure to irradiate a biologically related donor unit could have catastrophic consequences...
Beyond these immediate hazards, directed donations from close relatives carry immunologic consequences that non-transfusion medicine clinicians may not recognize. Recipients may form human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies against a family donor, potentially precluding that individual as a future stem cell or organ donor, a particularly consequential outcome in pediatric patients for whom related-donor transplantation may later become necessary. The risk is further heightened when mothers donate to their children. During pregnancy, mothers commonly develop HLA antibodies against paternally inherited fetal antigens; transfusing maternal blood to the child therefore carries an elevated risk of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), a serious and potentially fatal reaction. Without transfusion medicine involvement in directed donation discussions, these risks may go unappreciated until harm has occurred.
In addition to the risks to the intended recipient, the disposition of unused directed units raises distinct concerns. Although 12 RBC units (25% of all directed units received) were released to the general allogeneic inventory, ostensibly mitigating waste, this disposition does not represent equivalent resource recovery. These units originated from directed donors, predominantly first-time family members, a population with elevated infectious disease marker positivity rates. Once crossed over, however, these units become indistinguishable from standard volunteer community donor products to the ordering clinician and receiving patient. The downstream recipient has no knowledge that the unit they received bypassed the foundational safety layer of voluntary, anonymous donation free from social coercion, nor did they consent to receive such a unit. While infectious disease testing is highly effective, the safety of the blood supply is predicated on layered risk reduction in which no single layer, including testing, is assumed to be infallible. Releasing directed units into the general supply thus does not recoup inefficiency; rather, it transfers risk from the requesting family's unused product to an uninvolved third party, raising concerns about population-level nonmaleficence that extend beyond the index patient.
4.4 Practical implications for health systems
Building on the Mayo Clinic and Seattle Children's experience and established ethical frameworks for directed donation, ... health systems should consider several key interventions ... : (1) mandatory transfusion medicine consultation for all directed donation requests before blood collection proceeds, replacing optional online submission pathways; (2) dedicated bloodless medicine specialists or patient blood management programs with expertise in shared decision-making; (3) explicit institutional policies prohibiting directed donation solely for donor vaccination concerns or other donor characteristics irrelevant to transfusion safety (e.g., race, ethnicity); and (4) differentiated pathways for urgent, emergent, and pediatric cases given the heightened clinical and ethical stakes in these populations.
Proposed algorithm to approach requests for directed donations of blood products.
Such policies also serve a protective function for clinicians, who may face sustained pressure from patients or families to accommodate non-medically indicated requests. A clear institutional policy removes the burden of individual refusal and provides a framework for redirecting these conversations to transfusion medicine and ethics for shared decision-making with appropriate expertise.
Educational materials should explicitly address the false perception that directed donation is safer than standard inventory, emphasizing that COVID-19 vaccination status is not a medically relevant blood safety attribute and that directed donations based on such characteristics lack scientific support but carry unnecessary risk. ... In addition, some blood centers may charge supplemental per-unit fees for directed donations ... , which may partially offset collection and processing costs but do not eliminate the downstream operational and financial burdens borne by hospital transfusion services. These burdens may include product modifications, separate inventory management and storage, and workflow changes related to issuance. ... More than one-third of directed units received by our blood bank were not transfused to the intended recipient, illustrating the resource inefficiency inherent in these requests. Moreover, the release of unused directed units to general inventory should not be interpreted as efficient utilization, as these units carry risk profiles distinct from those of standard volunteer donor products. Health systems should work collaboratively with their blood suppliers to ensure that consultation requirements are implemented upstream, before blood collection proceeds.
5 LIMITATIONS ...
6 CONCLUSION
Directed donation pursued for “unvaccinated” blood concerns occurred across pediatric and adult settings in both elective and urgent clinical scenarios. These requests were associated with clinical deterioration, care delays, and resource inefficiencies when standard inventory products were refused. The near absence of documented ethics and transfusion medicine oversight in these cases represents a critical gap. Standardized institutional pathways aligned with existing professional guidance may mitigate patient-care risk and operational disruption.
... 4 DISCUSSION
In this series, all directed donor units received at VUMC {Vanderbilt University Medical Center} in 2024 and 2025 were motivated by requests for “unvaccinated blood”... These cases highlight a systems vulnerability whereby routing requests directly to an online directed-donation workflow may bypass standardized counseling and escalation pathways recommended in published guidance.
4.1 Comparison with structured intervention programs
Our findings contrast with reports from institutions that use structured pathways for vaccine-related transfusion concerns. At Mayo Clinic, a shared decision-making approach within a Bloodless Medicine and Surgery Program resulted in most patients ultimately accepting standard blood products, and the institution subsequently restricted directed donation in the absence of medical indication... Similarly, at Seattle Children's Hospital, structured consultation involving transfusion medicine and ethics supported families in ultimately accepting standard inventory products in pediatric cardiac surgery cases...
Our series reflects a different institutional reality ... resulting in 15 patients proceeding to directed donation with multiple downstream impacts ...
Our cohort included urgent and emergent cases and a majority of pediatric patients, as 9 of 15 patients (60%) and 8 of 13 transfused patients (62%) were under 18 years of age. This observation carries distinct ethical weight. Unlike autonomous adult refusals of standard care, these represent surrogate decisions made by parents on behalf of patients who cannot consent ... warrants further investigation given that parental directed donations carry the highest infectious disease marker positivity rates...
Moreover, the clinical deterioration observed in our series, including hemodynamic shock and severe symptomatic anemia while awaiting directed units, challenges claims by some groups that non-medically indicated directed donation is a benign or low-risk accommodation ...
4.2 Blood center policy variation
A critical systemic factor enabling the cases we observed is heterogeneity in blood center policies...
This policy variation creates a critical expertise gap. When a surgeon, nurse, or perioperative staff member assists a patient or family in completing an online directed donation form—as appears to have occurred in many of our cases—the request bypasses transfusion medicine experts who possess specialized knowledge regarding transfusion safety, infectious disease risks in directed donation, and evidence-based alternatives.
4.3 Risks specific to directed donation
Despite being framed as “safer,” directed donations may paradoxically increase risk. Directed units, particularly from family members, have been associated with higher infectious disease marker positivity than volunteer donations. ... First-time parental donors exhibit infectious disease marker positivity rates of 6–7%, substantially higher than community donors ... directed donors are often first-time or family donors, groups associated with less favorable infectious-risk profiles than repeat volunteer donors. These elevated rates likely reflect social pressure within patient-related donor networks that may compromise the integrity of donor screening. In the parent–child setting, donors may underreport high-risk behaviors out of a mistaken belief that their blood could not harm their child... Contemporary testing has reduced residual transfusion-transmitted viral risk to very low levels, but not to zero, and first-time donors are estimated to carry a several-fold higher residual risk of transfusion-transmitted infection than repeat donors. Notably, all transfused patients in our series received at least one product from a family member, making these concerns especially relevant in our cohort.
Furthermore, directed donations from biological relatives also require irradiation to prevent transfusion-associated graft-versus-host disease (TA-GVHD), a potentially fatal complication. This mandatory processing step adds operational complexity and cost that clinical teams initiating directed donation requests outside transfusion medicine oversight may not anticipate, and failure to irradiate a biologically related donor unit could have catastrophic consequences...
Beyond these immediate hazards, directed donations from close relatives carry immunologic consequences that non-transfusion medicine clinicians may not recognize. Recipients may form human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies against a family donor, potentially precluding that individual as a future stem cell or organ donor, a particularly consequential outcome in pediatric patients for whom related-donor transplantation may later become necessary. The risk is further heightened when mothers donate to their children. During pregnancy, mothers commonly develop HLA antibodies against paternally inherited fetal antigens; transfusing maternal blood to the child therefore carries an elevated risk of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), a serious and potentially fatal reaction. Without transfusion medicine involvement in directed donation discussions, these risks may go unappreciated until harm has occurred.
