Timely and relevant global health security news curated by GCHS
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Featured Headlines
- CDC vaccine panel holds meeting after RFK Jr. ousts and replaces expert former membersPBS Newshour U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisers alarmed pediatricians Wednesday by announcing inquiries into some long-settled questions about children’s shots. Opening the first meeting of Kennedy’s handpicked seven-member panel, committee chairman Martin Kulldorff said he was appointing a work group to evaluate the “cumulative effect” of the children’s vaccine schedule… Read more: CDC vaccine panel holds meeting after RFK Jr. ousts and replaces expert former members
- US CDC vaccine presentation cites study that does not exist, author saysReuters A review on the use of the preservative thimerosal in vaccines slated to be presented on Thursday to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s outside vaccine committee cites a study that does not exist, the scientist listed as the study’s author said. The report, called “Thimerosal as a Vaccine Preservative” published on… Read more: US CDC vaccine presentation cites study that does not exist, author says
- Kennedy and vaccines loom over Senate confirmation hearing for CDC directorMSNBC Senators pressed nominee Susan Monarez on vaccines, fired CDC workers and whether she would stand up to the health secretary. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s views on vaccines loomed over Susan Monarez’s Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday to be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monarez,… Read more: Kennedy and vaccines loom over Senate confirmation hearing for CDC director
- RFK Jr. says US won’t donate to global vaccine effortPolitico The United States won’t contribute anymore to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, until the global health organization has “re-earned the public trust,” U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday. In an inflammatory video speech delivered to the Gavi pledging summit, seen by POLITICO, Kennedy accused Gavi of neglecting vaccine safety, making questionable recommendations… Read more: RFK Jr. says US won’t donate to global vaccine effort
- Millions of children at risk from stalling global vaccinations, study saysWashington Post The study noted persisting outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including the U.S. measles outbreaks this year reaching over 1,000 cases. Millions of children around the world may be at risk because of stalling vaccination efforts in recent years, according to an analysis of a half-century of global vaccination efforts. The study, published Tuesday in the… Read more: Millions of children at risk from stalling global vaccinations, study says
- Vaccine Panel Gutted by Kennedy Loses a Member Ahead of First MeetingNYT Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of the panel and appointed eight new ones. Now, the board is down to just seven. Two weeks ago, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of an influential committee that recommends which vaccines Americans should get. He then named eight new members,… Read more: Vaccine Panel Gutted by Kennedy Loses a Member Ahead of First Meeting
- Kennedy’s New Advisers to Broaden Scrutiny of Childhood VaccinesNYT The panel will revisit the hepatitis B shot given at birth, among others. The former head of an anti-vaccine group has been hired as a special employee at H.H.S. Just minutes into the first meeting of scientific advisers appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., it was clear that the skeptical panelists intended… Read more: Kennedy’s New Advisers to Broaden Scrutiny of Childhood Vaccines
- CDC interim leaders, in first all-hands meeting, speak of ‘myth-busting’ and ‘resilience’STAT Susan Monarez, nominee for director, was reported to be starting to meet with senators ahead of confirmation. In their first all-staff meeting since the start of the Trump administration, the interim leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attempted to sidestep controversy and rally troops at the storied but demoralized agency on… Read more: CDC interim leaders, in first all-hands meeting, speak of ‘myth-busting’ and ‘resilience’
