TWiV 1368: Clinical Update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello are discouraged by the continuous attack on vaccines especially the birth dose of the hepatitis B virus vaccine, effects of the 2026 changes in immunization schedule, the global burden of vaccine preventable diseases including pertussis and measles, expansion of the Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in Kenya, increase in rabies diagnosis in the US and screwworm cases before Dr. Griffin deep dives into recent statistics RSV, influenza, SARS-CoV-2 infections, measles including an 8% increase in confirmed cases in 1 week in the US and its history especially the Faroe Island outbreak in 1846, warnings of congenital measles, effect of Fluvoxamine and Metformin to combat fatigue of long COVID and contacting your federal government representative to stop the assault on science and biomedical research.

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Links for this episode

• Kennedy’s Vaccine Plan Could Cause Surge in Hepatitis B, Study Finds(NY Times)
• Projected Effect of 2026 Federal Changes to the Childhood Immunization Schedule on Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infections in the United States (Annals of Internal Medicine)
• Highlights from the Meeting of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization (WHO)
• The Effect of Pertussis Vaccination During Pregnancy on Pertussis and Diphtheria Immunity in Children at 3 and 4 Years of Age (JID)
• Effectiveness of Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine in Children Aged 6 Months–6 Years During a Statewide Pertussis Outbreak — Alaska, May–November 2024 (CDC: MMWR)
• Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule for Ages 18 Years or Younger (AAP)
• Global, regional and national burden of pertussis in 1990–2023: a Global Burden of Disease study (Nature Medicine)
• Is Rabies Making a Comeback? (NY Times)
• Dashboard SCREWWORM.Gov (USDA: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service)
• CDC Activates Emergency Operations Center for New World Screwworm Response (CDC Newroom)
• Epidemiological Alert: Myiasis caused by Cochliomyia hominivorax in the Americas Region, 16 October 2026 (PAHO)
• Ebola DRC (X)
• Ebola dashboard (ebola.fyi)
• EBOLA: The Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2026 (WHO)
• Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak Democratic Republic of the Congo (WHO: Democratic Republic of Congo)
• Ebola Outbreak: Current Situation (CDC:Ebola)
• Kenya confirms first Ebola case after man who travelled from Congo dies (Reuters)
• Kenya reports second Ebola case, family member of first patient (Reuters)
• Kenya confirms third Ebola case as health officials race to contain outbreak (Africanews)
• Is Ebola under control in Kenya after nine cases confirmed? (BBC)
• Nigeria confirms imported case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease (WHO: African region)
• As Ebola epidemic rages, Congo bets on high-stakes ‘hope’ vaccine trial (Science)
• US measles cases grow by 8% in 1 week, for a total of 4,410 (CIDRAP)
• Amish Families Pushed to Undo a Vaccine Law. Then Measles Arrived. (NY Times)
• Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis after Measles Outbreaks, the Philippines, 2007–2022(CDC: Emergin Infectious Diseases)
• Observations Made During the Epidemic of Measles on the Faroe Islands in the Year 1846 (Amazon)
• “The Sombre Aspect of the Entire Landscape” — Epidemiology and the Faroe Islands (NEJM)
• Guidance for measles in pregnancy and congenital measles (Pennsylvaina Department of Health)
• Pennsylvania raises alarm on congenital measles (CIDRAP)
• C.D.C. Ignored Request From States to Validate a New Measles Test (NY Times)
• Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan)
• Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)
• Big outbreak, bright lights…Measles Dashboard (South Carolina Department of Public Health)
• Utah measles outbreak response (Utah Department of Health and Human Services)
• Utah Measles Dashboard (Utah Department of Health and Human Services)
• Measles (VDH: Virginia Department of Health)
• Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S. (Johns Hopkins)
• HAP’s Latest News Pa. Launches New Measles Dashboard (Hospital + HealthSystem Association of Pennsylvania)
• Measles (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania)
• Measles Dashboard (New York State: Department of Health)
• Weekly measles and rubella monitoring (Government of Canada)
• Measles (WHO)
• Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health)
• Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
• Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
• Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC)
• Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC)
• Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality (NLM)
• Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts(ISDA: Infectious Diseases Society of America)
• Deaths following vaccination: what does the evidence show (Vaccine)
• Measles Cases and Outbreaks (CDC: Rubeola)
• Laboratory Testing for Measles (CDC: Measles (Rubeola)
• Measles Clinical Diagnosis Fact Sheet (CDC: Measles (Rubeola)
• Measles Serology Testing (CDC: Measles (Rubeola)
• Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• Flu vaccine recommendations: Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee March 12, 2026 Meeting Announcement (FDA)
• WHO updates all 3 viral strains to be included in fall flu shots (CIDRAP)
• FDA vaccine advisers recommend adding subclade K to fall shots( CIDRAP)
• Weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView)
• RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
• Vaccines for Adults (CDC: Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV))
• Economic Analysis of Protein Subunit and mRNA RSV Vaccination in Adults aged 50-59 Years (CDC: ACIP)
• RSV Immunization Effectiveness and Safety for the 2026-2027 Respiratory Season (JAMA)
• Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
• Respiratory Illnesses Data Channel (CDC: Respiratory Illnesses)
• COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)
• COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
• SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
• Ensitrelvir for Covid-19 Postexposure Prophylaxis in Household Contacts (NEJM)
• Moderna Receives U.S. FDA Approval for Updated 2026-2027 COVID-19 Vaccines (Moderna)
• Novavax’s Partnership Strategy Continues to Deliver with XFG-adapted Nuvaxovid™ Approvals in the U.S., EU and Japan for 2026-2027 Vaccination Season (novavax)
• Pfizer and BioNTech Receive U.S. FDA Approval for XFG-adapted COVID-19 Vaccine (Pfizer)
• FDA approves new COVID vaccines (CIDRAP)
• Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda)
• EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)
• Infusion center (Prime Fusions)
• CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)
• NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)
• Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
• Help your eligible patients access PAXLOVID with the PAXCESS Patient Support Program (Pfizer Pro)
• Understanding Coverage Options (PAXCESS)
• Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)
• Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society)
• What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC)
• Managing healthcare staffing <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/covid/hcp/infection-control/mitigating-staff-shortages.