In addition to the risks to the intended recipient, the disposition of unused directed units raises distinct concerns. Although 12 RBC units (25% of all directed units received) were released to the general allogeneic inventory, ostensibly mitigating waste, this disposition does not represent equivalent resource recovery. These units originated from directed donors, predominantly first-time family members, a population with elevated infectious disease marker positivity rates. Once crossed over, however, these units become indistinguishable from standard volunteer community donor products to the ordering clinician and receiving patient. The downstream recipient has no knowledge that the unit they received bypassed the foundational safety layer of voluntary, anonymous donation free from social coercion, nor did they consent to receive such a unit. While infectious disease testing is highly effective, the safety of the blood supply is predicated on layered risk reduction in which no single layer, including testing, is assumed to be infallible. Releasing directed units into the general supply thus does not recoup inefficiency; rather, it transfers risk from the requesting family's unused product to an uninvolved third party, raising concerns about population-level nonmaleficence that extend beyond the index patient.
4.4 Practical implications for health systems
Building on the Mayo Clinic and Seattle Children's experience and established ethical frameworks for directed donation, ... health systems should consider several key interventions ... : (1) mandatory transfusion medicine consultation for all directed donation requests before blood collection proceeds, replacing optional online submission pathways; (2) dedicated bloodless medicine specialists or patient blood management programs with expertise in shared decision-making; (3) explicit institutional policies prohibiting directed donation solely for donor vaccination concerns or other donor characteristics irrelevant to transfusion safety (e.g., race, ethnicity); and (4) differentiated pathways for urgent, emergent, and pediatric cases given the heightened clinical and ethical stakes in these populations.
Proposed algorithm to approach requests for directed donations of blood products.
Such policies also serve a protective function for clinicians, who may face sustained pressure from patients or families to accommodate non-medically indicated requests. A clear institutional policy removes the burden of individual refusal and provides a framework for redirecting these conversations to transfusion medicine and ethics for shared decision-making with appropriate expertise.
Educational materials should explicitly address the false perception that directed donation is safer than standard inventory, emphasizing that COVID-19 vaccination status is not a medically relevant blood safety attribute and that directed donations based on such characteristics lack scientific support but carry unnecessary risk. ... In addition, some blood centers may charge supplemental per-unit fees for directed donations ... , which may partially offset collection and processing costs but do not eliminate the downstream operational and financial burdens borne by hospital transfusion services. These burdens may include product modifications, separate inventory management and storage, and workflow changes related to issuance. ... More than one-third of directed units received by our blood bank were not transfused to the intended recipient, illustrating the resource inefficiency inherent in these requests. Moreover, the release of unused directed units to general inventory should not be interpreted as efficient utilization, as these units carry risk profiles distinct from those of standard volunteer donor products. Health systems should work collaboratively with their blood suppliers to ensure that consultation requirements are implemented upstream, before blood collection proceeds.
5 LIMITATIONS ...
6 CONCLUSION
Directed donation pursued for “unvaccinated” blood concerns occurred across pediatric and adult settings in both elective and urgent clinical scenarios. These requests were associated with clinical deterioration, care delays, and resource inefficiencies when standard inventory products were refused. The near absence of documented ethics and transfusion medicine oversight in these cases represents a critical gap. Standardized institutional pathways aligned with existing professional guidance may mitigate patient-care risk and operational disruption.
44margd
Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows lasting results in an early trial
Kaitlin Sullivan, Marina Kopf and Anne Thompson | April 18, 2026
Scientists caution that more research is needed, but nearly all of the patients who responded to the personalized vaccine are still alive six years later.
... experts have long believed that people with pancreatic cancer could not generate an immune response against tumors. But after nine doses of the personalized vaccine, ... eight people in the 16-person Phase 1 trial ... did just that, producing an army of immune cells called T cells that seek out and destroy tumor cells.
... {Dr. Vinod Balachandran, director of the Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City} and his team published the results of the Phase 1 clinical trial last year. At the time, the patients, all of whom had early-stage disease before they joined the trial, had only been tracked for just over three years, and it was unclear whether the immune response would last and lead to the patients living longer, he said. New data collected during the trial’s six-year follow-up period shows that it may. Those findings will be presented Monday at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting in San Diego
... The results are promising but early ...
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/pancreatic-cancer-mrna-vaccine-shows-lasti...
Kaitlin Sullivan, Marina Kopf and Anne Thompson | April 18, 2026
Scientists caution that more research is needed, but nearly all of the patients who responded to the personalized vaccine are still alive six years later.
... experts have long believed that people with pancreatic cancer could not generate an immune response against tumors. But after nine doses of the personalized vaccine, ... eight people in the 16-person Phase 1 trial ... did just that, producing an army of immune cells called T cells that seek out and destroy tumor cells.
... {Dr. Vinod Balachandran, director of the Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City} and his team published the results of the Phase 1 clinical trial last year. At the time, the patients, all of whom had early-stage disease before they joined the trial, had only been tracked for just over three years, and it was unclear whether the immune response would last and lead to the patients living longer, he said. New data collected during the trial’s six-year follow-up period shows that it may. Those findings will be presented Monday at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting in San Diego
... The results are promising but early ...
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/pancreatic-cancer-mrna-vaccine-shows-lasti...
45margd
JAMA: "In an analysis of US state actions taken in 2025, many states preserved or expanded #COVID19 vaccination infrastructure by maintaining pharmacist authority and issuing state-level clinical guidance independent of federal recommendations.
Fewer states enacted policies that limited access, most often through expanded exemptions or constraints on public health authority."
--------------------------------------------
Olurotimi M. Kukoyi et al. 2026. US State Actions Related to COVID-19 Vaccination Infrastructure and Access Amid Federal Shifts (Research Letter). JAMA, Published Online: April 20, 2026. doi: 10.1001/jama.2026.5148 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2847986 (OPEN ACCESS)
Fewer states enacted policies that limited access, most often through expanded exemptions or constraints on public health authority."
--------------------------------------------
Olurotimi M. Kukoyi et al. 2026. US State Actions Related to COVID-19 Vaccination Infrastructure and Access Amid Federal Shifts (Research Letter). JAMA, Published Online: April 20, 2026. doi: 10.1001/jama.2026.5148 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2847986 (OPEN ACCESS)
46margd
John Robert Warren et al. Municipal water fluoridation, adolescent IQ, and cognition across the life course: Evidence from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (Brief Report). PNAS, April 13, 2026. 123 (16) e2536005123. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2536005123 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2536005123
Abstract
We investigate associations between community water fluoridation (CWF), adolescent IQ, and cognition across the life course using representative data from the US state of Wisconsin. ... In contrast to studies cited in recent decisions to end CWF in Utah, Florida, and elsewhere, we find no evidence that CWF is negatively associated with adolescent IQ or adult cognitive functioning.
Abstract
We investigate associations between community water fluoridation (CWF), adolescent IQ, and cognition across the life course using representative data from the US state of Wisconsin. ... In contrast to studies cited in recent decisions to end CWF in Utah, Florida, and elsewhere, we find no evidence that CWF is negatively associated with adolescent IQ or adult cognitive functioning.
47margd
CDC blocks publication of report showing COVID vaccine efficacy
Chris Dall | April 22, 2026
"... The Washington Post, which first reported the news, says the report, initially scheduled to be published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on March 19, showed the COVID-19 vaccine cut the likelihood of emergency department visits and hospitalizations in half this past winter {25/26}.
The report had cleared the agency’s scientific review process before being delayed by acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, over concerns about the methodology. But the same methodology has long been used by the CDC to evaluate vaccine effectiveness for respiratory viruses and was used in a study on the flu vaccine published last month in MMWR.
... A former CDC official said he wasn’t aware of a report that was already cleared and scheduled for publication in MMWR being blocked by leadership during his time at the agency ..."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/cdc-blocks-publication-report-showing-covid-...
Chris Dall | April 22, 2026
"... The Washington Post, which first reported the news, says the report, initially scheduled to be published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on March 19, showed the COVID-19 vaccine cut the likelihood of emergency department visits and hospitalizations in half this past winter {25/26}.
