CIDRAP

Here’s what the evidence found on the flu, COVID-19 and RSV immunizations. ⬇️ There were no new safety concerns in comparative studies when examining currently recommended immunizations. Review the full reports, published in @jama.com: bit.ly/4x0nIhW

Study suggests gut microbiome determines vaccine reaction High levels of intestinal inflammation are linked to post-vaccination fever. Read more: https://bit.ly/4zQTcsO

Post-exposure rabies vaccine saves lives, and community pharmacies can help A new analysis finds that patients who got follow-up care at community pharmacies were more likely to complete the rabies vaccine series. Read more: https://bit.ly/4A22X7Q

Global pertussis burden remains high despite decades of progress Pertussis, also called whooping cough, remains a major cause of vaccine-preventable deaths—especially among infants. Read more: https://bit.ly/3UmCAdu

CDC report shows rise in drug-resistant infections, deaths in US The CDC says drug-resistant bacteria and fungi cause 9.7 million infections and 50,800 US deaths a year. Read more: https://bit.ly/4yOgWwT 📷: CDC / Meghan Maloney

Quick takes: -Ebola cases top 10,000 -New World screwworm in Texas, New Mexico -More avian flu in Washington cattle Read more: https://bit.ly/4z6zaKW.

Policy brief suggests speedier, fairer COVID vaccine rollout could have averted millions of deaths by 2022 Wealthy countries had at least one dose per person, compared with one for every 25 in low-income nations. https://bit.ly/4yIMe8o 📷: Asian Development Bank / Flickr cc

Global measles cases in kids rose ⬆️40% from 2020 to 2023, study estimates Disruptions in vaccine coverage and spread of misinformation about vaccine safety have led to a sharp rise in pediatric illnesses and deaths. Read more: https://bit.ly/4BveXQD

New Public Health Alerts: Colorectal cancer climbed a bit in 2023 The uptick likely reflects the fact that adults born since the 1960s are increasingly at risk of colorectal cancer as they age, the authors say. More from @nejm.org & CIDRAP: bit.ly/4yQvpbD

Analysis: Japan’s COVID-19 efforts protected Olympians, Paralympians in 2021 Very few athletes and team members tested positive for the virus during the events in Tokyo. Read more: https://bit.ly/4i9mKvZ 📷: Misty / Flickr cc

Kenya reports 2nd Ebola death as Nigeria races to understand transmission of index patient The second patient to die in Kenya was a close relative of the index patient. Read more: https://bit.ly/4yIcsry 📷: World Bank / Vincent Tremeau

Women are more likely to get the flu vaccine while pregnant, data reveal 💉The findings suggest that prenatal care is a key opportunity to promote immunizations. Read more: https://bit.ly/4eWOodl

Study: Medical assistants talk to families about vaccines in about half of visits A study highlights how office staff communicate about vaccines with families and the need to integrate best practices into pediatric care. Read more: https://bit.ly/4iHEMW9

Saskatchewan walks back plan to end CWD testing of hunter-harvested cervids after stiff pushback The province has the world’s highest rates of the fatal neurodegenerative disease in animals such as deer, elk, and moose. More: https://bit.ly/4i8ixsp 📷: Steve Wall / Flickr cc

New Public Health Alert: Report highlights 5 measles importations into Washington state early this year Compliance with isolation and quarantine guidance and public health messaging may have helped control the outbreak, which involved 26 cases. More from @nejm.org & CIDRAP: bit.ly/3WMIIMM

CIDRAP Op-Ed: HHS says it wants better evidence on vaccine injuries. It’s building a system that will produce the opposite. Read full Op-Ed by @jakescottmd.bsky.social: https://bit.ly/4yDSw9n

CIDRAP Director Michael Osterholm recognized for defending vaccine science But, the University of Minnesota epidemiologist says the recognition belongs to a much larger group. Read more: https://bit.ly/3U8ZS6x @mtosterholm.bsky.social

US measles cases hit 4,588, more than twice last year’s total Pennsylvania remains the US hot spot, accounting for nearly 30% of the country’s cases. Read more: https://bit.ly/4ie8kJt

Study: Long-acting injected combo drug keeps HIV in check Another finding: Many people with HIV prefer using the injectable medication to taking daily pills. Read more: https://bit.ly/4zMYHsm

Quick takes: -Warning over Ebola spread -Price cut for malaria vaccine -Polio in 6 nations Read more: https://bit.ly/4z8U0tl.

Spouses are better predictors of severe COVID-19 infection than siblings, new data reveal In total, 71% of hospitalized spouses landed in a hospital bed within 5 days of each other. Read more: https://bit.ly/4ih0LSo

📰 CIDRAP News reporter Stephanie recaps 3 news stories: -HPV vaccine uptake & age https://bit.ly/4i7ZBKp -“Shared clinical decision making” creates confusion https://bit.ly/3Wl8p6W -Ebola spreads to 4th nation https://bit.ly/4eMNYGm 🔔Subscribe: https://bit.ly/4ygphdu

Study findings support the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose over other strategies HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized 1 of the 2 studies on social media, drawing pointed responses from physicians. Read more: https://bit.ly/4ijRXv7

"Both a severe flu season & an influenza pandemic represent very real & critical risks to health & security in the US & around the world." Dr. Bruce Gellin, advisor to CIDRAP, shares takeaways from a paper that IVR staff and advisors published in Vaccine. https://bit.ly/3UGaJFa

Poll: MAHA supporters retain trust in health agencies while favoring vaccine policy changes Still, only 17% of MAHA supporters said reduced childhood vaccinations are among their top issues. Read more: https://bit.ly/4i8dFlG

