Category: Featured Headlines
New RFK Jr. pick for vaccine panel: ‘I was not anti-vaccine. I am now.’
Washington Post Two OB/GYNs appointed to an influential federal vaccine advisory panel have criticized vaccination during pregnancy and more broadly. One called the vaccine industry “disgusting.” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday expanded a key federal vaccine advisory panel to include more critics of vaccines who have contradicted mainstream medical guidance, including one […]
Jan 14, 2026
CDC staff ‘blindsided’ as child vaccine schedule unilaterally overhauled
Washington Post The Trump administration took unprecedented steps to recommend fewer vaccines for children without extensive consultations with career scientists. Vaccine experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were blindsided by a top deputy toHealth Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to unilaterally overhaul the childhood immunization schedule, according to current and former agency staff. […]
Jan 7, 2026
Viral outbreaks are always on the horizon – here are the viruses an infectious disease expert is watching in 2026
The Conversation A new year might mean new viral threats. Old viruses are constantly evolving. A warming and increasingly populated planet puts humans in contact with more and different viruses. And increased mobility means that viruses can rapidly travel across the globe along with their human hosts. As an infectious diseases physician and researcher, I’ll be keeping an eye on a […]
Jan 7, 2026
Why flu seems to be everywhere — even if ‘super flu’ is not a thing
STAT News Subclade K is making its impact felt. Australia’s 2025 flu season lasted weeks longer than it normally does. Hong Kong’s hit so early that the rollout of seasonal flu shots hadn’t yet started. New York has reported record-breaking flu hospitalizations for the past two weeks. Welcome to the winter of subclade K. Even if you weren’t already aware of […]
Jan 7, 2026
Kennedy Scales Back the Number of Vaccines Recommended for Children
NYT Federal health officials now recommend that children be routinely inoculated against 11 diseases, not 17, citing standards in other wealthy nations. Federal health officials on Monday announced dramatic revisions to the slate of vaccines recommended for American children, reducing the number of diseases prevented by routine shots to 11 from 17. Jim O’Neill, acting […]
Jan 7, 2026
What to Know About Norovirus
NYT The virus, sometimes called the stomach bug, is incredibly contagious. Here’s how to stay safe this season. Every year, there’s a surge in norovirus cases between November and April, and this holiday season is no different. Sometimes known as the stomach bug, norovirus is incredibly contagious, infecting about one in 15 people in the United States annually. Norovirus […]
Dec 30, 2025
Whooping Cough Deaths Rise in U.S. as Surge in Infections Continues
Scientific American The brutal respiratory infection has infected tens of thousands and killed at least 13 people in the U.S. in 2025 Whooping cough cases are sweeping in the U.S., with tens of thousands infected and at least 13 people dead from the bacterial infection this year. While the infection rate is lower than last year, […]
Dec 30, 2025
Flu cases are surging and rates will likely get worse, new CDC data shows
NPR Flu season is off to a rough start this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the virus arrived as expected, cases are rising faster, compared with previous years. Last week, more than 19,000 patients with influenza were admitted to hospitals, up about 10,000 from the previous week, according to new […]
Dec 30, 2025
Stopping the next flu pandemic
Nature Avian influenza is devastating poultry operations, spreading in dairy cattle and infecting farm workers. Why isn’t the United States doing more to stop it? In spring, consumers in the United States found themselves having to hunt for something that had previously been exceedingly easy to find: eggs. Some supermarkets limited customers to a single […]
Dec 17, 2025
Could tracking animals’ health help to avert the next pandemic?
Nature Avian influenza is sweeping the globe and infecting dozens of species. Advocates of an approach called One Health are calling for broad surveillance of wildlife, livestock and pets. In the southwestern United States in the early weeks of 2024, a large-animal veterinarian pulled up to a dairy farm on his usual rounds and was […]
Dec 17, 2025