The report had cleared the agency’s scientific review process before being delayed by acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, over concerns about the methodology. But the same methodology has long been used by the CDC to evaluate vaccine effectiveness for respiratory viruses and was used in a study on the flu vaccine published last month in MMWR.
... A former CDC official said he wasn’t aware of a report that was already cleared and scheduled for publication in MMWR being blocked by leadership during his time at the agency ..."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/cdc-blocks-publication-report-showing-covid-...
48margd
>47 margd: contd.
LenaSun @bylenasun | 1:15 PM · Apr 23, 2026:
National Health reporter for The Washington Post.
https://x.com/bylenasun/status/2047363750164828608
NEW: After I reported that CDC won’t publish a report showing covid vaccine cut ER visits and hospitalizations among healthy adults by about half this past winter,
@SenBlumenthal is asking the head of CDC for records and information about the decision {by 7 May 2026}. 1/3
Blumenthal is ranking member of Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Excerpts from the letter to Jay Bhattacharya:
“Your apparent decision to limit access to critical public health information represents yet another troubling instance of politicized science” at HHS.
Letter noted Bhattacharya’s opposition to public health measures during pandemic/RFK Jr.’s history of hostility toward vaccination. “infectious disease researchers are rightly concerned that your explanation for failing to publish the study is little more than a smokescreen.” 3/3
{Sen Blumenthal letter to CDC A/Director Bhattacharya, 23 April 2026} https://x.com/bylenasun/status/2047363750164828608/photo/1
https://x.com/bylenasun/status/2047363750164828608/photo/2
LenaSun @bylenasun | 1:15 PM · Apr 23, 2026:
National Health reporter for The Washington Post.
https://x.com/bylenasun/status/2047363750164828608
NEW: After I reported that CDC won’t publish a report showing covid vaccine cut ER visits and hospitalizations among healthy adults by about half this past winter,
@SenBlumenthal is asking the head of CDC for records and information about the decision {by 7 May 2026}. 1/3
Blumenthal is ranking member of Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Excerpts from the letter to Jay Bhattacharya:
“Your apparent decision to limit access to critical public health information represents yet another troubling instance of politicized science” at HHS.
Letter noted Bhattacharya’s opposition to public health measures during pandemic/RFK Jr.’s history of hostility toward vaccination. “infectious disease researchers are rightly concerned that your explanation for failing to publish the study is little more than a smokescreen.” 3/3
{Sen Blumenthal letter to CDC A/Director Bhattacharya, 23 April 2026} https://x.com/bylenasun/status/2047363750164828608/photo/1
https://x.com/bylenasun/status/2047363750164828608/photo/2
49margd
Jakob Hytting 2026. Cardiovascular Events in Women With Prior Cervical High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (Research Letter). JAMA Oncology, Vol. 12, No. 4. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.6504
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2845277
"... This nationwide {Swedish} study demonstrated that AYAs {adolescent and young adult women} with prior cervical HSIL {cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion} faced increased CVD risk and mortality compared with matched controls. HSILs are associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and may contribute to atherosclerosis through systemic inflammation; proinflammatory cytokines upregulation; and promotion of endothelial dysfunction, arterial stiffness, and dysregulated lipid metabolism ..."
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2845277
"... This nationwide {Swedish} study demonstrated that AYAs {adolescent and young adult women} with prior cervical HSIL {cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion} faced increased CVD risk and mortality compared with matched controls. HSILs are associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and may contribute to atherosclerosis through systemic inflammation; proinflammatory cytokines upregulation; and promotion of endothelial dysfunction, arterial stiffness, and dysregulated lipid metabolism ..."
50margd
Trump Withdraws Nomination of Casey Means for Surgeon General
Sheryl Gay Stolberg | April 30, 2026
"Dr. Means’s nomination had stalled in part over her views on vaccines. The president said he was instead nominating Dr. Nicole B. Saphier, a radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ..."
{Gift article} https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/us/politics/casey-means-surgeon-general-withd...
Sheryl Gay Stolberg | April 30, 2026
"Dr. Means’s nomination had stalled in part over her views on vaccines. The president said he was instead nominating Dr. Nicole B. Saphier, a radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ..."
{Gift article} https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/us/politics/casey-means-surgeon-general-withd...
51margd
Gerald Evans @skepticaliddoc.bsky.social (Infectious disease prof, Queen's U):
Having just been interviewed about Lyme disease for the {local paper} in which the discussion included Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) and its cause, this article from @theatlantic.com explores the concept of illness vs. disease.
https://bsky.app/profile/skepticaliddoc.bsky.social/post/3mly6tdrkuc2c
---------------------------------------------------
A Profound Mismatch in Modern Medicine
Jason Liebowitz | May 12, 2026
"The “magic bullet” model that doctors are most comfortable with is ill-suited to some of the most disabling conditions they treat today..."
{Free trial} https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/05/medicine-magic-bullet/687145/
Having just been interviewed about Lyme disease for the {local paper} in which the discussion included Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) and its cause, this article from @theatlantic.com explores the concept of illness vs. disease.
https://bsky.app/profile/skepticaliddoc.bsky.social/post/3mly6tdrkuc2c
---------------------------------------------------
A Profound Mismatch in Modern Medicine
Jason Liebowitz | May 12, 2026
"The “magic bullet” model that doctors are most comfortable with is ill-suited to some of the most disabling conditions they treat today..."
{Free trial} https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/05/medicine-magic-bullet/687145/
52margd
One vaccine may provide broad protection against many respiratory infections and allergens
Nina Bai | 19 Feb 2026
"Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues invented a new {intranasal} vaccine that protects mice from respiratory viruses, bacteria and allergens — the closest yet to a universal vaccine..."
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2026/02/universal-vaccine.html
-------------------------------------------
Haibo Zhang et al. 2026. Mucosal vaccination in mice provides protection from diverse respiratory threats. Science. 19 Feb 2026, First Release. DOI: 10.1126/science.aea1260
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea1260
Nina Bai | 19 Feb 2026
"Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues invented a new {intranasal} vaccine that protects mice from respiratory viruses, bacteria and allergens — the closest yet to a universal vaccine..."
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2026/02/universal-vaccine.html
-------------------------------------------
Haibo Zhang et al. 2026. Mucosal vaccination in mice provides protection from diverse respiratory threats. Science. 19 Feb 2026, First Release. DOI: 10.1126/science.aea1260
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea1260
53margd
Chart. Contagiousness of Andes Hantavirus, Flu, MERS, Ebola, Covid, Measles
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=996290699528550&set=a.124376456719983
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=996290699528550&set=a.124376456719983
54margd
I Survived Ebola. This Is What Scares Me Most About This Outbreak.
Craig Spencer* | May 21, 2026
"... If the outbreak were caused by the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, we’d now be able to provide a recently developed vaccine to family members of infected patients and to health care workers. But we have no effective treatments or vaccines for the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola driving the current outbreak.
We’ll need to rely on bread-and-butter outbreak response measures, like contact tracing, isolation and community support. These are hard to carry out under ideal conditions. And the eastern part of Congo, where this outbreak is concentrated, is anything but ideal. Armed conflict has forced millions from their homes and left many health facilities damaged or destroyed. An Ebola outbreak in the region in 2018 took nearly two years to contain.
This time around, we have far less capacity to respond. In the first weeks of the second Trump administration, Elon Musk gleefully boasted about feeding the United States Agency for International Development into a “wood chipper.” The dismantling of U.S. foreign aid left clinics, community health workers and humanitarian organizations that formed the backbone of health care across eastern Congo without crucial funding.
Slashed alongside the agency was a specialized rapid response team — dozens of experts, including people with direct Ebola response experience, trained and ready to deploy for exactly this kind of moment. During previous Ebola outbreaks, these teams would fund efforts to train communities on safer burial practices to limit spread from highly contagious corpses and set up airport screening to prevent symptomatic travelers from boarding planes.
At a cabinet meeting weeks after his wood-chipper post, as an Ebola outbreak was developing in Uganda, Mr. Musk sheepishly admitted, “one of the things we accidentally canceled, very briefly, was Ebola and Ebola prevention,” but assured everyone that the funding had been restored.
