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  The bits of animal data suggesting #Ervebo, the #Ebola Zaire vaccine, might be useful against #Bundibugyo Ebola are getting supported from data showing some cross protection in blood of vaccinees. That's leading to increasing calls to study the vaccine in DRC. https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/22/new-study-supports-testing-of-mercks-ebola-vaccine-in-drc-outbreak/

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  The Senate's #HELP committee vote on whether to support Sean Kaufman's nomination for the head of the public health preparedness operations at #HHS has been delayed due to lack of support. @statnews 's intrepid Chelsea Cirruzzo has the story. https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/23/sean-kaufman-aspr-nomination-confirmation-vote-postponed-senate-committee/

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  Trump's #vaccines executive order calls for breaking combo vaxes into individual pathogen shots again, starting with #MMR — measles, mumps & rubella. Experts argue there's no science supporting this & manufacturers are not on board. Most parents likely aren't either. https://www.statnews.com/2026/08/11/health-care-pharma-industry-pushes-back-trump-vaccine-policy-changes/

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  Wondering about fall vaccines — who should get them, when, & will they still be available? Key medical organizations have issued clear guidance today. Good news: The Vaccines for Children program, which covers about 50% of US kids, will still provide them this year. https://www.statnews.com/2026/09/02/vaccine-integrity-project-fall-winter-guidelines-rsv-covid-flu-shots/

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  The #CDC #measles page still doesn't list any measles-related deaths in 2026. But the coroner in Lancaster County, PA has reported that at least 1 of 2 recent deaths linked to measles was due to measles. The CDC site was updated today. Will another update follow? https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/well/measles-infant-pennsylvania-death.html

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  #HHS refused for weeks to confirm what was widely known: Jeffery Taubenberger had been removed as acting director of #NIAID. Today HHS confirmed that John H. Powers is now acting director. Why this happened & why HHS refused to admit it remains undisclosed. https://www.statnews.com/2026/06/09/niaid-acting-director-john-powers-replaces-taubenberger/

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  The US has recorded 2073 confirmed #measles cases so far this year, which is 91% of the total accumulated last year -- in less than six months. 40 jurisdictions have reported cases. https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html

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  How do you persuade people they need to take #Ebola seriously when more in their midst are dying from other diseases & armed conflict? That is the challenge #WHO DG Tedros confronted when he visited the outbreak zone in DRC this week. “Ebola is a lesser evil." https://www.statnews.com/2026/06/13/who-director-general-in-drc-war-greater-concern-than-ebola/

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  Congenital #syphilis is a "never event" in the medical world - shouldn't happen. But the only drug to prevent spread from an infected mother to her baby is in short supply & the system set up to deliver it where it's needed failed, Eric Boodman of @STAT reports. https://www.statnews.com/2026/06/15/pfizer-bicillin-shortage-preventable-congenital-syphilis-surging/

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  C.J. Peters, one of the legendary virus hunters of decades past, has died. In 2018, I traveled to his home in Galveston, Tex., where he told me jaw-dropping story after jaw-dropping story. He had an extraordinary brain and was hugely curious. Such a loss. https://www.statnews.com/2018/02/20/virus-hunter-cj-peters/

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  #Marburg in Uganda is confirmed. Uganda formally reported 1 case to #WHO today. A reliable source tells me there are 2 confirmed cases. Developing story. Positive: Uganda is very good at containing outbreaks. Negative: Uganda doesn't like sharing info about them. https://www.statnews.com/2026/06/30/marburg-virus-cases-ugandan-ebola-outbreak-zone/

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  #Measles update: In the first 4 months of 2026, there have been 1,814 confirmed measles cases (& doubtless many more that were never confirmed). For context: That's 79% of the total for the entirety of 2025 — but in 4 months, not 12. https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html#cdc_data_surveillance_section_5-yearly-measles-cases

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  #Flu season is over but #CDC was alerted last wk to 7 more kids who died from flu. Six were from this past season, bringing the total to date to 155. It will grow becoz these deaths are often reported on a delay, as the 7th death shows; it occurred in March 2025. The 2024-25 total is now a jaw-dropping, unbelievably tragic 297 children. Most of these kids were not vaxed. https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2026-week-16.html

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  As an outbreak, #hantavirus on a cruise ship is more interesting than alarming. But it should serve as a warning sign to the US, which by withdrawing from #WHO has cut itself off from WHO's outbreak intelligence network — which could prove challenging during this summer's World Cup, Krutika Kuppalli writes for @STAT. https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/05/hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak-who-world-cup/

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  The #hantavirus outbreak on the cruise ship off the coast of Africa is a serious public health event that needs to be handled properly. But if you are having #Covid flashbacks, put those worries to rest. The risk here is to people on the ship & their close contacts. https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/07/hantavirus-cruise-ship-outbreak-scientists-say-not-new-pandemic/

