Viruses & Vaccinations

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What to know about the bird flu outbreak in wild birds and what it means for backyard bird feeders

More than 170 species of North American wild birds – including ducks, geese, gulls, owls, eagles and others – have been infected with bird flu. Read More.

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Flu deaths rise as anti-vaccine disinformation takes root

More are dying from flu as the Trump administration postpones planning for next fall.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/03/19/flu-deaths-rise-as-anti-vaccine-disinformation-takes-root/?

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3 New Things About Vaccines That Matter to You

March 14, 2025 – Vaccines grab a lot of headlines these days, but three significant updates may have escaped your radar. Here’s why they matter. 

https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/news/20250314/3-new-things-about-vaccines-that-matter-to-you?

The Other Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Worrying Doctors Now

March 12, 2025 – Health officials are worried that measles cases in at least 12 states may be a harbinger of outbreaks of other preventable diseases, including polio, rubella, and mumps.

https://www.webmd.com/children/vaccines/news/20250312/the-other-vaccine-preventable-diseases-worrying-doctors-now?

Health Check: Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule

https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/video/adult-immunizations-health-check?

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Kansas measles cases double to 23 and new Ohio outbreak sickens 10

A measles outbreak in Kansas doubled in less than a week to 23 cases and has “a possible link” to outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico that have sickened more than 370, the state health department said Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/measles-kansas-ohio-mmr-vaccination-new-mexico-texas-569474272df9baaad1f6d73462ebe92a?

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Texas reaches 400 measles cases as US deals with outbreaks in 5 states

At least five states have active measles outbreaks as of Friday, and Texas’ is the largest with 400 cases.

https://apnews.com/article/measles-outbreak-texas-new-mexico-vaccine-rfk-d5444b3397ac7c4034e63becc219aa33?

ps:This even though we've eradicated the measles a number of years ago??

[phkrause]

Shingles is awful, but there may be another reason to get vaccinated

A vaccination to prevent horribly painful shingles may offer an extra benefit: New research suggests it might lower the risk of dementia, too. Read More. ps:If only it were that simple!!!!!!!!!!

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Whooping cough

Cases of pertussis, the contagious respiratory illness also known as whooping cough, are on the rise nationwide. There have been about 6,600 pertussis cases this year, an amount almost four times higher than this point last year. In Louisiana, 110 cases have been reported since January 1. The state had 154 cases during all of 2024. Two infants in Louisiana have also died in the past six months from the disease. Pertussis causes severe coughing fits that make it difficult to breathe. When infants contract it, they cough so much and so hard that they often get pneumonia and have to be put on a ventilator. To stem this trend, experts are calling for vaccinations. 

ps:Experts? They probably don't work for trump that's for sure?????

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What to Expect After Your Child Gets Vaccines

Vaccines protect your child from serious diseases like polio, measles, and whooping cough. But like all medicines, they can sometimes come with side effects. Most of the time, these reactions are normal and harmless. Knowing what’s common and what’s not will help put your mind at ease after your child’s next round of shots.

https://www.webmd.com/children/child-gets-vaccines?

ps:Exactly!! But now we have a "nut job" running the HHS!!!!!

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Measles outbreak

As the ongoing measles outbreak continues to spread, the public health response has been hindered by cuts to federal funding and staffing. Since the start of the year, at least 631 measles cases have been reported in the US and two children have died. Yet, only three members of the CDC are currently meeting with state and local officials to determine how to respond to the multi-state outbreak. Last week, the Trump administration announced sweeping layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services, including an estimated 2,400 at the CDC. Additionally, over $11 billion in grants to state and local health departments were pulled back. As a result, New Mexico terminated contracts for 20 workers who were helping with vaccine orders and more than 50 immunization clinics in Dallas were canceled. 

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“Not Just Measles”: Whooping Cough Cases Are Soaring as Vaccine Rates Decline

In the past six months, two babies in Louisiana have died of pertussis, the disease commonly known as whooping cough.

https://www.propublica.org/article/whooping-cough-measles-outbreak-vaccine-hesitancy-trump?

ps:How sad and avoidable!!

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Measles exploded in Texas after stagnant vaccine funding. New cuts threaten the same across the US

The measles outbreak in West Texas didn’t happen just by chance. The easily preventable disease, declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, ripped through communities sprawling across more than 20 Texas counties in part because health departments were starved of the funding needed to run vaccine programs, officials say. Read More.   ps:The stupidity is just unbelievable!!!!!

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Whooping cough

The ongoing measles outbreak has topped 700 cases and caused at least two deaths. But that’s not the only preventable disease spreading through the US at the moment. Cases of pertussis — also known as whooping cough  — have skyrocketed by more than 1,500% nationwide since hitting a recent low in 2021. In the past six months, two babies in Louisiana have died from pertussis. Washington, Idaho and South Dakota have each reported a death from the disease this year. And with vaccination rates on the decline and the Trump administration slashing spending on public health funding and staffing, such outbreaks could get much worse. Dr. Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said pediatricians across the country are concerned about the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases. “Many of us are losing sleep. If we lose that progress, children will pay the price,” she said.

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? Scientists vs. vaccine misinfo

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios A group of public health experts and scientists is mobilizing to counter vaccine misinformation from federal agencies, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim reports. The Vaccine Integrity Project is led by former FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg and former National Academy of Medicine president Harvey Fineberg, and will operate as part of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). ? It's supported by an unrestricted gift from Alumbra, a foundation established by Christy Walton, widow of Walmart heir John Walton. "This project acknowledges the unfortunate reality that the system that we've relied on to make vaccine recommendations and to review safety and effectiveness data faces threats," CIDRAP director and epidemiologist Michael Osterholm said. HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon called the project "a self-appointed echo chamber masquerading as oversight": "America doesn't need another unaccountable group of former officials circling the wagons to protect outdated narratives." Go deeper.