We’re already seeing the fallout of these cuts. The New York Times reported that the delay in detecting the virus stemmed in part from the fact that samples had been transported to a lab in Kinshasa at the wrong temperature, something U.S.A.I.D. would have previously overseen. By the time U.S. officials learned of the outbreak, it had been nearly a month since the first death.
In his first term, President Trump dissolved the National Security Council’s global health security team, put in place after the 2014 Ebola epidemic, and now, in his second term, he has hollowed out the White House’s Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — which helps coordinate early response and contact tracing in a crisis like this — lost a quarter of its staff members in the past year and has had no permanent director for 15 of the last 16 months.
In 2015, after surviving Ebola, I returned to Guinea with Doctors Without Borders. I distinctly remember C.D.C. and World Health Organization colleagues working side by side, tracking the outbreak and chasing down new cases. Such collaboration would be much more difficult today; ever since the Trump administration withdrew from the W.H.O., C.D.C. staff members have been barred from working with the organization.
The United States cannot quickly reverse our abdication of leadership on the global health stage. But we can bolster our response to this crisis. There should be a steadfast commitment to working closely and coordinating with essential partners like the W.H.O. We need to mobilize funding and experts, speed up the development of new treatments, and increase resources for protective equipment and expanded testing. ..."
{Gift article} https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/opinion/ebola-outbreak-virus-spread-usaid.htm...
* Dr. Spencer is an emergency doctor and a professor at Brown. He contracted Ebola in 2014 after treating patients in Guinea.
Craig Spencer* | May 21, 2026
"... If the outbreak were caused by the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, we’d now be able to provide a recently developed vaccine to family members of infected patients and to health care workers. But we have no effective treatments or vaccines for the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola driving the current outbreak.
We’ll need to rely on bread-and-butter outbreak response measures, like contact tracing, isolation and community support. These are hard to carry out under ideal conditions. And the eastern part of Congo, where this outbreak is concentrated, is anything but ideal. Armed conflict has forced millions from their homes and left many health facilities damaged or destroyed. An Ebola outbreak in the region in 2018 took nearly two years to contain.
This time around, we have far less capacity to respond. In the first weeks of the second Trump administration, Elon Musk gleefully boasted about feeding the United States Agency for International Development into a “wood chipper.” The dismantling of U.S. foreign aid left clinics, community health workers and humanitarian organizations that formed the backbone of health care across eastern Congo without crucial funding.
Slashed alongside the agency was a specialized rapid response team — dozens of experts, including people with direct Ebola response experience, trained and ready to deploy for exactly this kind of moment. During previous Ebola outbreaks, these teams would fund efforts to train communities on safer burial practices to limit spread from highly contagious corpses and set up airport screening to prevent symptomatic travelers from boarding planes.
At a cabinet meeting weeks after his wood-chipper post, as an Ebola outbreak was developing in Uganda, Mr. Musk sheepishly admitted, “one of the things we accidentally canceled, very briefly, was Ebola and Ebola prevention,” but assured everyone that the funding had been restored.
We’re already seeing the fallout of these cuts. The New York Times reported that the delay in detecting the virus stemmed in part from the fact that samples had been transported to a lab in Kinshasa at the wrong temperature, something U.S.A.I.D. would have previously overseen. By the time U.S. officials learned of the outbreak, it had been nearly a month since the first death.
In his first term, President Trump dissolved the National Security Council’s global health security team, put in place after the 2014 Ebola epidemic, and now, in his second term, he has hollowed out the White House’s Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — which helps coordinate early response and contact tracing in a crisis like this — lost a quarter of its staff members in the past year and has had no permanent director for 15 of the last 16 months.
In 2015, after surviving Ebola, I returned to Guinea with Doctors Without Borders. I distinctly remember C.D.C. and World Health Organization colleagues working side by side, tracking the outbreak and chasing down new cases. Such collaboration would be much more difficult today; ever since the Trump administration withdrew from the W.H.O., C.D.C. staff members have been barred from working with the organization.
The United States cannot quickly reverse our abdication of leadership on the global health stage. But we can bolster our response to this crisis. There should be a steadfast commitment to working closely and coordinating with essential partners like the W.H.O. We need to mobilize funding and experts, speed up the development of new treatments, and increase resources for protective equipment and expanded testing. ..."
{Gift article} https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/opinion/ebola-outbreak-virus-spread-usaid.htm...
* Dr. Spencer is an emergency doctor and a professor at Brown. He contracted Ebola in 2014 after treating patients in Guinea.
56margd
Caesarian section, length of gestation and maternal immune factors are associated with methylation of DNA affecting immune and brain development -- associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD? Good news is that MAYBE early introduction of certain gut bacteria could blunt neurodevelopmental challenges?
Epigenetic changes at birth are associated with an infant’s microbiome and neurodevelopment (News Release)
Cell Press | 10-Apr-2026
... “We wanted to see how the epigenome and microbiome interact in early life and if their interaction could influence a child’s risk of developing neurodevelopmental conditions like ASD {Autism Spectrum Disorder} and ADHD {Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder},” says co-senior author and public health researcher Hein Min Tun of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. “We discovered a kind of conversation happening: a baby’s epigenetic setting at birth can influence their risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, but the presence of certain ‘good’ bacteria in their gut can step in and modify the risk.”
The researchers characterized DNA methylation patterns—a type of epigenetic change—from the umbilical cord blood of 571 infants. They paired this information with gut microbiome data collected from 969 infants at 2, 6, and 12 months of age, and from their parents during the third trimester of pregnancy. When the children reached 36 months of age, the researchers used a behavioral questionnaire to assess their neurodevelopment and investigate links between the microbiome, epigenome, and early signs of ASD and ADHD.
They found that an infant’s epigenome at birth was associated with birth mode vaginal v Caesarian, length of gestation, having older siblings, and maternal allergies, but it was not affected by their parents’ gut microbiomes. Microbiome development, on the other hand, was associated with birth mode, antibiotics, having older siblings, and breastfeeding. Infants who were born by Caesarean section showed different patterns of DNA methylation for several genes involved in immune responses and brain development.
The team also showed that an infant’s epigenome at birth impacted how their microbiome developed during their first year. Specifically, infants developed less diverse gut microbiomes at 12 months of age when they showed higher rates of DNA methylation in immune genes involved in recognizing pathogens.
The behavioral survey revealed that signs of ASD and ADHD in 3-year-olds were associated with specific epigenetic patterns and the presence of certain gut microbes. However, other microbial species seemed to mitigate these effects: infants with epigenetic patterns associated with ASD or ADHD were less likely to show signs of the disorders if they acquired Lachnospira pectinoschiza and Parabacteroides distasonis, respectively, during their first year.
“The foundations for brain health are laid very early, even before birth,” says Tun. “However, we don’t want people to think this means a child’s developmental path is fixed at birth. These are complex conditions with many causes, and we’ve only uncovered a small piece of a very large puzzle ... The ultimate goal is to develop safe, non-intrusive early interventions such as specific probiotics or live biotherapeutics, that could help nurture a healthy gut microbiome and potentially reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental challenges,” says first author and gastroenterologist Siew Chien Ng of The Chinese University of Hong Kong."
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1122623
----------------------------------------------------------
Ng SC, Peng Y, Zhang L, et al. Epigenome-microbiome interplay in early life associates with infants’ neurodevelopmental outcomes. Cell Press Blue. May 18, 2026. doi: 10.1016/j.cpblue.2026.100009 https://www.cell.com/cell.../fulltext/S3051-3839(26)00007-1 Open Access
Highlights
• C-section associates with altered DNA methylation and vertical microbiome transmission
• Hypermethylation of neurogenic genes links with higher ASD and ADHD scores at age 3
• Colonization of specific gut microbes mediates or modulates these epigenetic risks
Epigenetic changes at birth are associated with an infant’s microbiome and neurodevelopment (News Release)
Cell Press | 10-Apr-2026
... “We wanted to see how the epigenome and microbiome interact in early life and if their interaction could influence a child’s risk of developing neurodevelopmental conditions like ASD {Autism Spectrum Disorder} and ADHD {Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder},” says co-senior author and public health researcher Hein Min Tun of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. “We discovered a kind of conversation happening: a baby’s epigenetic setting at birth can influence their risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, but the presence of certain ‘good’ bacteria in their gut can step in and modify the risk.”
