TWiV reviews liver damage caused by over use of vitamin A in Texas, vitamin A does not change clinical course of measles in high income country, NIH cuts COVID-19 research, US ends vaccine funds for poor countries, anti-vaxxer hired to study vaccines and autism, new DURC policy, Jamaican fruit bat competence for filoviruses, and human outbreaks of Oropouche virus reassortant in Brazil.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Kathy Spindler, and Brianne Barker

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• Support science education at MicrobeTV
• ASV 2025
• Vitamin A liver disease in Texas (NY Times)
• Vitamin A doesn’t help measles in high-income countries (Pediat Inf Dis)
• NIH cancels COVID grants (Science)
• US ends vaccine funds for poor countries (NY Times)
• Anti-vaxxer to study vaccines and autism (Sci Based Med)
• DURC rules revised (USG and NIH guidance)
• Filoviruses and Jamaican fruit bats (Nat Comm)
• Oropouche outbreaks in Brazil (Nat Med)
• Woolly mice (NPR)
• Letters read on TWiV 1205
• Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Brianne – Math of March Madness Brackets Kathy – Wood frogsicles #1 and #2 Alan – Rare glimpse of baby polar bears emerging from dens Vincent – Hikaru Utada Would Rather Play CERN Than Coachella

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello rue about the continuing measles outbreak, the FACTS about vaccination, irresponsibility of promoting vitamin A therapy “lifelong liver damage or vaccinaton!”, high pathogenic influenza and egg importation before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections and vaccination schedules and if vaccination affects long COVID, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, where to find PEMGARDA, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, long COVID interventions, how to track long symptoms using a wearable device and how these data will never be used with the closing of governmental long COVID programs and offices.

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)
• Measles 159 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services)
• 2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)
• 10 in Ohio and 23 in Kansas…..oh my! (US News)
• Measles data (Kansas: Department of Health and Enivornment)
• Health director urges parents to ensure children are vaccinated against measles (Ohio: Department of Health)
• Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health)
• New York Governor Kathy Hochul sounds alarm for measles vaccine amid 4 confirmed cases (abc News)
• Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health)
• Long-term dynamics of measles virus–specific neutralizing antibodies in children vaccinated before 12 months of age (CID)
• Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
• Clinical Overview of Measles (CDC Rubeola)
• Red Book: 2024–2027 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases (33rd Edition)(Redbook)
• Vitamin A in Children Hospitalized for Measles in a High-income Country (Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal)
• No vaccination necessary…….instead take vitamin A and develop liver damage….(NY Times)
• Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)
• Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
• Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
• Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC)
• Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC)
• Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
• Influenza of avian origin confirmed in a sheep in Yorkshire (UK government)
• UK reports H5N1 in a sheep on poultry-outbreak farm(CIDRAP)
• Don’t send money….send EGGS! (Reuters)
• Are your eggs domestic or Brazilian? (Reuters)
• USDA to invest 100M in bird flu projects…..(Reuters)
• Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• Flu in US continues to decline but still packs a punch (CIDRAP)
• Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
• Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2026 influenza vaccine composition (FDA)
• RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• Weekly US influenza surveillance report (CDC FluView)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
• Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
• COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)
• COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
• SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
• Lower levels of household transmission of sars-cov-2 omicron variant of concern vs wild type: an interplay between transmissibility and immune status (JID)
• Does COVID-19 vaccination reduce the risk and duration of post COVID-19 condition?(European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control)
• COVID-19 vaccination reduces risk of ‘long COVID’ in adults (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control)
• Vaccination cuts the risk of long COVID 27%, review suggests (CIDRAP)
• Interim clinical considerations for use of covid-19 vaccines in the United States (CDC: Vaccines and immunizations)
• Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda)
• EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)
• Fusion center (Prime Fusions)
• CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)
• NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)
• Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
• Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)
• The effect of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir on short- and long-term adverse outcomes from covid-19 among patients with kidney disease (ofid)
• Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV)
• Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society)
• What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC)
• When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC)
• Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC)
• Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFID)
• 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
• Effect of pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with long COVID-19(Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease)
• Wearable data reveals distinct characteristics of individuals with persistent symptoms after a SARS-CoV-2 infection(npj digital medicine)
• Long Covid office ‘will be closing,’ Trump administration announces(Politico)
• Commencing the reduction of the federal bureaucracy(White House) Musk said no one has died since aid was cut. That isn’t true.(NY Times)
• Letters read on TWiV 1204
• 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.

