TWiV 1318: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello note the uncertain future of the National Science Foundation amid shifting U.S. funding priorities and governance; the rise of China as a global research powerhouse; ongoing advances and controversies in vaccines shaped by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; vaccine policy battles in Florida; European approval of the moderna mCOMBRIAX, COVID-19 and influenza vaccine, the mounting evidence supporting preventive vaccination strategies including that for HPV and the HepB birth dose; the spread of drug-resistant infections and the resurgence of HIV in Zambia; and the enduring public trust in scientists despite political turbulence, before Dr. Griffin deep dives into the measles outbreak, recent statistics RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, the efficacy of the influenza vaccine for children, PEMGARDA authorized use for certain immunocompromised individuals where to find PEMGARDA, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, use of remdesivir for RSV, how administration of Paxlovid did not affect hospitalization of high-risk vaccinated patients, where to go for answers about long COVID-19, if SARS-CoV-2 infection may facilitate EBV reactivation, exercise for treating long COVID and contacting your federal government representative to stop the assault on science and biomedical research. Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email Become a patron of TWiV! Links for this episode Entire NSF science advisory board fired by Trump administration (Nature) United States v. Arthrex, Inc.(Harvard Law Review) United States v. Arthrex Inc. [SCOTUSbrief] (Federalist Society) China could be the world’s biggest public funder of science within two years (Nature) The Vaccine Skeptic in Trump’s New C.D.C. Leadership Team (NY Times) World Immunization week: Largest catch-up initiative delivers over 100 million childhood vaccinations (WHO) Pigs are flying!: Florida Republicans refuse to take up DeSantis bill loosening vaccine mandates (NY Times) Moderna Receives European Commission Marketing Authorization for mCOMBRIAX, Moderna’s mRNA Combination Vaccine Against Influenza and COVID-19(moderna) America First! AIDS Creeps Back in Parts of Zambia, a Year After U.S. Cuts to H.I.V. Assistance (NY Times) Emergence of Extensively Drug-Resistant Shigellosis — United States, 2011–2023 (CDC: MMWR) Scientists Esteemed by Public, with Vaccine Scientists Seen as Similar to Scientists in General (Annenberg: Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania) RFK Jr. is holding up $600M in vaccines for poor countries (Politico) Trump Withdraws Nomination of Casey Means for Surgeon General (NY Times) What? Benefit of preventive strategies like vaccination? Incidence of human papillomavirus infections in women aged 27 years and older in the US: A federated data network study (International Journal of Infectious Diseases) Economic Impact of Delaying the Infant Hepatitis B Vaccination Schedule (JAMA Pediatrics) Impact of Removing the Universal Hepatitis B Birth-Dose Vaccination in the US (JAMA Pediatrics) Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan) Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola) 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) Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S. (Johns Hopkins) Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg) 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) Dangers of measles infection (NY Times) 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) OPTION 2: XOFLUZA $50 Cash Pay Option (Xofluza) Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Nursing Home Residents and Health Care Personnel — United States, 2024–25 Influenza Season (CDC: MMWR) Pediatric Vaccine Effectiveness Against Influenza Hospitalization And Outpatient Visits: 2021–2024 (Pediatrics) Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness in European Primary Care Pediatric Practices: 2022–2024 (Pediatrics) RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan) Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health) USrespiratory 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) Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health) Impact of universal nirsevimab prophylaxis in infants on hospital and primary care outcomes across two respiratory syncytial virus seasons in Galicia, Spain (NIRSE-GAL): a population-based prospective observational study (LANCET: Infectious Diseases) First Report on Remdesivir Use for the Treatment of Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Five Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients (JID) 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) 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) Oral Nirmatrelvir–Ritonavir for Covid-19 in Higher-Risk Outpatients(NEJM) Same Pill, Different Impact — Reassessing the Efficacy of Nirmatrelvir–Ritonavir(NEJM) Paxlovid doesn’t reduce hospitalization, death rates in vaccinated high-risk COVID outpatients, trial shows (CIDRAP) Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool) Help your eligible patients access PAXLOVID with the PAXCESS Patient Support Program (Pfizer Pro) UnderstandingCoverage Options (PAXCESS) Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society) Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV) Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society) What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC) Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC) Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org) Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID) Long COVID hotline (Columbia: Columbia University Irving Medical Center) The answers: Long COVID Acute COVID-19 is associated with altered CD8 T-cells indicative of impaired ability to control Epstein–Barr virus reactivation (Medical Microbiology and Immunology) Exercise and Weekly Sirolimus (Rapamycin) in Older Adults: RAPA-EX-01 Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial (Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle) Reaching out to US house representative Letters read on TWiV 1318 Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf) Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks! Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to [email protected] Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.