The researchers characterized DNA methylation patterns—a type of epigenetic change—from the umbilical cord blood of 571 infants. They paired this information with gut microbiome data collected from 969 infants at 2, 6, and 12 months of age, and from their parents during the third trimester of pregnancy. When the children reached 36 months of age, the researchers used a behavioral questionnaire to assess their neurodevelopment and investigate links between the microbiome, epigenome, and early signs of ASD and ADHD.
They found that an infant’s epigenome at birth was associated with birth mode vaginal v Caesarian, length of gestation, having older siblings, and maternal allergies, but it was not affected by their parents’ gut microbiomes. Microbiome development, on the other hand, was associated with birth mode, antibiotics, having older siblings, and breastfeeding. Infants who were born by Caesarean section showed different patterns of DNA methylation for several genes involved in immune responses and brain development.
The team also showed that an infant’s epigenome at birth impacted how their microbiome developed during their first year. Specifically, infants developed less diverse gut microbiomes at 12 months of age when they showed higher rates of DNA methylation in immune genes involved in recognizing pathogens.
The behavioral survey revealed that signs of ASD and ADHD in 3-year-olds were associated with specific epigenetic patterns and the presence of certain gut microbes. However, other microbial species seemed to mitigate these effects: infants with epigenetic patterns associated with ASD or ADHD were less likely to show signs of the disorders if they acquired Lachnospira pectinoschiza and Parabacteroides distasonis, respectively, during their first year.
“The foundations for brain health are laid very early, even before birth,” says Tun. “However, we don’t want people to think this means a child’s developmental path is fixed at birth. These are complex conditions with many causes, and we’ve only uncovered a small piece of a very large puzzle ... The ultimate goal is to develop safe, non-intrusive early interventions such as specific probiotics or live biotherapeutics, that could help nurture a healthy gut microbiome and potentially reduce the risk of neurodevelopmental challenges,” says first author and gastroenterologist Siew Chien Ng of The Chinese University of Hong Kong."
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1122623
----------------------------------------------------------
Ng SC, Peng Y, Zhang L, et al. Epigenome-microbiome interplay in early life associates with infants’ neurodevelopmental outcomes. Cell Press Blue. May 18, 2026. doi: 10.1016/j.cpblue.2026.100009 https://www.cell.com/cell.../fulltext/S3051-3839(26)00007-1 Open Access
Highlights
• C-section associates with altered DNA methylation and vertical microbiome transmission
• Hypermethylation of neurogenic genes links with higher ASD and ADHD scores at age 3
• Colonization of specific gut microbes mediates or modulates these epigenetic risks
57margd
After a top FDA official claimed the COVID vaccine killed at least 10 US kids, the actual report noted only 2 as even "probable."
CIDRAP Op-Ed: Manufacturing a scandal: What the FDA’s COVID vaccine pediatric death review actually says
Jake Scott, MD | 27 May 2026
"On the Friday after Thanksgiving 2025, Vinay Prasad, MD, MPH, who was then the director of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA’s) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) sent a memo to staff. ... said no fewer than 10 of 96 pediatric deaths reported to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) from 2021 to 2024 were caused by COVID-19 vaccination. He said the coding was conservative. He said the actual number was higher.
The memo offered no clinical evidence. It accused the FDA of a years-long failure to acknowledge what new leadership had now uncovered.
The underlying analysis has now been revealed. It is a 73-page consensus review conducted by the career scientists in CBER's Office of Biostatistics and Pharmacovigilance (OBPV), the office responsible for post-market vaccine safety surveillance. It is dated December 5, 2025. It was released last week, attached as an exhibit to a letter Sen Ron Johnson (R-Wisc) sent to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The report does not support what the Prasad memo said ...
A real risk, honestly characterized {myocarditis} ...
No deaths definitively tied to COVID vaccines ...
What “probable” and “possible” look like ...
The 3 misleading moves ...
What the documents actually say
Fatal vaccine-associated myocarditis is real. The international literature has documented it. The OBPV report's two probable pediatric cases are consistent with that literature. The five possible cases are exactly what the WHO-UMC framework was designed to capture: a temporal association, a documented alternative explanation, and not enough evidence to decide.
What the report does not show is that the FDA had been concealing pediatric vaccine deaths, that 10 US children died because of vaccination, or that the risk-benefit balance of pediatric COVID-19 vaccination has changed. The career scientists who wrote the report made none of those claims. The official who commissioned it made all of them.
The recommended labeling change is the appropriate response to what the report found. The misrepresentation of what it found is the problem.
Both documents are public. The difference is the story.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/cidrap-op-ed-manufacturing-scandal-what-fda-...
--------------------------------------------------
Enclosure to Senator Johnson's memo:
US VAERS pediatric deaths following COVID-19 vaccination (73 p)
Dec 5, 2025
https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/services/files/240DB68A-E7D9-4684-A4FD-625CFC4...
CIDRAP Op-Ed: Manufacturing a scandal: What the FDA’s COVID vaccine pediatric death review actually says
Jake Scott, MD | 27 May 2026
"On the Friday after Thanksgiving 2025, Vinay Prasad, MD, MPH, who was then the director of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA’s) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) sent a memo to staff. ... said no fewer than 10 of 96 pediatric deaths reported to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) from 2021 to 2024 were caused by COVID-19 vaccination. He said the coding was conservative. He said the actual number was higher.
The memo offered no clinical evidence. It accused the FDA of a years-long failure to acknowledge what new leadership had now uncovered.
The underlying analysis has now been revealed. It is a 73-page consensus review conducted by the career scientists in CBER's Office of Biostatistics and Pharmacovigilance (OBPV), the office responsible for post-market vaccine safety surveillance. It is dated December 5, 2025. It was released last week, attached as an exhibit to a letter Sen Ron Johnson (R-Wisc) sent to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The report does not support what the Prasad memo said ...
A real risk, honestly characterized {myocarditis} ...
No deaths definitively tied to COVID vaccines ...
What “probable” and “possible” look like ...
The 3 misleading moves ...
What the documents actually say
Fatal vaccine-associated myocarditis is real. The international literature has documented it. The OBPV report's two probable pediatric cases are consistent with that literature. The five possible cases are exactly what the WHO-UMC framework was designed to capture: a temporal association, a documented alternative explanation, and not enough evidence to decide.
What the report does not show is that the FDA had been concealing pediatric vaccine deaths, that 10 US children died because of vaccination, or that the risk-benefit balance of pediatric COVID-19 vaccination has changed. The career scientists who wrote the report made none of those claims. The official who commissioned it made all of them.
The recommended labeling change is the appropriate response to what the report found. The misrepresentation of what it found is the problem.
Both documents are public. The difference is the story.
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/cidrap-op-ed-manufacturing-scandal-what-fda-...
--------------------------------------------------
Enclosure to Senator Johnson's memo:
US VAERS pediatric deaths following COVID-19 vaccination (73 p)
Dec 5, 2025
https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/services/files/240DB68A-E7D9-4684-A4FD-625CFC4...
58margd
US to re-engage with Gavi vaccine alliance amid Ebola outbreak, Rubio says
Patricia Zengerle and Jennifer Rigby | June 2, 2026
"U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday {Senate Foreign Relations Committee} that the U.S. would re-engage with the global vaccine alliance Gavi amid the Ebola outbreak in several African countries.
Gavi helps the world's poorest countries to buy vaccines, so they can better protect children from diseases such as measles and diphtheria, but it also works in outbreak response. It has made $50 million available for the ongoing Bundibugyo outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, including $10 million for the immediate response and $40 million to help speed up access to vaccines, which are at an early stage of development ...