TWiV explains why RFK Jr.’s proposal to let H5N1 infections in birds ‘rip’ is a bad idea, phase 1/2 trial of combined influenza/COVID mRNA vaccines, and how your first influenza virus exposure shapes the B cell response to influenza vaccination 50 years later.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• Support science education at MicrobeTV
• ASV 2025
• RFK Jr. says let H5N1 rip through flocks (NY Times)
• Combined flu/COVID mRNA vaccine (Nat Comm)
• Rare syndrome after COVID vaccination (NY Times, medRxiv)
• Imprinting lasts 50 years (Immunity)
• Imprinting protects against H5N1 and H7N9 (Science)
• Letters read on TWiV 1203
• Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Brianne – Node-Focal Plane Image Competition Rich – Periodic cooking of eggs Vincent – The use of placebo controls in clinical trials

Listener Picks

Anne – Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello rue about the unknowns of Sudan disease and new cases of paralytic polio, discuss the growing measles outbreak, exposure of newborns to measles, the FACTS about vaccination, high pathogenic influenza in dairy cows and cats, RFK’s statement “just let the virus rip through the hens” before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, where to find PEMGARDA, what happens when antiviral therapy is delayed, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, long COVID interventions and the relationship between EBV and long COVID.

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• New cases of poliomyelitis  (GPEI)
• Polio in Africa (CIDRAP)
• Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (PROMED)
• ProMED Subscriptions (PROMED)
• Measles infected baby and exposes 12 (NY Post)
• Measles 159 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services)
• 2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)
• Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health)
• Revising US MMR vaccine recommendations amid changing domestic risks (JAMA Network)
• Long-term dynamics of measles virus–specific neutralizing antibodies in children vaccinated before 12 months of age (CID)
• Newborns exposed to measles in Texas hospital (NBC News)
• Newborns exposed in West Texas measles outbreak (CIDRAP)
• Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
• Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
• Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC)
• Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC)
• Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
• Increase in global and domestic measles cases and outbreaks: (CDC:)
• The impact of influenza A H5N1 virus infection in dairy cows (Nature: Research Gate)
• Payment of indemnity and compensation for highly pathogenic avian Influenza (Federal Register)
• FDA or USDA: Kennedy’s alarming prescription for bird flu on poultry farms(NY Times)
• Some of NYC’s 500K stray cats could be infected with bird flu(NY Post)
• Two NYC cats dead from avian flu, including 8-month-old kitten:(NY Post)
• H7N9 avian flu strikes Mississippi broiler farm(CIDRAP) Highly pathogenic avian influenza diagnosed in Mississippi poultry flock (Mississippi Board of Animal Health)
• Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• Weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView)
• The burden of all-cause mortality following influenza-associated hospitalizations (CID)
• FDA-CDC-DOD: 2025-2046 influenza vaccine composition (FDA)
• FDA announces flu strain picks for next season(CIDRAP)
• RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• Weekly US influenza surveillance report (CDC FluView)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
• Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
• COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)
• COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
• SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
• COVID-19 antiviral medication use among pregnant and recently pregnant US outpatients (CID)
• Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda)
• EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)
• Fusion center (Prime Fusions)
• CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)
• NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)
• Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
• 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)
• When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC)
• Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC)
• Steroids,dexamethasone at the right time (OFID)
• 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 TGFβ links EBV to multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children(Nature)
• Letters read on TWiV 1202
• 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.

Infectious diseases physician and author of ‘Booster Shots’ Adam Ratner joins TWiV to discuss measles, measles vaccination, how to approach anti-vaccine sentiment, and the uncertain future of children’s’ health.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Brianne Barker, and Jolene Ramsey

Guest: Adam Ratner

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• Support science education at MicrobeTV
• Booster Shots by Adam Ratner
• The Cutter Incident by Paul Offit
• Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello bemoan the continued outbreak of Sudan virus and growing number of paralytic polio cases before discussing growing measles outbreak in the US and Europe, the vaccine, an interview with a parent whose child died of measles infection, adverse effects of vaccination and how parents do not think they have accurate information about “bird flu” before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, where to find PEMGARDA, what happens when antiviral therapy is delayed, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, long COVID interventions and the benefits of antiviral therapies on post acute SARS-Cov-2 infection sequelae.

