"Instead, experts from within the FDA, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Defense gathered Thursday to go over surveillance data from the US and around the world about flu viruses that are currently circulating.

The FDA is recommending that flu vaccines for the 2025-26 season be trivalent, protecting against two strains of influenza A and one of influenza B."

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/13/health/fda-flu-vaccine-recommendations/index.html

On this Long COVID Awareness Day, my thoughts go out to the millions who have been directly affected, or care for someone who has.

Hope you all have someone to lean on in these particularly difficult times, something that still brings you joy.

Hang in there, we're all in this together!

#nature #pain #PublicHealth

'Using an fMRI scanner, researchers monitored the brain activity of 49 participants in Austria, as they received pain delivered through a series of small electric shocks. When they were watching videos of a natural scene compared to a city or an indoor office, participants not only reported feeling less pain, but scans showed the specific brain responses associated with processing pain changed too.'

https://news.exeter.ac.uk/faculty-of-health-and-life-sciences/watching-nature-scenes-can-reduce-pain-new-study-shows/

I’m going on my very first cruise in a week to celebrate my 40th birthday. I’m quite anxious because I don’t know what to expect, I want to try this experience, especially since my brother wants to share it with me, but I have a lot of conflicted feelings re: borders, movement of people, the environment, etc., etc. etc. I’m also a little afraid of getting sick so I got my latest Covid vaccination just today. Hope I am doing my part to keep society well ha ha ha. #science #publichealth

"Still, 'the majority of use is not necessary to improve or maintain health,' and due to only light regulations, supplement makers may make claims about their benefits without sufficient evidence, Cohen said. 'No supplement needs to get tested or vetted by the FDA before it’s sold.'"

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/dietary-supplements-health-freedom-fans-mehmet-oz-rfk-jr-surgeon-general-maha-industry-conflicts/

Measles is unlike other viruses: What to know about long-term complications.

From NBC News: "The virus targets certain types of immune cells in the body, destroying them in the process."

https://flip.it/MaZ0pr

As the world grapples with a measles outbreak, it’s a stark reminder that public health is a collective responsibility. Vaccination isn’t just personal; it’s a social contract. Let’s not let history repeat itself. #PublicHealth #Vaccination

A measles outbreak with over 250 cases in the US is a stark reminder of the importance of vaccination. Let's prioritize public health and ensure our communities are safe! #Vaccination #PublicHealth

As the US faces a measles outbreak, it’s a stark reminder that public health is a collective responsibility. Vaccination isn’t just personal; it’s a community shield. Let’s not let history repeat itself. #PublicHealth #Vaccination

#Nigeria #music #PublicHealth

'The bouncy tune sounds like it’s meant for the dance floor or your Spotify favorites. Then you hear the lyrics.

“If you feel it in your chest, you need to take some rest. Hypertension. . . Take the pressure, know your levels. Exercise, eat right.”

It’s a public health intervention, embedded in a song and created through the crowdsourcing work of Carolina’s Dr. Joe Tucker and his team.'

https://www.unc.edu/posts/2025/03/12/crowdsourcing-transforms-public-health-messaging/

Africa: Covid-19 - How Did Africa Defy the Odds With Fewer Deaths?: [Thomson Reuters Foundation] The COVID-19 pandemic was supposed to decimate African populations, but that didn't happen. Why? http://newsfeed.facilit8.network/TJWR66 #Africa #COVID19 #PandemicResponse #PublicHealth #HealthStatistics

In 1 decade, Texas went from having high vaccination rates to low rates

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/experts-vaccines-texas-measles

I've seen a fair amount of posts on the uptick in measles cases in the US this year (linking it to the rise of the anti-vexers in the Court of Tangerine Tyrant), but before we get all smug on this side of the Atlantic, its worth noting that there has also been an increase (for not dissimilar reasons) across some parts of Europe.

Anti-vexers are wrecking lives across the world & we need a better defence of public health provision(s).

#PublicHealth #measles

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/13/wake-up-call-measles-cases-doubled-europe-last-year-who-unicef

"The cuts in those two divisions mean there will be far fewer staff members to finish the 12,000 pending federal investigations into allegations of civil rights violations at schools — roughly half of which involve disability issues — and fewer employees to review and distribute government-funded research into effective ways to educate children with autism or severe intellectual disabilities."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/education-department-layoffs-students-disabilities-rcna196114

"He asked three local churches if he could set up a mobile testing site on their property. They all refused...His team did create a drive-up testing site at a county events building next to the city park, and not far from the Masonic lodge. But he said that it gets very few visitors—about two or three a day. As a result, no one really knows the outbreak’s total size."

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/03/texas-measles-outbreak-death-family/681985/

Bro #WashingtonDC is fucked (on a lot of levels but specifically), WE NEED CONDOMS: if you work in #HarmReduction and have a source you're willing to pass along (the city stopped fulfilling our orders), or a bunch of condoms you can't move sitting around on pallets and taking up storage space, hmu I would be *thrilled* to talk with you wherever you are in the US!!
#SaferSex #HIVPrevention #PublicHealth

I'm proud to share a research article our research team recently published. It examines health insurance and non-medical challenges Vietnamese Americans faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disaggregating data unmasks disparities within different populations. We wouldn't see this if we included this group within the broader Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander umbrella.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/22/2/189