- Presentation for CDC advisers appears to cite nonexistent study to support claims about risk of vaccine preservativeCNN A presentation slated to be shared at this week’s meeting of vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claimed that a study in animals suggested that use of the vaccine preservative thimerosal can have “long-term consequences in the brain.” But the study doesn’t appear to exist. Lyn Redwood, a former leader of… Read more: Presentation for CDC advisers appears to cite nonexistent study to support claims about risk of vaccine preservative
- The U.S. Is Going Backwards on Vaccines, Very FastThe Atlantic America’s vaccine advisory committee is now taking seriously a baseless anti-vaccine flash point. Vaccine experts in the United States have long considered the case on thimerosal closed. A chemical preservative that stamps out contamination in vaccine vials, thimerosal was removed from most U.S. shots more than two decades ago over worries that its… Read more: The U.S. Is Going Backwards on Vaccines, Very Fast
- Another Bird Flu case confirmed in CambodiaKHMER Times The Ministry of Health on the night of June 13, 2025, confirmed a new case of bird flu in a 65-year-old Cambodian woman. The woman resides in Kraing Ampil village, Taing Yap commune, Prey Kabbas district, Takeo province. The Ministry of Health said that the woman confirmed positive for the H5N1 avian influenza… Read more: Another Bird Flu case confirmed in Cambodia
Updates on ongoing disease outbreaks
- Nationwide Avian Flu Response Gains Momentum, Yet Urgent Action Remains EssentialContagion Since H5N1, more commonly known as avian or bird flu, first appeared in commercial poultry and backyard flocks in the US in February 2022, the threat of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus has wreaked havoc among the poultry and livestock industry for producers, veterinarians and government agencies.1 As of May 2025, the… Read more: Nationwide Avian Flu Response Gains Momentum, Yet Urgent Action Remains Essential
- On the brink: H5N1 and the risk to human healthThe Lancet The avian influenza virus is a pathogen that has been well known to the scientific community ever since its first detection in 1996. Avian influenza is caused by a single-stranded RNA influenza A virus, and the current outbreak in North America is caused by the subtype H5N1, with waterfowl serving as its natural reservoir.… Read more: On the brink: H5N1 and the risk to human health
- Another Bird Flu case confirmed in CambodiaKHMER Times The Ministry of Health on the night of June 13, 2025, confirmed a new case of bird flu in a 65-year-old Cambodian woman. The woman resides in Kraing Ampil village, Taing Yap commune, Prey Kabbas district, Takeo province. The Ministry of Health said that the woman confirmed positive for the H5N1 avian influenza… Read more: Another Bird Flu case confirmed in Cambodia
- Cambodian human avian flu infection linked to poultry outbreakWATT Poultry In the Asia-Pacific region, recent outbreaks of HPAI in poultry are reported in Cambodia, the Philippines and South Korea. During the latter half of May, two highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks affecting village poultry were confirmed by the animal health authority in Cambodia. Presence of the H5N1 virus serotype was confirmed in a… Read more: Cambodian human avian flu infection linked to poultry outbreak
- Bird flu detected at 4th commercial farm in Maricopa CountyAZ Central Chickens at a fourth commercial farm in Maricopa County tested positive for bird flu, the Arizona Department of Agriculture said. The virus was detected through “routine surveillance sampling” on June 4 at a facility named “Maricopa 05” before any birds had exhibited obvious symptoms. Samples were sent to the Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Lab… Read more: Bird flu detected at 4th commercial farm in Maricopa County
- A new COVID variant is spreading in the US: What are the symptoms?USA Today A new COVID-19 variant that was unheard of just months ago is now projected to be the second-most common strain in the United States. Variant NB.1.8.1 was first detected in China in January but accounted for about 0% of cases in the United States until May.… Read more: A new COVID variant is spreading in the US: What are the symptoms?
