Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDProf Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 22/09/2025This MAGA/MAHA/Trump/RFK Jr/Dr Oz/Dr Bhattacharya press conference right now is quite possibly the worst press conference—from the viewpoints of medicine, public health, & medical ethics—that I’ve ever seen. These men are so shameless & deeply irresponsible. Wherever happened to science & evidence? 1830180
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDBK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 12/09/2025Rolling the dice on a vaccine preventable illness is never the better option. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is a rare and fatal complication of measles that can occur several years after the original infection. This is sad, this is avoidable. Vaccinate kids! www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...nbcnews.comLos Angeles child dies from rare measles complication years after recoveryThe county health department said the death is a "painful reminder" of how dangerous measles can be in unvaccinated people. 15461210
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 25/08/2025A reminder that countries that have implemented mass HPV vaccination are on course to ELIMINATE cervical cancer entirely (with no discernible common adverse effects). RFK Jr and Lied Suddenly want women (and men) to die a painful death from a preventable disease. 04222
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDStand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 18/08/2025Let me get this straight: RFK Jr’s $500m cut to mRNA contracts was based on a non‑peer‑reviewed, self‑published, anti-vax bibliography authored by his cronies who are all tied to a ‘vaccine detox’ supplement company? Got it 👍 www.importantcontext.news/p/experts-ci...importantcontext.news‘Experts’ Cited By RFK Jr. to Justify mRNA Vaccine Funding Cut Have Ties to Anti-vax Supplement CompanyFour authors of the non-peer reviewed, anti-vax bibliography cited by Kennedy’s HHS are involved with The Wellness Company. 24600286
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 13/08/2025This is clownish nonsense. A) What on earth is Bhattacharya doing on this guy’s show? B) Why is he spreading ridiculous nonsense on this guy’s show? To claim *all* mRNA vaccines are no longer viable is just absurd. He is an embarrassment. Bought and paid for. 1121
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 06/08/2025Insanity. No other technology promises to provide as much protection against an array of diseases. Now this anti-vaxx weirdo has shut them all down. Never has America been more vulnerable. 24913
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 04/08/2025EXTREMELY proud to announce that my memoir, “Prescription: Ice Cream”, has been long-listed for the Sunday Times Literary Prize. If you’re interested in a story about working in the busiest hospital in the world, overcoming addition, or finding the meaning of life-check it out! 5232
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDNPR @npr.org · 28/07/2025It is the first time that Jewish-led organizations in Israel have made such accusations against the country during nearly 22 months of war.n.prTwo Israeli human rights groups say their country is committing genocide in GazaIt is the first time that Jewish-led organizations in Israel have made such accusations against the country during nearly 22 months of war. 20761243
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDDorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 28/07/2025Robert F. Kennedy jr. has taken a slash and burn approach to health agencies. Experts expect people to die from his actions. via @andrewgumbel.bsky.social @observeruk.bsky.social observer.co.uk/news/interna...observer.co.ukA war on science: Kennedy’s slash-and-burn approach to pu...The US and the world look likely to pay a high price for the policies of Trump’s ruthless health secretary 12112
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDVoices for Vaccines @voices4vaccines.bsky.social · 21/07/2025Charlotte lost her sister to measles. She has a hard time watching today's outbreaks. 520483
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 20/07/2025Serving sugary drinks with cane sugar in glass bottles won’t significantly change anyone’s health. This is performative nonsense that summarizes how silly the “MAHA” movement is. 1110117
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 18/07/2025HUGE new study of >1.2 million kids looked to see if the aluminium contained was associated with a number of childhood conditions. Long story short: NO association with ANY of them. The tiny amount of aluminium in vaccines is safe. #Vaccineswork 1134
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 07/07/2025In case you were worried by this despicable lie: There is ZERO association with receipt of vaccination and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In fact, many studies have found a negative association between vaccines and SIDS (ie they’re associated with REDUCED SIDS) 26016
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 06/07/2025Disingenuous nonsense. We know why autism rates have increased. Expanded diagnostic criteria and increased awareness. The causes are not fully elucidated, but predominantly genetic. (RFK Jr wants to blame vaccines. We all know it). 1295
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 26/06/2025I thought I would spend my days on social media making funny memes and nerding out with fellow medics. Instead, I’m debunking AI-generated anti-vaxx slop from the head of frikkin Health & Human Sciences. While pointing out that Pubmed searches aren’t evidence. Astonishing. 2363
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 25/06/2025Kennedy provides a bunch of references for his claim that thimerosal in vaccines (barely used anymore) is harmful. If a high-school student submitted this as their reference list, they would fail. I will do what Kennedy didn’t - actually look at them. 🧵 20333144
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 07/06/2025The result of the antivaxx movement is death for kids. Whooping cough can be fatal for young infants - it causes them to stop breathing. Kids can only be vaccinated at 6-8w of life. Before then, protection is provided by vaccinating mum during pregnancy. 37833318