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• Sudan virus disease(WHO)
• New cases of poliomyelitis  (GPEI)
• Measles 159 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services)
• 2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)
• First cases of measles in Oklahoma (Oklahoma)
• Measles case on Long Island (CBS News)
• Public health confirms measles case in Los Angeles County (County of Los Angeles Public Health)
• Measles exposure (Department of public health: City of Philadelphia)
• Where US measles outbreaks are spreading (New York Times)
• Statement from the chief public health officer of Canada on the increase in measles cases and the risk to people in Canada(Health Canada)
• Measles and rubella monthly report (ecdc)
• Measles on the rise again in Europe (EurekAlert)
• Measles: symptoms, spread & SSPE | Doctors Talk | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (YouTube)
• Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
• Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality (NLM: NCBI)
• Measles vaccination: know the facts? (Infectious Diseases Society of America)
• Deaths following vaccination: What does the evidence show? (Vaccine)
• Facts and myths about measles (LANCET: Infectious Diseases)
• His daughter was America’s first measles death in a decade (The Atlantic)
• Less than half of parents think they have accurate information about bird flu (EurekAlert)
• Many US parents feeluninformed about avian flu risks (CIDRAP)
• Trends in respiratory pathogen testing at us children’s hospital(JAMA Network)
• Changes in respiratory viral testing before and after the covid-19 pandemic(JAMA Network)
• Free COVID-19 test program stops taking orders (Health day)
• Human cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza a(h5n1) — California, September–December 2024 (CDC MMWR)
• Letters read on TWiV 1198 37:56
• 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.

TWiV covers a second death over 150 cases of measles in Texas, utter failure of removal of type 2 poliovirus from OPV, more OPV doses administered in Gaza, second Ebola outbreak in Sudan, vaccine being tested, Trump administration cancels $400 million in grants to Columbia University, bat-infecting merbecovirus that binds human ACE2 and infects human cells, and innate immune sensing of rotavirus by intestinal epithelial cells leads to diarrhea.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Kathy Spindler

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• Support science education at MicrobeTV
• ASV 2025
• Second child dies of measles (NY Times)
• Over 150 measles cases in Texas (Texas DSHS)
• Utter failure of removal of OPV2 from OPV (Science)
• Over 600,000 doses of OPV administered in Gaza (polioeradication)
• Second outbreak of Sudan Ebola in Uganda (IAVI)
• Columbia grants canceled by administration (NBC News)
• Bat merbecovirus also infects human cells via Ace2 (Cell)
• Recent virus research, was proper containment used? (NY Times)
• Innate immune sensing of rotatvirus leads to diarrhea (Cell Host Microbe)
• Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Kathy – Mice cry out when they urinate, and give mouth to mouth resuscitation Rich – Firefly Aerospace Alan – Strong Museum of Play Vincent – How a PhD student’s lab size affects their chance of future academic success

Listener Picks

Larry – James Harrison’s rare blood protected many infants

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello deliberate the effect of the absence of US foreign aid on the Ebola outbreak in Uganda and death of two children, continued use of nOPV2 in Gaza and the utter failure of type 2 poliovirus removal from the oral poliovirus vaccine, growing measles outbreak in the US including the death of a second child, measles infection parties, the use of fat soluble vitamin A and fish liver oil as anti-viral therapies as well as the history and proven safety of the measles vaccine before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, where to find PEMGARDA, what happens when antiviral therapy is delayed, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, and where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, long COVID interventions.