The Geneva-based group's budget took a hit last June, when U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said that the U.S. would no longer provide any funding - representing around $300 million a year - because Gavi ignored safety {use of the preservative thimerosal in vaccines}. Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic, did not provide evidence to support his claim.
... State Department would now re-engage because "we need to drive this to an outcome ... The State Department a few weeks ago made the decision that we were going to re-engage on this issue of Gavi, respecting what HHS' (Department of Health and Human Services) views are on it as well ... We'd like to get this issue resolved in an outcome that's acceptable both to Congress and also to our goals on global health."
As well as cutting future funding for Gavi, the U.S. was also withholding $600 million of funding for two years that had been approved by Congress..."
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-re-engage-with-ga...
Patricia Zengerle and Jennifer Rigby | June 2, 2026
"U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday {Senate Foreign Relations Committee} that the U.S. would re-engage with the global vaccine alliance Gavi amid the Ebola outbreak in several African countries.
Gavi helps the world's poorest countries to buy vaccines, so they can better protect children from diseases such as measles and diphtheria, but it also works in outbreak response. It has made $50 million available for the ongoing Bundibugyo outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, including $10 million for the immediate response and $40 million to help speed up access to vaccines, which are at an early stage of development ...
The Geneva-based group's budget took a hit last June, when U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr said that the U.S. would no longer provide any funding - representing around $300 million a year - because Gavi ignored safety {use of the preservative thimerosal in vaccines}. Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic, did not provide evidence to support his claim.
... State Department would now re-engage because "we need to drive this to an outcome ... The State Department a few weeks ago made the decision that we were going to re-engage on this issue of Gavi, respecting what HHS' (Department of Health and Human Services) views are on it as well ... We'd like to get this issue resolved in an outcome that's acceptable both to Congress and also to our goals on global health."
As well as cutting future funding for Gavi, the U.S. was also withholding $600 million of funding for two years that had been approved by Congress..."
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-re-engage-with-ga...
59margd
Jeremy Konyndyk @JeremyKonyndyk | 3:45 PM · Jun 5, 2026
"The closure of @USAID by 20-something DOGE bros (who probably thought "screwworm" was a hilarious joke) will haunt us for years to come."
{Text} https://x.com/JeremyKonyndyk/status/2062984257060888962/photo/1
"The closure of @USAID by 20-something DOGE bros (who probably thought "screwworm" was a hilarious joke) will haunt us for years to come."
{Text} https://x.com/JeremyKonyndyk/status/2062984257060888962/photo/1
60margd
TB vaccine from the 1920s shows promise in diabetes trial
Viviane Callier | 09 June 2026
"The shot reduced insulin use for people with type 1 diabetes and another autoimmune condition {latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA)}.
... The trial vaccine — called the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine, after the two researchers who developed it — is derived from a weakened form of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis in cows. In the 1920s, studies found that the shot reduced mortality in children by protecting them from not just tuberculosis, but other deadly infections, too. Fast-forward to today, and it has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat bladder cancer and is even being investigated against conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Its broader benefits are “no longer a fluke”, says Denise Faustman, a medical researcher at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston who ran the diabetes trial ..."
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01825-w
Viviane Callier | 09 June 2026
"The shot reduced insulin use for people with type 1 diabetes and another autoimmune condition {latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA)}.
... The trial vaccine — called the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine, after the two researchers who developed it — is derived from a weakened form of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis in cows. In the 1920s, studies found that the shot reduced mortality in children by protecting them from not just tuberculosis, but other deadly infections, too. Fast-forward to today, and it has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat bladder cancer and is even being investigated against conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Its broader benefits are “no longer a fluke”, says Denise Faustman, a medical researcher at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston who ran the diabetes trial ..."
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01825-w
61margd
>39 margd: contd.
Alzheimer's Risk May Be Influenced by Flu Shots
— High-dose vaccine tied to roughly 20% lower risk of Alzheimer's dementia
Judy George | April 6, 2026
Key Takeaways
A high-dose flu vaccine was tied to a lower risk of Alzheimer's dementia in older adults versus standard-dose flu shots.
The association persisted for the first 25 months after vaccination.
The relationship was stronger in women than in men.
... The findings show the "higher dose had about a 20% reduction versus the standard-dose vaccination," noted co-author Paul Schulz, MD, of the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston. "It's interesting that the RR {Risk Ratio} reduction is greatest in the first few months, when the flu vaccine is also protective from the influenza virus."
This analysis is the latest in a series of studies by the research team exploring the link between vaccines and Alzheimer's dementia risk.
"Our first paper in 2022 found that influenza vaccination reduces the risk of Alzheimer's by up to 40% (with six annual vaccinations) for up to 8 years," Schulz told MedPage Today. "After that, we wondered whether it was influenza-specific."
That question led to a second paper in 2023, which showed that each of three vaccines -- tetanus and diphtheria, with or without pertussis, herpes zoster (shingles), or pneumococcus -- were tied to subsequent lower Alzheimer's risk.
"This suggested that reducing Alzheimer's risk is a general property of vaccinations and is not specific to the influenza vaccination," Schulz said. "The nagging question after these studies was whether we had a true finding versus a finding due to the 'healthy survivor effect'" -- in other words, whether people who get vaccinated might be healthier in general.
To address that variable, the current study focused solely on older adults who received a flu shot. Other researchers have used a similar strategy of comparing two vaccinated groups to study relationships between dementia risk and different shingles vaccines, for example ..."
https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/alzheimersdisease/120668
-------------------------------------------
Avram Samuel Bukhbinder et al. 2026. Risk of Alzheimer Dementia After High-Dose vs Standard-Dose Influenza Vaccination. Neurology, April 28, 2026 issue, 106 (8) e214782. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000214782 https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000214782 OPEN ACCESS
ABSTRACT
"... Discussion. High-dose influenza vaccination is associated with reduced AD {Alzheimer Dementia} risk compared with standard-dose vaccination in adults 65 years or older, with a stronger effect among women. Significant study limitations included duration of follow-up (3 or fewer years) and lack of sociodemographic, lifestyle, biomarker, and mortality data. Further research is needed to clarify whether the observed difference reflects protection against influenza infection or non-infection–related mechanisms.
Classification of Evidence
This study provides Class II evidence* that treatment with H-IIV vs S-IIV was associated with decreased incident dementia in individuals 65 years or more of age captured in this US health care claims database.
--------------------------------------------------
* Google AI: Class II evidence (or Level II evidence) typically refers to moderate-quality scientific data that falls just below the highest standard (Class I). It is commonly used in medical and scientific research to evaluate whether a treatment, test, or procedure is safe and effective. https://www.neurology.org/pb-assets/ifa/loe-1693593597510.pdf
Alzheimer's Risk May Be Influenced by Flu Shots
— High-dose vaccine tied to roughly 20% lower risk of Alzheimer's dementia
Judy George | April 6, 2026
Key Takeaways
A high-dose flu vaccine was tied to a lower risk of Alzheimer's dementia in older adults versus standard-dose flu shots.
The association persisted for the first 25 months after vaccination.
The relationship was stronger in women than in men.
... The findings show the "higher dose had about a 20% reduction versus the standard-dose vaccination," noted co-author Paul Schulz, MD, of the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston. "It's interesting that the RR {Risk Ratio} reduction is greatest in the first few months, when the flu vaccine is also protective from the influenza virus."
This analysis is the latest in a series of studies by the research team exploring the link between vaccines and Alzheimer's dementia risk.
"Our first paper in 2022 found that influenza vaccination reduces the risk of Alzheimer's by up to 40% (with six annual vaccinations) for up to 8 years," Schulz told MedPage Today. "After that, we wondered whether it was influenza-specific."
That question led to a second paper in 2023, which showed that each of three vaccines -- tetanus and diphtheria, with or without pertussis, herpes zoster (shingles), or pneumococcus -- were tied to subsequent lower Alzheimer's risk.
