IndieEpi
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stasialb.bsky.social
IndieEpi
@stasialb.bsky.social
Infectious disease epidemiologist. Educator, mentor, mom. All opinions are my own. She/her. I trust science.
Reposted by IndieEpi
This is not the first time RFK Jr or his fellow anti-vax travelers conducted a study they knew would harm or kill children in low-income countries. It is a dehumanizing, colonialist model of manufacturing evidence: sacrificing foreign kids for political pseudoscience.
www.notus.org/health-scien...
CDC to Fund Controversial Study in West Africa on Infant Hepatitis B Vaccines
The study prompted swift outcry from scientists in the U.S. who say it’s “unethical.”
www.notus.org
December 19, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Reposted by IndieEpi
1/7
What if there were a simple, safe tool to prevent deadly brain bleeds in newborn babies? There is. It’s vitamin K!

Babies are born low in it, and a single shot at birth nearly eliminated related deadly bleeding.

A new JAMA study shows this protection is slipping 🩺👶
December 16, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Reposted by IndieEpi
New #CDC data confirm what science has shown all along: COVID-19 vaccines protect children from severe illness, hospitalization, & death. Findings in last week’s #MMWR reinforce vaccination keeps kids safe.
Effectiveness of 2024–2025 COVID-19 Vaccines in Children...
This report describes COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness among children ages 9 months to 17 years.
www.cdc.gov
December 17, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Reposted by IndieEpi
It doesn’t have to be this way. This is what happens when vaccination rates drop. If you traveled to theses areas recently, please watch for signs of measles. Talk to a doctor as needed.

If you have plans to travel to these areas, please protect yourself and family. Vaccines save lives.
Hundreds are quarantined in South Carolina as measles spreads in 2 US outbreaks
Measles outbreaks in South Carolina and on the Arizona-Utah border are growing
abcnews.go.com
December 12, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Reposted by IndieEpi
National Public Health Coalition released new data showing impacts of illegal firings across CDC since Jan 2025. CDC has lost one-third of its civil-service workforce & over 150 programs. Explore an interactive dashboard. See how cuts are undermining public health nationwide.
CDCDataProject.org
1/2
November 1, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Reposted by IndieEpi
November 25, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Reposted by IndieEpi
La Nina is here and the global cool-down is well underway (global mean sea surface temps are lowest since March 2023).
Remember it's not the individual ups & downs that matter, it's the steady warming trend, which will continue until we reach zero carbon emissions.
#Urgency #StayFocused #COP30
November 15, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by IndieEpi
More hope for Long Covid🌈 from Stellenbosch University;

“identified the most predictive biomarker combinations, enhancing diagnostic reliability and paving the way for personalized medicine approaches.

www.su.ac.za/en/faculties...
Scientists reveal another piece in Long COVID puzzle
New study reveals a structural association between circulating microclots and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in patients with Long COVID. When dysregulated, this interaction may become pathogen...
www.su.ac.za
November 15, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Reposted by IndieEpi
🧵There is an outbreak of infant botulism linked to ByHeart Inc Whole Nutrition Formula resulting in 15 cases across 12 states

🍼Do not use recalled infant formula

🧼Clean any exposed items/surfaces

🏥Seek immediate medical care if your infant consumed ByHeart and is sick

www.cdc.gov/botulism/out...
Infant Botulism Outbreak Linked to Infant Formula, November 2025
Details on an outbreak of infant botulism linked to infant formula, November 2025.
www.cdc.gov
November 11, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Reposted by IndieEpi
RFK Jr. and many top deputies are scheduled to speak alongside industry executives and health activists at a daylong MAHA event on Wednesday that has not been publicly disclosed by administration officials or event organizers.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/m...
At ‘hush-hush’ MAHA summit, RFK Jr. and deputies to mix with biotech leaders
A who's who of MAHA federal officials will be speaking at an event, stacked with industry executives and activists, organized largely in secrecy.
www.statnews.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Reposted by IndieEpi
A black box warning has been in place more than 20 years. An Ob/gyn society and the National Menopause Foundation welcomes the move. The FDA is also approving new drugs to treat menopause symptoms.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Reposted by IndieEpi
If you’re wondering, this is exactly how we federal workers feel

We’ve been fighting for this country since Jan 20th. Leadership needs to fight too

"We went into this shutdown knowing we would suffer but it would be worth it for the country. This deal is a slap in the face to every federal worker"
November 11, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Reposted by IndieEpi
WastewaterSCAN is terminating sites from their program again.

Now they are down to 147 active sites.

Most recent loss from their Mendhall, Juneau, AK facility.
November 11, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Reposted by IndieEpi
Canada’s loss of measles elimination status has reverberations for the Americas, the only region of the WHO that has ever achieved measles-elimination status. When even one country in a region loses measles-elimination status, the entire region loses it.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/10/m...
Canada loses measles elimination status — as does the entire Americas region
Canada has formally lost its measles elimination status, the country’s public health agency announced, triggering the loss of that status throughout all of the Americas.
www.statnews.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:04 AM
Reposted by IndieEpi
The laws have put doctors under increasing pressure, complicating the standard medical treatments for miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, premature membrane rupture, and other pregnancy problems. These laws are driving much-needed doctors from certain states.
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
Iowa doesn't have enough OB-GYNs. Is the state's abortion ban part of the problem?
Iowa ranks last among states for the number of OB-GYNS per capita. State legislators are trying to recruit more, but some doctors say the state's strict abortion ban is partially to blame.
www.npr.org
November 6, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Reposted by IndieEpi
My @cidrap.bsky.social Op-Ed: "Vaccine effectiveness and safety: What the numbers truly mean in 2025"

Our review provides extensive data on Covid-19, RSV, and flu, though interpreting these numbers requires understanding the distinct context surrounding each.

www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/cid...
CIDRAP Op-Ed: Vaccine effectiveness and safety: What the numbers truly mean in 2025
urldefense.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Reposted by IndieEpi
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of 3-Year-Old Children Exposed to Maternal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection in Utero

I hate to say “I told you so…” but nevertheless: I told you so.
journals.lww.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Reposted by IndieEpi
Newsom: The New Testament and Old Testament have one dominant thing in common—Matthew, Isaiah, Luke, Proverbs, go down the list—it’s about food, about serving those who are hungry. It’s not a suggestion; it’s core and essential to what it means to align with God’s will.
October 28, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Reposted by IndieEpi
Measles is back

Whooping cough is back

Now, diphtheria is staging a return with large outbreaks now in Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Chad — countries with civil wars or large populations of refugees where vaccination coverage is low...

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/h... @stephanienolen.bsky.social
Diphtheria, a Once Vanquished Killer of Children, Is Resurgent
www.nytimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by IndieEpi
Walz: "They are paying contractors to pay down the East Wing but they're not putting money into the food bank. So if there's a sense of frustration in America, it's very real ... when the White House press secretary said their top priority is the ballroom, we could not disagree more."
October 27, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Reposted by IndieEpi
"Viewpoint diversity" about whether human activity is warming the planet, or whether vaccines work, is like "viewpoint diversity" about whether the sky is blue or whether the Earth is round. It falls outside the range of good faith scientific and academic discourse.
#ScienceUnderSiege
October 21, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Reposted by IndieEpi
15 US states and territories have formed a new Public Health Alliance, which will counter the absence of federal leadership by tracking outbreaks, issuing guidance, buying vaccines and more.

Members of the new alliance include CA, CO, CT, DE, GU, HI, IL, MD, MA, NJ, NY, NC, OR, RI, WA.
October 16, 2025 at 4:43 AM