Experts warn: removing mandatory flu vaccines for the military puts troop readiness at risk. History & data both tell the same story. forbes.com/sites/judyston…www.forbes.com/sites/judyst...s/

Nearing the bottom? Though, our capacity for disappointment seems infinite these days.

SC measles outbreak over. Utah's at 600+ cases. New CDC nominee Dr. Erica Schwartz — MD, JD, MPH, former Deputy Surgeon General — may signal a return to professionalism. 👀
yourangrypediatrician.substack.com/p/nearing-the-bottom

The Death of Public Health Robert F, Kennedy Jr, the nation’s #1 public health official, isn’t interested in public health.

When top health officials stop recommending vaccines, who pays the price? Dr. Offit on the rise of "medical freedom" and the cost to our communities.

Report notes 3 European nations reach 90% HPV vaccine uptake in girls Since 2020, the ECDC said all European countries have reported a decreased incidence of cervical cancer among vaccinated women.

Iceland, Portugal & Norway hit 90% HPV vaccine coverage in girls, and every EU country has seen cervical cancer drop since 2020. Vaccines work. 💉🌍

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Red States Are Taking on a New Meaning With Measles Cases Soaring Did you know that nearly 85% of measles cases this year have been in red states or states that lean republican! Is that why they call it red measles???

"Red measles" is living up to its name: 85% of the 1,780 measles cases in 2026 are in red states. Weakened vaccine policies + misinformation = broken herd immunity. The dots aren't hard to connect.

🔗 stopantivaxpropaganda.org/p/red-measles-is-taking-on-a-new-meaning

A Voice on Vaccines with Dr. Demetre Daskalakis What if the science behind vaccinations isn’t as straightforward as we think? In this episode, we navigate the chaos surrounding U.S. vaccine recommendations with Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, a public…

Vaccine policy chaos got you confused? You're not alone — and that's the point. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis on navigating it all: trust the science, talk to your patients, don't give up. 🎙️

This weekend's coding project to teach my students about outbreak investigations is coming along nicely. Can't wait to share it with you all next week… If the weather allows it, meaning it's not too nice that I won't want to spend all the time coding.

Vaccine Misinformation This Week: Debunking the Anti-Vaccine Echo Chamber's Greatest Hits From "turbo cancer" to VAERS abuse, let me tell you how the same false claims about vaccine safety keep being recycled, and what the evidence actually shows.

This week’s vaccine misinformation roundup is less about “new concerns” and more about the same recycled claims: VAERS misuse, measles minimization, aluminum fearmongering, and misread studies. Repetition isn’t evidence.
phnightschool.substack.com/p/vaccine-mi...

Watercolor-style illustration of a wooden bridge crossing a gap between two hills. The left hill is labeled “SICKNESS” and the right hill “WELLNESS.” A line of people of different ages walks across the bridge. The bridge planks are labeled “PRIMARY CARE,” “VACCINES,” “CLEAN WATER,” “MATERNAL,” and “CHRONIC DISEASE MEDS.” One person stands alone on the ground below the right end, looking up.

🌎💙 Happy World Health Day!
April 7 marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization, and it's a day to think about what "health for all" truly means.
What does a healthier world look like to you?
#WorldHealthDay #HealthForAll #HealthEquity

Dengue — a disease most Americans associate w/ tropical travel — showed up locally in LA County in 2024. 14 locally acquired dengue cases identified between August and November 2024, likely introduced by returning travelers and spread by local Aedes mosquitoes.
Full article: doi.org/10.3201/eid3...

National Public Health Week Join us in Celebrating National Public Health Week, April 6 - 12, 2026. APHA brings communities nationwide together to honor the contributions of public health and shine a light on the issues shaping…

It's National Public Health Week! 🎉

Public health in the US has roots going back to 1799, built on the belief that communities deserve protection from preventable disease. That mission hasn't changed, even when federal priorities do.

What does public health mean to YOU right now? Let's talk…

A race-based kidney function formula delayed transplants for Black patients for decades. A 2023 policy restored lost wait time for 21,000+ candidates, and transplant rates rose. New evidence that reparative policy works.

🔗 doi.org/10.1001/jama...

México, el país más afectado por el sarampión en América | El Universal Del continente, el país registra 14 mil 36 casos y 35 defunciones al 20 de marzo; supera a EU, que acumula 3 mil 772 contagios y 3 defunciones

🚨 México lidera casos de sarampión en América: 14,036 contagios y 35 muertes al 20 de marzo. La OPS recomienda reforzar la vacunación, especialmente ante el Mundial 2026. ¡Revisa tu esquema!

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There's a massive measles vaccine campaign in Mexico. Is the public on board? With tens of thousands of suspected cases, the government is aiming for 2.5 million jabs a week. The response has been encouraging — but also worrisome.

Mexico is battling 36,000+ suspected measles cases with a massive vaccine push of 2.5M doses/week. But hesitancy, inequality & coverage gaps are real challenges. Measles is preventable. Get vaccinated. 🔗

Three Generations: The Tragedy of Buck v. Bell The third story in the series of analyses of SCOTUS opinions and public health sets the stage for what we see around us in the debate of…

In the third of three Medium articles about Supreme Court decisions and their impact on public health, everything comes to a head in Buck v. Bell. As of right now, in March 2026, a state could forcibly sterilize a person it deems "feebleminded" or somehow a threat to public health.

I mean. It’s true.