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• African region: outbreaks and other emergencies(WHO Bitstream)
• US withdrawal……death of 4 year old children from Ebola (CIDRAP)
• Science and health writer Apoorva Mandavilli (NY Times)
• US foreign aid pullback……death of 4 year old in Uganda (NY Times)
• Another Ebola death reported in Kampala (Monitor)
• African region: outbreaks and other emergencies(WHO Bitstream)
• More than 600,000 doses of nOPV2 in Gaza last week  (GPEI)
• Utter failure of the global withdrawal of the Sabin oral poliovirus type 2 vaccine 2016 (Science)
• Measles 159 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services)
• Second child dies in the growing measles outbreak (Washington Post)
• 2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)
• Lea county resident tests positive for measles after death (New Mexico Health)
• Robert F Kennedy Jr article series (The Guardian)
• Kennedy Jr backtracks and says US measles outbreak is now a ‘top priority’ for health department (The Guardian)
• RFK Jr. Says Ending Measles Outbreak Is Priority (Wall Street Journal)
• RFK Jr. Sparks Anti-Vaxxer Anger: ‘No Different Than Fauci’ (Newsweek)
• Amid West Texas measles outbreak, vaccine resistance hardens (Washington Post)
• How to protect your children during a measles outbreak (healthychildren.org)
• Measles vaccination protects against virus infection and other infections (Science)
• MEASLES (WHO)
• C.D.C. Sends ‘Disease Detectives’ to Texas for Measles Outbreak(NY Times)
• Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical, virologic and immunologic fffects of vaccine in institutionalized children(NEJM)
• Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical and antigenic effects of vaccine in institutionalized children (NEJM)
• Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — administration of vaccine by several routes (NEJM)
• Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical, antigenic and prophylactic effects of vaccine in institutionalized and home-dwelling children(NEJM)
• Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical, antigenic and prophylactic effects of vaccine in institutionalized children(NEJM)
• Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical, antigenic and prophylactic effects of vaccine in home-dwelling children (NEJM)
• Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — general summary and evaluation of the results of vaccination(NEJM)
• Cooperative measles vaccine field trial (Pediatrics)
• A collaborative study of measles vaccines in five united states communities (American Journal of Public Health)
• A field trial of inactivated measles virus vaccine in young school children(JAMA Network)
• Prevention of natural and experimental measles with the vaccine(JAMA Network)
• A field trial in young school children(JAMA Network)
• Measles vaccination before the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (American Journal of Public Health)
• The status of measles vaccines (Journal of the National Medical Association)
• Measles, mumps, and rubella (mmr) vaccination: what everyone should know (CDC Vaccines & Immunizations)
• Clinical review memo- measles, mumps, rubella (FDA)
• History of the measles vaccine (WHO)
• Vitamin A and the measles (Yahoo! News)
• As measles spreads, Kennedy embraces remedies like cod liver oil (NY Times)
• Parents are holding ‘measles parties’ in the U.S., alarming healthexperts(Global News)
• Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• Weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView)
• RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• Weekly US influenza surveillance report (CDC FluView)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
• Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
• COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)
• COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
• SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
• Interim estimates of 2024–2025 covid-19 vaccine effectiveness among adults aged ≥18 years — vision and ivy networks, September 2024–January 2025 (CDC MMWR)
• Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda)
• EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)
• Fusion center (Prime Fusions)
• CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)
• NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)
• Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
• 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)
• When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC)
• Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC)
• Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFID)
• Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org)
• Effect of early and delayed treatment with remdesivir on mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (OFID)
• Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID)
• Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center) The answers: Long COVID
• Letters read on TWiV 1198
• 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.

TWiV reviews passing of Ann Palmenberg, deadly illness in western Congo, US disruption of mpox and ebolavirus programs, first measles death in Texas outbreak, flu vaccine selection meeting postponed, US withdraws from polio, malaria, HIV programs and more, clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 viruses have a long HA stalk, and systems vaccinology to identify predictors of durable antibody response to multiple vaccines in humans.