"This suggested that reducing Alzheimer's risk is a general property of vaccinations and is not specific to the influenza vaccination," Schulz said. "The nagging question after these studies was whether we had a true finding versus a finding due to the 'healthy survivor effect'" -- in other words, whether people who get vaccinated might be healthier in general.
To address that variable, the current study focused solely on older adults who received a flu shot. Other researchers have used a similar strategy of comparing two vaccinated groups to study relationships between dementia risk and different shingles vaccines, for example ..."
https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/alzheimersdisease/120668
-------------------------------------------
Avram Samuel Bukhbinder et al. 2026. Risk of Alzheimer Dementia After High-Dose vs Standard-Dose Influenza Vaccination. Neurology, April 28, 2026 issue, 106 (8) e214782. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000214782 https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000214782 OPEN ACCESS
ABSTRACT
"... Discussion. High-dose influenza vaccination is associated with reduced AD {Alzheimer Dementia} risk compared with standard-dose vaccination in adults 65 years or older, with a stronger effect among women. Significant study limitations included duration of follow-up (3 or fewer years) and lack of sociodemographic, lifestyle, biomarker, and mortality data. Further research is needed to clarify whether the observed difference reflects protection against influenza infection or non-infection–related mechanisms.
Classification of Evidence
This study provides Class II evidence* that treatment with H-IIV vs S-IIV was associated with decreased incident dementia in individuals 65 years or more of age captured in this US health care claims database.
--------------------------------------------------
* Google AI: Class II evidence (or Level II evidence) typically refers to moderate-quality scientific data that falls just below the highest standard (Class I). It is commonly used in medical and scientific research to evaluate whether a treatment, test, or procedure is safe and effective. https://www.neurology.org/pb-assets/ifa/loe-1693593597510.pdf
62margd
Offspring Behavior Following Prenatal COVID-19 Vaccination
June 15, 2026
"Contrary to prevailing apprehensions, the findings decisively demonstrate that prenatal exposure to COVID-19 vaccines does not evoke detrimental behavioral outcomes in the murine {mouse} offspring. Across multiple domains—including memory retention, anxiety regulation, and social engagement—no statistically significant deviations were detected when compared to control groups. These results provide compelling evidence that the administration of such vaccines during gestation is unlikely to compromise neural circuit formation or function in a manner that manifests as behavioral abnormalities.
Equally compelling is the study’s exploration of underlying molecular mechanisms...
... In sum, this landmark study in Translational Psychiatry serves as a testament to the power of rigorous science in clarifying complex questions at the intersection of immunization and neurodevelopment. By revealing that prenatal COVID-19 vaccination in mice does not elicit adverse offspring behavioral changes, it fosters a science-based path forward in protecting maternal and child health amid global health challenges."
https://scienmag.com/offspring-behavior-following-prenatal-covid-19-vaccination/
-----------------------------------------
Otrokocsi, L., Maácz, F., Tod, P. et al. Exploring offspring behaviour after prenatal COVID-19 vaccination in mice. Transl Psychiatry (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-04147-7 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-026-04147-7 OPEN ACCESS
June 15, 2026
"Contrary to prevailing apprehensions, the findings decisively demonstrate that prenatal exposure to COVID-19 vaccines does not evoke detrimental behavioral outcomes in the murine {mouse} offspring. Across multiple domains—including memory retention, anxiety regulation, and social engagement—no statistically significant deviations were detected when compared to control groups. These results provide compelling evidence that the administration of such vaccines during gestation is unlikely to compromise neural circuit formation or function in a manner that manifests as behavioral abnormalities.
Equally compelling is the study’s exploration of underlying molecular mechanisms...
... In sum, this landmark study in Translational Psychiatry serves as a testament to the power of rigorous science in clarifying complex questions at the intersection of immunization and neurodevelopment. By revealing that prenatal COVID-19 vaccination in mice does not elicit adverse offspring behavioral changes, it fosters a science-based path forward in protecting maternal and child health amid global health challenges."
https://scienmag.com/offspring-behavior-following-prenatal-covid-19-vaccination/
-----------------------------------------
Otrokocsi, L., Maácz, F., Tod, P. et al. Exploring offspring behaviour after prenatal COVID-19 vaccination in mice. Transl Psychiatry (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-04147-7 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-026-04147-7 OPEN ACCESS
63margd
Shingles vaccine may protect against dementia
Meghan Holohan | June 16, 2026
"Receiving the recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV), which prevents herpes zoster (HZ), commonly known as shingles, within a year of entering or leaving a US nursing home dramatically lowers the risk of a dementia diagnosis for up to four years.
... While previous research found that the live attenuated HZ vaccine reduced the likelihood of a dementia diagnosis, the researchers in this study wondered if RZV {older form of vaccine} provided the same benefit. The paper found that receiving a dose of RZV was associated with a 5.8-percentage-point lower risk of a dementia diagnosis for up to four years.
“{That} translates to about one in 17 dementia cases potentially being prevented through vaccination,” lead author Kaley Hayes, PharmD, PhD, associate director of pharmacoepidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health, told CIDRAP News. “We were honestly taken aback by the results. However, they actually are consistent with other studies that have primarily included the older form of the vaccine.” ..."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/adult-non-flu-vaccines/shingles-vaccine-may-protect-a...
--------------------------------------------
Kaleen N. Hayes et al. 2026. Dementia Risk After Recombinant Herpes Zoster Vaccination in Older Adults With a Recent Skilled-Nursing Facility Stay: A Target Trial Emulation. Annals of Internal Medicine, 16 June 2026.
https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-25-04689 https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-04689
Abstract
... Participants: Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 66 years or older who were admitted to a skilled-nursing facility between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022, had linked EHR data, had no diagnosed dementia, and were eligible for RZV.
Intervention: Receipt of at least 1 RZV in the facility or, if discharged, by 12 months after admission versus no receipt of RZV.
...
Results: The study cohort included 509 926 participants (mean age, 79 years); 8843 (1.73%) received at least 1 RZV dose within 12 months after admission, and of these, 87.0% received RZV after discharge. Receipt of RZV was associated with risk for dementia being 5.8 percentage points lower ... ; 4-year risk, 18.8% with 1 or more RZV vs. 24.6% with no RZV). Associations were attenuated in men and those with prior live HZ vaccination.
...
Conclusion: Receipt of RZV during admission to a skilled-nursing facility or within 12 months was associated with lower dementia risk.
Meghan Holohan | June 16, 2026
"Receiving the recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV), which prevents herpes zoster (HZ), commonly known as shingles, within a year of entering or leaving a US nursing home dramatically lowers the risk of a dementia diagnosis for up to four years.
... While previous research found that the live attenuated HZ vaccine reduced the likelihood of a dementia diagnosis, the researchers in this study wondered if RZV {older form of vaccine} provided the same benefit. The paper found that receiving a dose of RZV was associated with a 5.8-percentage-point lower risk of a dementia diagnosis for up to four years.
“{That} translates to about one in 17 dementia cases potentially being prevented through vaccination,” lead author Kaley Hayes, PharmD, PhD, associate director of pharmacoepidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health, told CIDRAP News. “We were honestly taken aback by the results. However, they actually are consistent with other studies that have primarily included the older form of the vaccine.” ..."
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/adult-non-flu-vaccines/shingles-vaccine-may-protect-a...
--------------------------------------------
Kaleen N. Hayes et al. 2026. Dementia Risk After Recombinant Herpes Zoster Vaccination in Older Adults With a Recent Skilled-Nursing Facility Stay: A Target Trial Emulation. Annals of Internal Medicine, 16 June 2026.
https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-25-04689 https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-04689
Abstract
... Participants: Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 66 years or older who were admitted to a skilled-nursing facility between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022, had linked EHR data, had no diagnosed dementia, and were eligible for RZV.
Intervention: Receipt of at least 1 RZV in the facility or, if discharged, by 12 months after admission versus no receipt of RZV.
...