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MMR Vaccine for Adults

The MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. (Rubella is also called German measles). Many children in the U.S. are immunized as infants and toddlers. But not everyone gets vaccinated as a child. Many adults move to the U.S. from countries without immunization programs. World travel increases the chances of these diseases spreading.

https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/adult-mmr-vaccine-guidelines?

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Whooping cough

Cases are on the rise across the US this year, with about 6,600 already documented — nearly four times the number at the same point last year. CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen explains how to protect yourself.

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Is measles spreading in Florida? Hard to know. State’s disease-tracking data no longer available

Do you want to know how many measles cases have been confirmed in your county this year? How about whether the recent tuberculosis case reported at a high school is confined to one school or spreading throughout Florida?

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/05/09/is-measles-spreading-in-florida-hard-to-know-states-disease-tracking-data-no-longer-available/?

ps:Of course they don't have the data

[Theophilus]

This is so stupid. I am so disgusted. Absolutely no VALID reason for keeping those figures under their hat.

Every day, it's something new. ?

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9 hours ago, Theophilus said:

This is so stupid. I am so disgusted. Absolutely no VALID reason for keeping those figures under their hat.

Every day, it's something new. ?

Exactly!!

[phkrause]

How the Bird Flu Could Quickly Turn Into a Pandemic

May 7, 2025 -- It was the kind of news that made scientists grab their phones and start texting colleagues.

https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20250507/how-bird-flu-could-turn-into-pandemic?

H5N1 Bird Flu (Avian Influenza)

What Is Bird Flu?

Bird flu, also called avian influenza, is a viral infection that can cause flu in birds and sometimes spread to mammals, including humans. Migrating waterfowl (wild ducks, geese, and storks) are natural carriers of bird flu viruses. Scientists suspect that infection can spread from wildfowl to domestic poultry (chickens and turkeys) and some mammals.

https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/what-know-about-bird-flu?

Measles, Influenza, and Bird Flu: How to Protect Yourself

March 7, 2025 – It’s called “cold and flu season” for a reason. And so far, 2025 has been a doozy for contagious respiratory ailments in the United States. 

https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20250307/measles-influenza-and-bird-flu-how-to-protect-yourself?

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COVID vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, Kennedy says

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday announced that COVID-19 vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women — a move immediately questioned by several public health experts.

https://apnews.com/article/covid-vaccine-pregnant-women-children-70c358cad726e57d680234c3ecdec926?

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How Long Am I Contagious?

Medically Reviewed by Zilpah Sheikh, MD on October 11, 2023

Written by Paul Frysh

https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ss/slideshow-how-long-contagious?

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Wastewater is now helping track measles spread around the US

As measles cases rise to precipitously high levels in the US this year, there’s a new tool to help track the spread: wastewater.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/04/health/measles-wastewater-us-spread?

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Measles

Summer travel season is here and that means millions of people will be in and out of busy airports, train stations and tourist destinations. With more than 1,100 measles cases already reported in the US this year, experts are urging vacationers to take extra precautions to avoid contracting the highly contagious virus. Dr. Scott Roberts, associate medical director for infection prevention at the Yale School of Medicine, said people should double-check their immunity status at least six weeks before traveling internationally and read the country-specific travel health notices on the CDC's website. He also recommended that all travelers stay up-to-date with vaccinations, engage in frequent hand-washing, avoid coming in contact with sick people whenever possible and wear masks if they are at high risk of severe illness.

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Vaccines

Earlier this week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed the entire panel of vaccine advisers that guides the CDC on the vaccine schedule and required coverage of immunizations. On Wednesday, he appointed eight new members, including several prominent critics of the government’s Covid-19 response. Kennedy’s overhaul of the panel has drawn rebukes from physicians, nurses, former health officials and the American Medical Association. The AMA even adopted a resolution calling for Kennedy to reverse his decision to remove the previous panel members. “With an ongoing measles outbreak and routine child vaccination rates declining, this move will further fuel the spread of vaccine-preventable illnesses,” AMA President Dr. Bruce Scott said in a statement.

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? Vaccine wrecking ball

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

America's vaccine policy has been set for decades, with patients, providers, scientists and insurers more or less in sync on the merits of immunizations. In the last few weeks, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has upended long-standing norms, introducing uncertainty into a once-reliable system, Axios' Erica Pandey writes. Why it matters: Access to health care may shift in unpredictable ways. At worst, infectious diseases once thought to be eradicated could return. ⚡ Catch up quick: Kennedy sent shockwaves through the medical community two weeks ago by stopping recommendations of the COVID vaccine to healthy kids and healthy pregnant women. Confusion escalated this week, when Kennedy dismissed all 17 members of the expert panel that wields a great deal of power in shaping vaccine policy and makes recommendations to the CDC. Zoom out: Some panel members Kennedy has picked thus far are more aligned with his skeptical view of vaccines. They could radically reshape — or even scrap — national vaccine recommendations, including those for kids. They could also require more testing of new vaccines for safety and efficacy, which could have upstream effects — discouraging academic labs and drug companies from pursuing vaccine research and development. The other side: Kennedy has said replacing the members of the expert panel is a "major step towards restoring public trust in vaccines." He's also said the decision to stop recommending COVID vaccines to kids is common sense because they're less likely to get very sick from COVID than adults. ? What to watch: Big changes in America's vaccine policy come amid a major cultural shift. Vaccine skepticism is on the rise, and more kindergartners are showing up to school with exemptions.