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Alan Dove, Rich Condit, and Brianne Barker

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• Support science education at MicrobeTV
• ASV 2025
• Ann Palmenberg dies (Cress)
• Ann at Chumakov Symposium (YouTube)
• Unknown illness in Congo (NY Times)
• Bad news about mpox outbreak (NPR)
• US interrupts Ebola prevention program (NPR)
• First measles death in Texas (Texas Trib)
• Flu vaccine selection meeting canceled (NY Times)
• US ends funding for polio, HIV, malaria and more (NY Times)
• Clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 neuraminidase has a long stalk (mBio)
• Predictors of durable antibody responses to vaccines (Nat Immunol)
• Review of adjuvants (Vaccinol Methods Vacc Res)
• Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Weekly Picks

Brianne – Video of the Northern Lights from Space Rich – Vaccination for Sudan Ebola virus disease Alan – Specialized moth wing scales give it 3-D camouflage (news and paper) Vincent – WHO Recommendations for Influenza Vaccine Composition for the 2025-2026 Northern Hemisphere Influenza Season

Listener Picks

Gerry – Eukaryotic Transcription Anne – The science of the solar system

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your virology questions and comments to [email protected]

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello lament about the downfall of public health from “postponement” of the advisory committee on immunization practices and the FDA VRBPAC influenza strain selection meetings to how the communication pause prevents public notice of NIH study section meetings, and withdrawal of CDC promotions for the ‘flu vaccine’ before discussing the end of Ebola outbreak in Uganda, funding from Saudi Arabia for polio eradication, the continuing and growing measles outbreak in the US including misinformation from the Secretary of HHS, highly pathogenic avian flu and its economic effect, ie the cost of eggs before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, where to find PEMGARDA, an update of Paxlovid administration, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, long COVID interventions and FDA approval of adjuvanted Novovax COVID vaccine.

Subscribe (free): Apple Podcasts, RSS, email

Become a patron of TWiV!

Links for this episode

• Phantom ACIP (CDC)
• Postponement of ACIP…..hummmm (STATNews)
• Influenza Strain selection VRBPAC cancelled (Reuters)
• How NIH funded research is impacted by government communication pause (NY Times)
• Can be reviewed but still no money (STATNews)
• Final push to end Ebola in Uganda (WHO Uganda)
• Saudi Arabia sponsors polio eradication effort  (GPEI))
•  $500 million from Saudi Arabia to immunize 370 million children against polio (CIDRAP)
• Measles 124 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services)
• A Texas child who was not vaccinated has died of measles(AP News)
• The Measles book-(Apple Books)
• Measles vaccination protects against virus infection and other infections (Science)
• Measles deadliest sequelae (MEDPAGE TODAY)
• Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Measles)
• Unvaccinated Child Dies of Measles in Texas Outbreak(NY Times)
• Texas child is first reported US measles death in a decade as outbreak hits more than 130 (Reuters)
• Trump’s cabinet meeting: Kennedy Shocker “Not unusual”……..seriously! (YouTube)
• First measles death reported in Texas as Kennedy downplays the outbreak (NBC News)
• Measles cliff notes: symptoms timeline (Substackdn)
• Annual state immunization report (Texas Health and Human Services)
• Measles imported into Kentucky…….no tariffs? (Commonwealth of Kentucky)
• Egg shortage affect flu shots? (MEDPAGE TODAY)
• Which Came First, the Chicken Slaughter or the Egg Shortage(Wall Street Journal)
• Avian Influenza in Birds: Causes and How It Spreads (CDC Avian Influenza)
• Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins: My Plan to Lower Egg Prices (Wall Street Journal)
• Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
• RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• Weekly US influenza surveillance report (CDC FluView)
• US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• Trump administration yanks CDC flu vaccine campaign(NPR)
• RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
• New wild to mild campaign drives key message to tame flu and reset expectations
• (CDC Influenza)
• Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
• COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)
• COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
• SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
• Effectiveness of the original monovalent messenger RNA Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination series against hospitalization for COVID-19–Associated venous thromboembolism (JID)
• 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)
• Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
• Demographic variation in US outpatient hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin use during the COVID-19 pandemic (HealthAffairs)
• Paxlovid update (Pfizer)
• Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)
• Alleviation of COVID-19 symptoms and reduction in healthcare utilization among high-risk patients treated With nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (NMV/R) (CID)
• Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV)
• Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society)
• What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC)
• When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC)
• Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC)
• Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFID)
• 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
• Interventions for Long COVID: A Narrative Review (Journal of General Internal Medicine)
• COVID-19 vaccination and odds of post–COVID-19 condition symptoms in children aged 5 to 17 Years (JAMA Network)
• Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, adjuvanted (FDA)
• Letters read on TWiV 1196
• 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.