Results: The study cohort included 509 926 participants (mean age, 79 years); 8843 (1.73%) received at least 1 RZV dose within 12 months after admission, and of these, 87.0% received RZV after discharge. Receipt of RZV was associated with risk for dementia being 5.8 percentage points lower ... ; 4-year risk, 18.8% with 1 or more RZV vs. 24.6% with no RZV). Associations were attenuated in men and those with prior live HZ vaccination.
...
Conclusion: Receipt of RZV during admission to a skilled-nursing facility or within 12 months was associated with lower dementia risk.
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Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine gets thumbs up from federal vaccine panel
Chris Dall, MA June 18, 2026
"A federal vaccine advisory panel today gave its stamp of approval to Moderna’s mRNA influenza vaccine (mRNA-1010) for older adults.
By a unanimous vote, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted to recommend approval of the investigational vaccine, which will be marketed under the brand name mFlusiva, for the prevention of flu in adults age 50 to 64.
They also voted in support of accelerated approval in adults aged 65 and older. Moderna will be required to conduct a phase 4, post-marketing study to demonstrate effectiveness in the older group...
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-vaccines/moderna-s-mrna-flu-vaccine-gets-th...
Chris Dall, MA June 18, 2026
"A federal vaccine advisory panel today gave its stamp of approval to Moderna’s mRNA influenza vaccine (mRNA-1010) for older adults.
By a unanimous vote, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted to recommend approval of the investigational vaccine, which will be marketed under the brand name mFlusiva, for the prevention of flu in adults age 50 to 64.
They also voted in support of accelerated approval in adults aged 65 and older. Moderna will be required to conduct a phase 4, post-marketing study to demonstrate effectiveness in the older group...
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-vaccines/moderna-s-mrna-flu-vaccine-gets-th...
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Ticks are spreading Lyme disease across America, but we can beat them. Here’s how.
Dylan Scott | Jun 18, 2026
"... In March, Pfizer reported the results of its Phase 3 clinical trials for a Lyme disease vaccine. It had a more than 70 percent success rate in reducing the likelihood of developing the disease, both one day after the final dose was administered and a month later. The company planned to submit the data to the federal government for approval, and the experts I spoke to said the shot would be a powerful new tool, especially for the communities where Lyme disease is endemic.
... Other candidates for preventing Lyme disease are also in development: The University of Massachusetts Medical School’s MassBiologics has developed a monoclonal antibody cocktail that could be given to somebody before they are exposed to potentially prevent the disease’s development. That treatment is set to enter clinical trials soon. And for alpha-gal syndrome, researchers are also probing whether existing anti-allergy drugs might be able to stave off its symptoms.
Over the long term, scientists aspire to create a universal anti-tick vaccine that targets the proteins in tick saliva and stops the transmission of any pathogens. The science is hard to crack, given the complexity of tick saliva, but it would represent a genuine breakthrough that could alter our relationship to these creepy-crawlies forever.
New antibody treatments that could treat Lyme disease are also being studied, combining existing drugs to try to find a more potent therapeutic. Scientists are also working to improve our tests for Lyme disease; blood-based tests can be inaccurate, but antigen-based tests that test for proteins — similar to the rapid Covid-19 tests — could allow us to identify Lyme cases sooner and get people antibiotics that prevent the disease’s development. Diagnosis for alpha-gal also continues to improve: Dr. Scott Commins, an allergist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who has studied the syndrome for years, told me that a decade ago, it could be as long as seven years before somebody was properly diagnosed; today, the timeline is more like 18 months ..."
https://www.vox.com/good-medicine-newsletter/492253/ticks-bites-alpha-gal-lyme-d...
Dylan Scott | Jun 18, 2026
"... In March, Pfizer reported the results of its Phase 3 clinical trials for a Lyme disease vaccine. It had a more than 70 percent success rate in reducing the likelihood of developing the disease, both one day after the final dose was administered and a month later. The company planned to submit the data to the federal government for approval, and the experts I spoke to said the shot would be a powerful new tool, especially for the communities where Lyme disease is endemic.
... Other candidates for preventing Lyme disease are also in development: The University of Massachusetts Medical School’s MassBiologics has developed a monoclonal antibody cocktail that could be given to somebody before they are exposed to potentially prevent the disease’s development. That treatment is set to enter clinical trials soon. And for alpha-gal syndrome, researchers are also probing whether existing anti-allergy drugs might be able to stave off its symptoms.
Over the long term, scientists aspire to create a universal anti-tick vaccine that targets the proteins in tick saliva and stops the transmission of any pathogens. The science is hard to crack, given the complexity of tick saliva, but it would represent a genuine breakthrough that could alter our relationship to these creepy-crawlies forever.
New antibody treatments that could treat Lyme disease are also being studied, combining existing drugs to try to find a more potent therapeutic. Scientists are also working to improve our tests for Lyme disease; blood-based tests can be inaccurate, but antigen-based tests that test for proteins — similar to the rapid Covid-19 tests — could allow us to identify Lyme cases sooner and get people antibiotics that prevent the disease’s development. Diagnosis for alpha-gal also continues to improve: Dr. Scott Commins, an allergist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who has studied the syndrome for years, told me that a decade ago, it could be as long as seven years before somebody was properly diagnosed; today, the timeline is more like 18 months ..."
https://www.vox.com/good-medicine-newsletter/492253/ticks-bites-alpha-gal-lyme-d...
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New Plan Scales Back C.D.C.’s Work on Diseases Abroad
Apoorva Mandavilli | June 17, 2026
"... The new plan, proposed by the State Department, aims to overhaul the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work on a landmark global H.I.V. program that also helps countries manage surveillance for emerging diseases, strengthen laboratory networks and support childhood immunizations.
If the plan goes into effect on Oct. 1 as scheduled, it would effectively shut {CDC} out of overseeing many global health programs and shift control over the bulk of funds and decisions to the State Department.
The changes may sideline the country’s premier experts on global health and could lead to the closure of about a third of its 60 country offices within the next three years, according to some officials with knowledge of the programs.
... “This will completely destabilize H.I.V. work abroad,” Dr. Michele Montandon, who led {CDC}’s team on mother-to-child transmission of H.I.V. until she was laid off in August. said. “We’ve seen service disruptions, deaths and babies born with H.I.V. after shuttering U.S.A.I.D., and we can expect more to come if C.D.C. is also shut out of this work.”
... In a typical year under the current system, the State Department would hand the C.D.C. a budget of about $2 billion. The agency then would work with countries to set their health priorities and allocate the funds to ministries and partner organizations to support them.
The new plan replaces the health agency’s budget for the work with a “fee-for-service” menu that requires countries to choose and pay for assistance from C.D.C. staff in specific areas — wastewater and environmental surveillance, for example ..."
{Gift Article} https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/health/pepfar-cdc-cuts.html?unlocked_article_...
Apoorva Mandavilli | June 17, 2026
"... The new plan, proposed by the State Department, aims to overhaul the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work on a landmark global H.I.V. program that also helps countries manage surveillance for emerging diseases, strengthen laboratory networks and support childhood immunizations.
If the plan goes into effect on Oct. 1 as scheduled, it would effectively shut {CDC} out of overseeing many global health programs and shift control over the bulk of funds and decisions to the State Department.
The changes may sideline the country’s premier experts on global health and could lead to the closure of about a third of its 60 country offices within the next three years, according to some officials with knowledge of the programs.
... “This will completely destabilize H.I.V. work abroad,” Dr. Michele Montandon, who led {CDC}’s team on mother-to-child transmission of H.I.V. until she was laid off in August. said. “We’ve seen service disruptions, deaths and babies born with H.I.V. after shuttering U.S.A.I.D., and we can expect more to come if C.D.C. is also shut out of this work.”
... In a typical year under the current system, the State Department would hand the C.D.C. a budget of about $2 billion. The agency then would work with countries to set their health priorities and allocate the funds to ministries and partner organizations to support them.
The new plan replaces the health agency’s budget for the work with a “fee-for-service” menu that requires countries to choose and pay for assistance from C.D.C. staff in specific areas — wastewater and environmental surveillance, for example ..."
{Gift Article} https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/health/pepfar-cdc-cuts.html?unlocked_article_...
