It was a tough time: This spring summer I saw a deliberate anti-science disinformation campaign emerging from the White House, and how it was both targeting scientists (me) and decimating Hispanic and other low-income communities. To say nothing I felt was morally indefensible
I’m in a scary place, definitely out of my comfort zone, but having the support of my family and the scientific community (including many govt scientists who feel similarly threatened), gives me a lot courage to keep going.
Back in May in a paper published in @MicrobesInfect I predicted the attacks on science and scientists would escalate in the weeks prior to the 2020 US presidential election, and pretty much that’s what’s happening.
Also troubling is the accelerating globalization of anti-science and links to QAnon and neo-nazi political activities. I have a new paper out in @MicrobesInfect this coming week..
I took some comfort in the writings of Elie Wiesel, Abba Eban, others, and that helped. Here's what EW said in his @NobelPrize acceptance speech on Dec 10, 1986 in Oslo, Norway. L'Shana Tova
1/n The reality: since Mr. Kennedy became HHS Secretary he/staff have waged a war of antivaccine disinformation against the American people on a frequent/regular basis. He did this as U.S. experienced its worse measles epidemic in years, showing zero concern for our health/safety
2/n Here I will list what I consider are some of his worst public statements and acts, it may take me a day or so to get through it all, I hope it’s a useful reference.
3/n first regarding the MMR vaccine vs measles in our pandemic now in 4 states in the Southern Great Plains
1/n My articles and interviews on the overlap between antiscience and antisemitism, accelerating during the pandemic but going back to the 14th century
Many thanks @BBCWorld for hosting me today to discuss new FDA guidelines for annual COVID immunizations and boosters, including a shift away from universal immunization recommendations to those >65 or a list of underlying health conditions as detailed in @NEJM
My concern is that the new recs are based only on acute sequelae including case fatality rates and hospitalizations, but ignore the chronic consequences such as long COVID or thromboembolic complications that can occur even in well adults and teens
While the companies can do new clinical trials for health adults or kids I’m guessing this might not be of interest due to the size of the trials required and the ginormous costs
My latest in PLOS Biology: it’s not as dark as you might think, there are still lots of opportunities, but they require strategy, long-term planning, openness to the realities that things will be different. Here are some ideas
1/n Being about the role of Vitamin A and its role in the treatment and prevention of measles. It’s actually an interesting story, but unfortunately one that is being twisted and weaponized by the wellness/influencer $multibillion to push vitamin A like they did for ivermectin
2/n it starts from an interesting findings 1970s/80s that kids in low-income countries with malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency (and xeropthalmia) had higher mortality from infection. Al Sommer an ophthalmologist from @JohnsHopkinsSPH led those studies
@JohnsHopkinsSPH 3/n Dr. Sommer who went on to become dean at @JohnsHopkinsSPH also demonstrated in Tanzania a therapeutic benefit for hospitalized kids under 2 with measles. I think those studies are sound, but remember they’re malnourished kids or with xerophthalmia