As measles soars in Pennsylvania, some parents are vaccinating their babies early The measles vaccine is less effective when given to infants at 6 months, but likely still protective against severe complications Read more: https://bit.ly/4ss7BJG 📷: Gov. Josh Shapiro's office

Calley Means, top RFK adviser, steps down, possibly over MAHA delays Means was reportedly frustrated with a postponed meeting on ultraprocessed food. Read more: https://bit.ly/4yMGk6k 📷: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons

Drug-resistant infections linked to $3.5 trillion in global economic losses in 2021 An analysis finds that, while all regions were affected, low-resource areas were hit hardest. Read more: https://bit.ly/47zokRC

First ever human case of livestock-related Shamonda virus identified in France Investigations are ongoing abt how the man, now deceased, contracted the virus normally found in livestock. Experts say the risk to the public is low https://bit.ly/4st7aP9 📷: Ian Jacobs/Flickr cc

Quick takes: -Minnesota measles clusters -New World screwworm in elk -Salmonella tied to oysters Read more: https://bit.ly/4BmIsUz.

New Osterholm Update podcast episode: Measles: It's more than a rash 🎧 Listen as @mtosterholm.bsky.social and co-host Chris Dall discuss: -Complications from measles infection -Health Secretary RFK Jr.'s new vaccine injury initiatives and more! Hear the full episode: https://bit.ly/3UbPM4D

CWD digest: Disease reaches new areas in Wyoming, Wisconsin, as Michigan detects case on farm Read more: https://bit.ly/4z63zZW 📷: Bureau of Land Management / Flickr cc @cidrap-cwd.bsky.social

COMMENTARY: Sometimes it’s not ‘just the flu’—a plea for vaccination from a father’s heart A new study provides data on how vaccination prevents deaths & serious illness—and the lasting family pain behind the statistics. https://bit.ly/3WEZ7To 📷: Heather Hazzan/Self magazine

Tens of thousands of US newborns could be exposed to hepatitis B at home, study suggests A new study finds that 1.3% of children under age 5 were exposed to someone in the home with hepatitis B, a highly contagious but vaccine-preventable disease. https://bit.ly/4iz9MHN

Nigeria announces its first Ebola case in 12 years Also, Kenyan officials confirm a 9th case in that country, 4 of which have been healthcare workers. Read more: https://bit.ly/4eMNYGm 📷: EU/ECHO/Isabel Coello

Infectious disease specialists protest HIV funding cuts Supporters of people with HIV/AIDS rallied at the IDWeek 2026 conference in Washington, DC. Read more: https://bit.ly/4yTIgdj 📷: Liz Szabo

Epidemics linked to loss of health workers, with poorer nations hardest hit Infectious disease epidemics could account for an average annual shortfall of 17,500 healthcare workers worldwide. Read more: https://bit.ly/4yAcYrs

Quick takes: -CDC notes 3rd measles death -FDA OKs hepatitis B treatment -Hep B vaccine seized in Guinea-Bissau Read more: https://bit.ly/4hWbSkW.

US cervical cancer screening rates have risen, but disparities remain, new data show Women living in the southern and western parts of the country and those in some racial and age groups are less likely to be screened. Read more: https://bit.ly/4ixd0LU

Register for CIDRAP’s November 17 webinar, Hosts, Pathogens, and Population Feedbacks: How Density Shapes Disease and Disease Shapes Density in Wildlife, with Sonja Christensen, PhD, moderated by Cory Anderson, PhD. Register at z.umn.edu/nov26

Chris Dall, co-host of the Osterholm Update podcast, shares a sneak peek 👀 of this week's episode. Chris & @mtosterholm.bsky.social will discuss: -Complications from a measles infection -New vaccine injury initiatives & more! 🎧 Episode 220 posts Thurs., 10/22. More on the podcast: bit.ly/3ThfmV5

Kids more likely to be vaccinated against HPV if doctors offer shots at earlier ages, study finds Offering HPV shots to children at ages 9 or 10 increases vaccination rates compared with providing the immunization at 11 or 12. Read more: https://bit.ly/4i7ZBKp

Pennsylvania raises alarm on congenital measles The state had not seen the disease in decades. Read more: https://bit.ly/4yRKnON 📷: Government of Alberta / Flickr cc

Poll: Nearly half of US parents believe spacing out vaccines is healthier At the same time, confidence in the safety of longstanding vaccines, including MMR and polio, remains high. Read more: https://bit.ly/4z4FiDw

‘Chaos in communication’: How shared clinical decision making for vaccines adds confusion Changing language on vaccines can mislead people into thinking there’s new evidence about them, when the science hasn’t changed. Read more: https://bit.ly/3Wl8p6W

27 sickened in Salmonella outbreak linked to raw oysters The raw oysters were from the Little Wicomico River harvest area in Virginia. Read more: https://bit.ly/4i0tsTq

Kenya reports more Ebola cases, all linked to initial patient Also, new data show that 1 in 4 new patients in North Kivu, DRC, are children. Read more: https://bit.ly/47pzFnh 📷: NIAID/Flickr cc

Federal agencies leave questions unanswered about DOGE access to sensitive data It remains unclear to what extent security safeguards were followed when DOGE officials accessed agency systems. Read more: https://bit.ly/3VYp687

Many hospitals still lax on catheter-related UTI prevention, 2 decades of data show Read more: https://bit.ly/4emKM45 📷: anique/Flickr cc

NIH sees 7,400 fewer grants during fiscal year 2026 than in previous year $1.9 billion was awarded to multi-year–funded programs this year. Read more: https://bit.ly/4hSkp8u

Study links antibiotic use with irritable bowel syndrome An analysis of children and adolescents in Sweden found those who took antibiotics had 1.5 times higher odds of IBS by age 24 compared with those who didn’t. Read more: https://bit.ly/4eJiktl