Meagan Fitzpatrick

Six federal scientists run out by Trump talk about the work left undone | CNN Federal data shows the NIH lost about 4,400 people — more than 20% of its workforce. Scientists say the departures harm the U.S.’ ability to respond to disease outbreaks, develop treatments for chroni...

Compelling story from KFF News/CNN

Listen to the sound clips to get a clear sense of what has been happening at NIH.

www.cnn.com/2026/03/05/h...

But this study shows us that YES in fact pathogens circulate throughout the airspace.

Let's keep working on improving indoor air quality, 🫁 especially in schools! 🏫

It feels vindicating to see this!

Talking to schools during COVID, I would suggest simplifying the definition of contact to be shared classroom: no tedious review of seating charts, notify and test at the classroom level. The definition of 6 feet for 15+ minutes was hard to unstick.

1/2

3/3 the preprint is here. The work was in collaboration with #CIDMA and #ABM-Lab
and others I can't yet find on BlueSky

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

@medschool.umaryland.edu
@umaryland.edu

@yalesph.bsky.social
@yorkuniversity.bsky.social

2/3 This is partly because falling coverage would be happening in the context of heightened global risk. As we learn over and over, what happens *out there* also comes to us. Around the world, and right next door in Canada, measles cases are rising.

Why? Once again -- falling global vax coverage

Measles outbreaks are costing the U.S. millions of dollars. The true losses can't be counted. As vaccination rates decline, the economic consequences will increase, research suggests.

1/3 Our recent preprint is getting a lot of attention! We found that if MMR coverage drops by even 1% annually, then increasing outbreak risk could incur economic losses of ~$1.5 billion in 2030.

www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-...

Another possibility is that RCTs achieve low population-level coverage, lower than seasonal vax in the US, and even good protection against infection isn't powerful enough to protect unvaccinated w/ low coverage: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22944629/

Other possibilities explored in our discussion! 3/3

An intranasal adjuvanted, recombinant influenza A/H5 vaccine primes against diverse H5N1 clades: a phase I trial - Nature Communications Mucosal influenza vaccines promise enhanced protection but lack defined immune correlates of protection. Here, the authors conduct a phase I trial of an intranasal recombinant influenza A/H5 vaccine w...

We found strong evidence for direct vaccine protection, and decent evidence of modest indirect protection. Why? it's likely that current vaccines don't protect well against infection and onward transmission. Colleagues at CVD are working hard to fix that:

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

2/3

Indirect Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Under Randomized Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis We identified randomized controlled trials that evaluated indirect influenza vaccine effectiveness. While direct vaccination conferred moderate protection,

Our new study looks at evidence for indirect protection against flu, exclusively from RCTs. ⬇️ 1/3

Indirect Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Under Randomized Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: academic.oup.com/cid/article-...

@medschool.umaryland.edu #EpiSky #IDEpi

Oh no! Godspeed!

the polish figure skating team in the kiss and cry holding a plush pierogi

IMPORTANT OLYMPIC NEWS:

THE POLISH FIGURE SKATING TEAM HAS A PLUSH PIEROGI

We also cancelled our Post subscription earlier this year, sadly. So we're reading more of the Baltimore Sun and also followed @petridishes.bsky.social over to The Atlantic

Multi-year funding is a dirty trick by #RussellVought. This way the #Trump administration can say they're spending what Congress appropriated for research, BUT they'll only fund 1/5 the number of grants. Call your Senators/Reps now. Science hangs in the balance. H/T @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social

'Staring over the edge': South Carolina measles outbreak doubles in a week More than 500 people are in a 21-day quarantine and about 200 are "actively infected." The largest outbreak currently in the U.S. has spread to at least three other states.

The LARGEST measles outbreak currently in the U.S. has spread to at least three other states!

www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

#medsky #idsky

I had not! So interesting. Thank you.

I would love to see more studies on this relationship between infection and cancer outcomes. For instance, does it matter whether the person developed symptoms of the infection, or does asymptomatic infection have the same harm?

Do others remember this headline?

According to this new JAMA study, the US reaches this incalculable loss annually. I think most of the public doesn't realize it.

#IDEpi #EpiSky

These studies of off-target vaccine effects are so interesting. To me, they highlight how interlinked chronic and infectious diseases really are, despite their traditional silos.

COVID illuminated this, and I hope we as scientists keep a spotlight on the inflammatory process and all its effects.

CDC overhauls childhood vaccine schedule to resemble Denmark in unprecedented move The new U.S. guidelines recommend all children get vaccines for 11 diseases, compared with the 18 previously on the schedule.

Once again, I implore media outlets to stop saying these are CDC decisions.

These are changes being made unilaterally by RFK Jr. against the expert advice of CDC scientists.

I note that RFK Jr. no longer recommends flu vaccine for kids in the midst of a horrible influenza year.

Ensures that all the diseases covered by the previous immunization schedule will still be available to anyone who wants them through Affordable Care Act insurance plans and federal insurance programs, including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Vaccines for Children program. Families will not have to purchase them out of pocket. Among peer nations, the U.S. will continue to offer the most childhood vaccines for free to those who want them.

Copy Editing Matters, from HHS's release on the new childhood vaccine schedule: All the diseases will still be available to anyone who wants them

Just woke up even angrier. Impeach, convict, remove. Draft articles now. Either we have a representative government or we don’t. Do not shut up about this until there’s a vote.

"Bhattacharya and Memoli appear unperturbed by these dramatic abandonments, which are likely to do great harm to Americans."

California Will Offer Deeply Discounted Insulin in January | KQED Californians will be able to purchase an insulin pen for $11 under the state-run drug label, CalRx, bypassing pharmaceutical companies that sell it for far more.

#PedSky #MedSky #EpiSky #addictionsci #policysky #polisky 🛟🫁💊
Today, California starts selling insulin at $11 per injection pen, the second drug sold under the CalRX label after naloxone. Albuterol inhalers and vaccines are next.

Brutal but effective public health messaging from New York Public Health.

The CDC is compromised. They’re no longer a reliable source of information.

They push anti-vaxx & anti-science grift.

Get your vaccines. Wear a respirator. Clean the air

Get public health advice from experts, not RFK Jr

When a small study cast doubt on the measles vaccine in 1998, scientists didn’t dismiss autism concerns. They tested them. From Denmark to global meta-analyses, studies tracking millions of children all reached the same conclusion: MMR vaccines don’t cause autism: bit.ly/4m971vk

For some context, it's really cold in Minneapolis this weekend. My phone said it was -13 (without windchill) when I got up this morning. If you haven't felt that, it actually feels way colder than you might imagine, esp if you aren't moving and are exposed. It's very quickly dangerous.

So proud to see this gift from another Western New York native to my current hospital, both the workplace and the hospital that treats my family.

Thank you Golisano!

Big big thanks

to all the program officers and scientific review officers coming back online and managing to instill positivity and we-can-do-this attitudes in emails out to applicants & reviewers who might have wondered: What will happen to all of this good work?

Answer: let's do this.

NSF is open again!

A few comments:

*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.

*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.

*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.

The Penny Dies at 232

Pen--- err, nickel for your thoughts on this?

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/b...