- CDC official overseeing COVID hospitalization data resigns in protestCBS News A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official who led the agency’s network to study hospitalization trends from infectious diseases like COVID-19 has resigned in protest following Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s orders to change the agency’s vaccine recommendations and the committee that… Read more: CDC official overseeing COVID hospitalization data resigns in protest
- ‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Lied To’: When a Measles Outbreak Hits HomeNYT From a lone clinic in Texas to an entire school district in North Dakota, the virus is upending daily life and revealing a deeper crisis of belief. He was a chiropractor by training, but in a remote part of West Texas with limited medical care, Kiley Timmons had become a first stop for whatever… Read more: ‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Lied To’: When a Measles Outbreak Hits Home
- Health officials warn of measles case from traveler at Dulles AirportWashington Post Health officials in the D.C. region have issued warnings about a person infected with measles who landed at Dulles International Airport and traveled throughout the area during the past week. The D.C. health department listed in a statement posted to its website Saturday the various places the person visited. The international traveler landed at Dulles… Read more: Health officials warn of measles case from traveler at Dulles Airport
- At least 3% of measles cases this year were in people who were fully vaccinated, CDC saysCBS At least 3% of measles cases confirmed so far this year have been in people who received two doses of the measles vaccine, meaning they were fully vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. About three dozen of the nearly 1,200 measles infections in 2025 have been in people with two vaccine doses, the… Read more: At least 3% of measles cases this year were in people who were fully vaccinated, CDC says
- Ghana confirms 34 new Mpox cases, total rises to 79Africa News Ghana has reported 34 new cases of Mpox, raising the total number of confirmed infections to 79. Four patients are currently hospitalised, and contact tracing is ongoing. The Ghana Health Service says… Read more: Ghana confirms 34 new Mpox cases, total rises to 79
- Sierra Leone Is Battling an Mpox Outbreak. What Happens Next Affects Us AllTime Magazine A dangerous mpox outbreak is unfolding in Sierra Leone. In just the first week of May, cases rose by 61%, and suspected cases surged by 71%. Roughly half of all confirmed mpox… Read more: Sierra Leone Is Battling an Mpox Outbreak. What Happens Next Affects Us All
- Veterinarian dies from tick-borne disease after treating infected cats in west JapanMainichi A veterinarian in Mie Prefecture who treated cats infected with an ixodid tick-borne disease has died from the same illness, the local veterinarians’ association told the Mainichi Shimbun on June 13. The veterinarian is believed to have contracted “severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS)” from one of the cats, prompting the Japan Veterinary Medical… Read more: Veterinarian dies from tick-borne disease after treating infected cats in west Japan
- The Tick Situation Is Getting Worse. Here’s How to Protect Yourself.NYT As temperatures rise, ticks of several kinds are flourishing in ways that threaten people’s health. Lately, Shannon LaDeau and her colleagues have had unwelcome visitors at their office in New York’s Hudson Valley: ticks, crawling up the building and trying to get through doors. “Which is kind of alarming,” said Dr. LaDeau, a disease… Read more: The Tick Situation Is Getting Worse. Here’s How to Protect Yourself.
- A cattle disease and the tick carrying it are confirmed in Iowa for the first timeOPR The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said the state’s first case of Theileria orientalis Ikeda was confirmed in a cattle herd in Van Buren County in the southeast corner of the state. The protozoan parasite infects the red and white blood cells of cattle, causing anemia and sometimes death. It’s carried by the Asian longhorned tick,… Read more: A cattle disease and the tick carrying it are confirmed in Iowa for the first time
- Clothing—not agriculture—helped spread a tick disease 5000 years agoScience New study of a pathogen’s Bronze Age spread challenges longstanding links between disease and early agriculture. A now-obscure cousin of Lyme disease called recurring fever was a scourge of early civilization. Caused by the bacterium Borrelia recurrentis, it results in crippling headaches and repeated bouts of high fever; if left untreated, it damages organs and… Read more: Clothing—not agriculture—helped spread a tick disease 5000 years ago
Emerging Infectious Disease Headlines
- Illinois confirms first 2025 human case of West Nile virusChicago Sun Times The case this year is the earliest detection in nearly a decade. The virus carried by mosquitoes poses the greatest risk to people over 65 and the… Read more: Illinois confirms first 2025 human case of West Nile virus
- Veterinarian dies from tick-borne disease after treating infected cats in west JapanMainichi A veterinarian in Mie Prefecture who treated cats infected with an ixodid tick-borne disease has died from the same illness, the local veterinarians’ association told the Mainichi Shimbun on… Read more: Veterinarian dies from tick-borne disease after treating infected cats in west Japan
- The Tick Situation Is Getting Worse. Here’s How to Protect Yourself.NYT As temperatures rise, ticks of several kinds are flourishing in ways that threaten people’s health. Lately, Shannon LaDeau and her colleagues have had unwelcome visitors at their office in… Read more: The Tick Situation Is Getting Worse. Here’s How to Protect Yourself.