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  Doctors in several European cities are seeing cases of an animal skin disease in men who have sex with men who haven't had contact with the livestock that normally contract this disease. The good news is, it's mild & treatable. The hope is all cases are mild. https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/11/rare-animal-skin-infection-msm-clusters-europe-dermatophilus-congolensis/

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  With #hantavirus & #Ebola crowding the headlines, it's important to remember how critical outbreak readiness is. Emerging diseases continue to emerge & ever expanding global travel means a threat elsewhere can be a threat almost anywhere. https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/15/ebola-outbreak-drc-hantavirus-who/

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  #Flu season is over, but pediatric flu deaths from 2025-26 continue to be reported to #CDC. Last week it was informed of 8 more deaths, bringing the season's total to date to 166. It will continue to rise, sadly, in the weeks ahead. 85% of those kids were not fully vaxed. https://www.cdc.gov/fluview/surveillance/2026-week-18.html

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  In case you missed it — I did! — the process to select the next #WHO director-general has begun. DGs can only serve 2 terms; the current DG, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus' 2nd term is up next summer. On April 24, he notified member states that the nomination period was open. It closes 9/24/26. https://www.who.int/about/governance/election-of-the-who-director-general

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  As @statnews reported yesterday, several Americans in DRC had high-risk exposures to #Ebola in the latest outbreak. One has tested positive. These individuals are being flown to Germany for observation and treatment as needed. https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/18/cdc-ebola-travel-ban-announced-uganda-congo-south-sudan/

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  There's no vaccine to protect against #Ebola #Bundibugyo. But there is a tiny bit of animal data suggesting Ervebo, the Ebola Zaire vaccine, might offer some cross protection & debate within scientific circles & at #WHO over whether to try to see if it might help. https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/18/ebola-outbreak-update-experts-weigh-use-merck-vaccine-ervebo/

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  The outbreak of #Ebola #Bundibugyo is now the 3rd largest on record. The #WHO country rep in DRC, Anne Ancia, told the World Health Assembly today that the suspected case count is now over 500, with 130 suspected deaths. This will be hugely difficult to contain. https://www.unognewsroom.org/story/en/3126/ebola-update-who

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  #USDA reports another #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy cow herd in Idaho. This is the 1,107th reported infection of a dairy herd since the outbreak was first detected in March 2024. Infected herds have been reported from 19 states. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/hpai-confirmed-cases-livestock

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  #WHO's director-general Tedros implores the warring factions in DRC's Ituri province to call a ceasefire so that efforts to stop the #Ebola #Bundibugyo outbreak can be mounted & take hold. "I urge you, I implore you: give us the space to help the people who need it most." https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2026-message-by-the-who-director-general-to-the-people-of-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo

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  The United States is taking a Fortress America approach to the current #Ebola outbreak, seemingly more concerned about keeping Ebola out than in helping to contain the outbreak at source — even if that means forcing infected Americans to be treated abroad. https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/28/trump-ebola-travel-restrictions-discourages-medical-volunteers/

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  The World Cup of Football will bring enormous numbers of people from across the globe to North America. It could well serve to spread diseases. The risk that #Ebola will be one of them is quite low, Krutika Kuppalli writes for @statnews. https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/28/ebola-world-cup-travel-public-health-measles/

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  When the Trump administration came into office, it was presented with a playbook, 100s of pages long, detailing how to organize a multi-agency response to threats, including #Ebola. It's not being used, Daniel Payne and Chelsea Cirruzzo report. https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/30/trump-ebola-response-biden-pandemic-preparations-thrown-away/

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  ICYMI (I did): #FDA has accepted the recommendation of its expert panel, #VRBPAC & recommended that Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers make a monovalent targeting the JN.1 lineage XFG variant. How will #CDC handle the change? It would normally go to #ACIP but it's in limbo. https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/industry-biologics/covid-19-vaccines-2026-2027-formula-use-united-states-beginning-fall-2026

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  There are media reports of 2 new #H5N1 #birdflu outbreaks in dairy cows, in Texas and Utah. They haven't yet been added to #USDA 's dashboard. If confirmed by USDA, there will have been 1,109 herds infected in 19 states. https://www.telemundoutah.com/noticias/local/influenza-aviar-lecheria-logan/2397092/ and https://www.kbtx.com/2026/06/04/highly-pathogenic-avian-flu-found-texas-dairy-herd/

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  12 more dairy cow herds in Idaho have tested positive for #H5N1 #birdflu, #USDA has reported. It had been about a month since the most recent positive tests were revealed. This brings the national total to 1,105 dairy herds in 19 states since March 2024. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/hpai-confirmed-cases-livestock