"Grounded in Truth, Transparency, and Scientific Evidence"
Three Things Thursday
Three Things Thursday highlights three things I am paying attention to as an epidemiologist each week. It finally feels like fall — sunny days, and cool evenings. We’re enjoying apple cider (it’s best from Davenport), falling leaves, and fall veggies (kale, squash, and beets); we’re also in the midst of birthday week — both of our kids celebrate their birthdays this week.1 Also, at this time of year, we mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And while I appreciate all the effort made to bring attention to breast cancer, women over 40 need to schedule a mammogram. Not sure what is involved in a mammogram, which is a cancer screening/early detection test? Read all about my experience here.
Before diving into this week’s three things, I want to highlight the Washington Post article authored by six previous US Surgeon Generals. In it, they (the Surgeon Generals appointed by Presidents Bush (both of them), Clinton, Obama, and Trump (in ‘16) stated —
“We are compelled to speak with one voice to say that the actions of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are endangering the health of the nation. Never before have we issued a joint public warning like this. But the profound, immediate and unprecedented threat that Kennedy’s policies and positions pose to the nation’s health cannot be ignored.
America’s public health systems are essential to the well-being of the nation. We are clear-eyed about the fact that these systems need to be improved, including paying more attention to areas such as disease prevention, mental health and chronic illness. But reform must be grounded in truth, transparency and scientific evidence. Without this foundation, we risk not only halting progress but reversing it — costing lives in the process.”
This week’s three things are grounded in truth, transparency, and scientific evidence.
Hoping this post helps to educate and empower you
to be healthy and create healthy communities.
Government Shutdown Update
The federal government has been shut down for over a week, and according to CNN, Congress still appears deadlocked on a funding plan. As I wrote last week, the Medicare telehealth program has already ended for many (due to budget cuts), along with discretionary programs, such as Community Health Centers (CHCs).
Many public health practitioners have been furloughed, and there is growing suspicion that many will be RIF-ed (reduction in force) — aka fired — even after the government reopens. This means even more cuts to the public health workforce.
If the shutdown lasts for more than two more weeks, there will be no funding for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program. This program provides food and infant formula to ~ 7 million pregnant women, new moms, infants, and young children.
Additionally, with the government shutdown, public health surveillance data will be delayed or unavailable. As we head into respiratory virus season, we may not know how many cases, hospitalizations, and deaths from flu, COVID, or RSV there.
In response to the delay or unavailability of public health surveillance data, I assembled a research team, and we have been monitoring and collecting data from each state health department.
Tomorrow we will be sharing our data — an update on the current state of the respiratory virus season. Be sure you are subscribed so you know what we know about the spread of COVID, flu, and RSV; we’ll also be tracking measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases across the country.
Availability of COVID Vaccines
Earlier this week, the CDC issued new guidance around the use of COVID vaccines, dropping the recommendation that everyone receive the vaccine and instead leaving the choice up to individuals. According to a report in Wired —
“Prior to this fall, the CDC universally recommended the Covid vaccine for anyone 6 months or older. The agency’s new guidance, drafted by a panel of experts handpicked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., says that individuals should consult with a health care provider before getting the shot, what the agency calls ‘individual-based decision-making.’ The CDC’s definition of providers includes physicians, nurses, and pharmacists.
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, first moved to restrict COVID vaccines in May, when he announced that the CDC would no longer recommend them to healthy children and pregnant women.”
The science — summarized here in a presentation to CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (slides 14 & 15) — shows that the COVID vaccine is effective at preventing visits to urgent care. There are also other benefits of being vaccinated —
Many major medical groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, have issued science-based guidelines recommending that (most) everyone ages 6 months and up receive the COVID vaccine, to protect themselves and their communities this upcoming respiratory virus season.
Use CVEEP — Champions for Vaccine Education, Equity, and Progress — to locate a provider to get the COVID vaccine. And be sure to get your flu vaccine, too.
Bird Flu & Measles Are Spreading, Whooping Cough, too
We haven’t heard a lot about bird/avian influenza in months, namely because the Trump Administration withdrew from the WHO and stopped all reporting and surveillance of the disease earlier this year. Additionally, the Administration abruptly ended a ~$700 million contract with Moderna to develop an avian flu vaccine. However, bird flu is still spreading. During the past month, more than 4 million poultry were culled because members of the flocks were diagnosed with H5N1/avian influenza. Cases at this time of the year are earlier than expected; however, this is the fourth year in a row where avian flu has spiked in the fall.
In light of the spread of avian influenza, please —
Get your flu shot.
Do NOT drink raw/unpasteurized milk (or eat unpasteurized cheese).
In addition to avian influenza spreading, we have outbreaks of two vaccine-preventable diseases occurring: measles and pertussis. The current measles case count is 1,563. There is an outbreak occurring in Utah and Arizona (where the disease has crossed state borders). There are currently 53 cases of (diagnosed) measles in Utah, and in Arizona, nine cases have been diagnosed during the past three weeks. We prevent measles through vaccination.
The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and effective.
And in Florida, where childhood vaccination rates are declining, pertussis cases have increased at an alarming rate. As of Sept. 27, 2025, there have been 1,295 cases reported to the Florida Department of Health (DOH), compared to 715 cases for the entirety of 2024, according to the department’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat —
“Rising reported cases are a concern because they signal waning immunity, gaps in vaccination coverage, or increased community spread, all of which put vulnerable populations at higher risk.”
CDC recommends whooping cough (pertussis) vaccination for babies, children, preteens, pregnant women, and adults. Specifically, children need two booster shots (at 15 months and then again at 4-6 years). Children should get a booster at 11 or 12 years of age to boost their immunity. And adults should get a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) booster every 10 years.
“The fight for public health and health equity will be a lifelong one. But for the next few years, we can look to our families, our communities, and our cities to help us stay healthy. We should not waver in the demand for safe and healthy communities as well as for evidence-based health information. Love each other, protect each other, and get vaccinated!”
What else can you do?
Click the “Like” button on the posts you enjoy. It’s a small thing, but it helps.
Share posts, either on social media or with your friends and family. And be sure they subscribe, so they do not miss tomorrow’s respiratory virus update.
Comment on the posts. Hearing from you is a form of encouragement & it helps move Epi(demiology) Matters up in the Substack algorithm.
Send me your ideas & questions (drbeckydawson@gmail.com).
My youngest is experimenting/learning how to make crème brûlée.
Thank you, as always, Dr Dawson.
Davenports does have the best cider! As always, thank you for keeping us informed.