- Climate change leads to spread of infection-causing fungi, scientists sayABC News Climate change may be putting millions more people at risk from an infection-causing fungi, which is likely spreading due to warming global temperatures, scientists say. There will likely be… Read more: Climate change leads to spread of infection-causing fungi, scientists say
- A cattle disease and the tick carrying it are confirmed in Iowa for the first timeOPR The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said the state’s first case of Theileria orientalis Ikeda was confirmed in a cattle herd in Van Buren County in the southeast corner of the… Read more: A cattle disease and the tick carrying it are confirmed in Iowa for the first time
- Clothing—not agriculture—helped spread a tick disease 5000 years agoScience New study of a pathogen’s Bronze Age spread challenges longstanding links between disease and early agriculture. A now-obscure cousin of Lyme disease called recurring fever was a scourge of… Read more: Clothing—not agriculture—helped spread a tick disease 5000 years ago
Read more Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Are Pesticides Breeding the Next Pandemic? Experts Warn of Fungal SuperbugsScience Tech Daily Fungicides used in agriculture have been linked to an increase in resistance to antifungal drugs in both humans and animals. Fungal infections are on the rise, and two UC Davis infectious disease experts, Dr.… Read more: Are Pesticides Breeding the Next Pandemic? Experts Warn of Fungal Superbugs
- Bat Cave Footage Offers Clues to How Viruses Leap Between SpeciesNYT Video from a national park in Uganda depicted a parade of predatory species feeding on and dispersing fruit bats that are known natural reservoirs of infectious diseases. Bats carry an assortment of viruses, including… Read more: Bat Cave Footage Offers Clues to How Viruses Leap Between Species
- Red blood cell rupture, not clotting, drives vessel blockage in COVID-19, study findsMedical Express A team led by the University of Sydney has identified red blood cell rupture at dying endothelial sites as a primary driver of microvascular obstruction in COVID-19, bypassing the expected role of fibrin… Read more: Red blood cell rupture, not clotting, drives vessel blockage in COVID-19, study finds
- CDC vaccine panel holds meeting after RFK Jr. ousts and replaces expert former membersPBS Newshour U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisers alarmed pediatricians Wednesday by announcing inquiries into some long-settled questions about children’s shots. Opening the first meeting of Kennedy’s handpicked seven-member panel,… Read more: CDC vaccine panel holds meeting after RFK Jr. ousts and replaces expert former members
- RFK Jr. says US won’t donate to global vaccine effortPolitico The United States won’t contribute anymore to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, until the global health organization has “re-earned the public trust,” U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Wednesday. In an inflammatory… Read more: RFK Jr. says US won’t donate to global vaccine effort
- RFK Jr. sent Congress ‘medical disinformation’ to defend COVID vaccine schedule changeNPR A document the Department of Health and Human Services sent to lawmakers to support Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to change U.S. policy on COVID vaccines cites scientific studies that are unpublished or under dispute and mischaracterizes others.… Read more: RFK Jr. sent Congress ‘medical disinformation’ to defend COVID vaccine schedule change
- How to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what worksNature Hesitancy about vaccinations is on the rise, but studies show there are specific ways to address people’s questions. In her professional life, Sophia Newcomer analyses vaccination trends and safety in the United States. The epidemiologist, at the University of… Read more: How to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what works
- The pandemic generation: How Covid-19 lockdowns is having a long-lasting effect on childrenBBC The stress and isolation of the pandemic have left social and emotional scars that are already being seen in children, but scientists also predict there could be huge economic costs due to disrupted education. For US pre-school teacher Rebekah… Read more: The pandemic generation: How Covid-19 lockdowns is having a long-lasting effect on children
- The pandemic generation: How Covid-19 lockdowns is having a long-lasting effect on childrenBBC The stress and isolation of the pandemic have left social and emotional scars that are already being seen in children, but scientists also predict there could be huge economic costs due to disrupted education. For US pre-school teacher Rebekah… Read more: The pandemic generation: How Covid-19 lockdowns is having a long-lasting effect on children
Interesting and Sometimes Funny
- Stunning amber fossil reveals ‘Last of Us’-type fungus likely lived alongside dinosaurs
CNN A glob of 99 million-year-old amber has preserved an ancient fly in horror show fashion: with the mushroom-like fruiting body of zombie fungus bursting forth from its head. The insect, along with a second specimen of a young ant infected with a similar fungus, are two of the oldest examples of a bizarre natural… Read more: Stunning amber fossil reveals ‘Last of Us’-type fungus likely lived alongside dinosaurs