A new BMJ analysis argues that U.S. cuts to WHO, PEPFAR, Gavi & pandemic prep meet the legal threshold for a global Public Health Emergency of International Concern — with millions of lives at stake by 2030.

www.bmj.com/content/392/...

The Covid Amnesia Project and the Plot to Erase 2020 | Science-Based Medicine It’s up to those of us who experienced the pandemic in the real-world to make sure that what actually happened in 2020 isn’t deliberately erased by sheltered disinformation agents who experienced

Some want to rewrite 2020 — erasing the overflowing hospitals and the real toll of COVID. Science-Based Medicine calls it the "COVID Amnesia Project." Those who lived it have a duty to keep the record straight. 🔗

Yep, a mom's COVID shot during pregnancy protects her baby, a large study finds A 3-year study published in Pediatrics examined newborns in Norway. It found a clear benefit for the baby when mom gets a COVID vaccination during pregnancy.

New study of 146K+ infants: COVID vaccination during pregnancy cut babies' COVID hospitalization risk by ~50% in their first 2 months, with no increase in other infections. Science supports vaccinating during pregnancy.
🔗 www.npr.org/2026/03/25/n...

Pfizer to seek FDA approval for Lyme disease vaccine candidate despite trial miss Lyme disease is an illness caused by bacteria most commonly spread to humans from ticks. It can cause arthritis, muscle weakness and pain.

Pfizer's Lyme disease vaccine showed 70%+ efficacy but too few people got sick to confirm results. They're seeking FDA approval anyway. ~500K Americans contract Lyme disease each year. No human vaccine exists yet.
🔗 cnbc.com/2026/03/23/pfizer-lyme-disease-vaccine-trial-fda-approval.html

Birmingham's water utility dropped fluoride from its supply — no board vote, no public input. Mayor Woodfin calls it what it is: a public health failure. Fluoride protects teeth, especially for those without dental care access.

U.K.’s deadly meningitis outbreak shows importance of vaccination Infectious disease experts say shots against meningococcal meningitis can be lifesaving during an outbreak, but U.S. regulators have attempted to roll back recommendations of such a vaccine for…

A UK meningitis outbreak — 2 deaths, 29+ cases — is a wake-up call. Vaccines work. Experts say routine meningococcal vaccination is key to preventing exactly this. Yet the US recently scaled back its vaccine recommendations for children.

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Health Storytelling with Tom Frieden, MD A Do Not Miss Health Storytelling LIVE Author Q&A with world-renowned journalist Maryn McKenna and her special guest, Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the CDC. Thursday, March 19th, 6pm ET on…

Former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden joins journalist Maryn McKenna to share the formula for stopping the world's deadliest diseases. 🎙️
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An AI-generated watercolor-style illustration of a late-night talk show set titled 'Analysis Late Night,' with the R programming language logo prominently displayed in the background. The host is an anthropomorphic scroll of paper wearing glasses and a headset, sitting behind a desk with R code visible on its body (showing ggplot2, dplyr::filter, and print()). The guest is a smiling spreadsheet character resembling a Microsoft Excel window, sitting in an armchair and pointing to a presentation screen labeled 'Story' that displays trend and forecast charts. A mug labeled 'R-15' sits on the desk, and an audience of human figures fills the background — humorously depicting data 'telling its story' through analysis."

Do you ever really get to know your data? This last term, I implored GIS students to get to know the data they were mapping. It was very clear who did and who didn't. (There's no "99999" elevation in southern Mexico, or anywhere, really.)
open.substack.com/pub/phnights...

🚨 A meningitis B outbreak in Canterbury, UK has killed 2 & infected 15+. Most cases linked to a local nightclub. Symptoms can mimic a hangover — don't wait. Seek care immediately.
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Four crystal award trophies lined up on a wooden surface, each engraved with the seal of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and inscribed with individual recipient names. The foremost trophy reads "Ebony Powell, CHES — 2025 Public Health Award – Student — Section on Public Health and Preventive Medicine — The College of Physicians of Philadelphia." Additional trophies behind it are inscribed for other recipients including "Eric Devins Block, MPH, MS, BS" and "M. Patricia We[…]," all recognizing the 2025 Public Health Award from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

🏆 Know a public health hero in Philly? Nominate them for the SPHPM Annual Award — students, individuals & orgs welcome. Deadline: March 31, 2026!
👉 forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

The Illusion of Choice: Vaccines, Wealth, and the Politics of Public Health "Pulling yourself up by the bootstraps" doesn't cut it anymore. It's not just you. It's the system. Today, Gerald is joined by René Najera, seasoned epidemiologist and public health expert to…

Health isn’t just personal choice. Health is shaped by wealth, community, and policy. Tune in for an honest conversation on vaccines, misinformation, and public health today. Great chat with @gdenisboston.bsky.social.

🎙️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=96Vm...

ScreenSim Interactive Screening Test Simulator.

A positive test ≠ you have the disease. Prevalence, sensitivity & specificity all shape what your result means. Explore it yourself with this interactive simulator! 🧪
👉 rfnajera.github.io/screensim.html

The Day Public Health Set Chinatown on Fire Honolulu’s 1900 Chinatown disaster — and the public health response that made everything worse.

In 1900, Honolulu officials responded to a plague outbreak by burning down Chinatown — literally. A "controlled" fire burned 17 days & left 4,000+ homeless. A powerful public health history lesson.
medium.com/microbial-in...

Pediatricians are fighting misinformation one conversation at a time. Trust, patience, and listening — not lectures — are what's bringing hesitant parents back. 🔗