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDElizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 07/06/2025Two babies have died from whooping cough in Kentucky. Neither they nor their parents had been vaccinated. The current whooping cough outbreak in the U.S. hasn’t grabbed the media spotlight as much as measles has, but it’s important to update your vaccination if you’re going to be around babies. 19054302154
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDMelody Schreiber @melodyschreiber.com · 02/06/2025These parents clamored to enroll their children in the Covid vaccine trials. But they say it'll be tough — and unethical — to enroll children in placebo trials again. And they feel betrayed that their sacrifices are now going ignored. My latest: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...theguardian.comA ‘war on children’: as US changes Covid vaccine rules, parents of trial volunteers push backFrustration and anger mount as Trump administration contemplates new trials and restrictions for Covid vaccines 312769
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 02/06/2025The intellectual dishonesty to publish a paper showing that pregnancy is a risk factor for severe COVID… … and then to stand with an antivaxxer and NOT recommend the vaccine for that high-risk group … is astonishing. 88722
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 29/05/2025RFK Jr and MAHA promised a return to “gold standard science.” Their report (likely AI generated) cites studies that don’t exist, and misrepresents existing ones. “Gold standard”? I’d fail an undergrad kid for this. 1531587
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDRyan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 13/05/2025Harm reduction reduces harms. Period. That’s why it’s called that. We have decades of data. There are mountains of evidence showing that it does not increase drug harms (a pure fallacy) & does not increase drug use. Most of the data actually shows harm reduction interventions LOWER rates of drug use 314632
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 06/05/2025Jay Bhattacharya is a profoundly weak and unserious man who is WAYYYY outta his depth. www.science.org/content/arti...science.org‘It’s been a tough period’: NIH’s new director speaks with ScienceJay Bhattacharya discusses staff morale, grant cuts, and “rumors” 2351
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 06/05/2025Pertussis (whooping cough) causes babies to stop breathing… I’ve seen older children cough so hard their eyes bleed… It’s an awful illness and it’s prevented by an incredibly safe vaccine. Mums should get it when they’re pregnant and babies when they’re old enough. 95816
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 05/05/2025Couldn’t disagree more. Medicine and the real world are inextricably intertwined. To advocate for our patients is to engage beyond simple academia. Essentially, this article argues we should remain detached in our ivory towers. THAT is what causes decreased trust. 2214917
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 01/05/2025A total bald-faced lie. There is NO fetal tissue in the MMR vaccine. Period. This man is unfit to lead HHS. 37634194
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDTara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 27/04/2025This isn't a new product. It's an updated vaccine to account for new strains and viral evolution. Are they going to do this for all COVID and influenza vaccines yearly? Because that effectively shuts them down. There isn't enough time between identification of strains included & release of vaccine. 942614857
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 26/04/2025An absolutely catastrophic consequence of the antivaxx movement. Thousands of children potentially harmed. Some of whom will die. All because of misinformation around a safe vaccine. Horrific. 18356139
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDGabriel Bosslet @gbosslet.bsky.social · 23/04/2025Well the NIH has cancelled the Women's Health Initiative, the largest study of women in history It has been running continuously since 1991 and has provided massive key knowledge about diseases in women Unreal www.science.org/content/arti...science.orgNIH cancels its first and largest study centered on womenThe Women’s Health Initiative has produced numerous influential findings 13026701743
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 24/04/2025There are things you just don’t cut. A hotline for suicidal youth is one of them. Taking away a basic call for help when someone is at their lowest is not just cold. It’s evil. 2589
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 18/04/2025To talk about children with autism like this - like they are irreparably damaged and a burden to society - is ignorant, mean and callous. This man simply has no idea what he’s talking about. He brings shame to America. 711219
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDDavid Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 11/04/2025The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services has repeatedly claimed: “If you’re healthy, it’s almost impossible to die from an infectious disease in modern times.” That is dangerously false. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...medscape.comExperts Push Back on RFK Jr’s Infection CommentsThe new Secretary of Health and Human Services has made claims about measles and other communicable diseases that could lead to sickness, and even death, his critics claim. 95456691741
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDBK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 13/04/2025A THREAD 🧵: Why “studying” the vaccine-autism link again is dangerous pseudoscience and not “open-minded inquiry” 614748
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 07/04/2025Aerosolized budesonide and clarithromycin don’t treat measles (it’s a virus- it doesn’t respond to antibiotics). For the head of HHS to be messaging this in the middle of an outbreak that has killed two children is… despicable. 22370134
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDMarc Veldhoen @marcveld.bsky.social · 03/04/2025A natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on dementia Neurotropic herpes viruses may be implicated in the development of dementia. Can vaccines reduce this risk? Yes, they can! www.nature.com/artic... 1/10nature.comA natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on dementiaNature - Using a natural experiment that avoids common bias concerns, this study finds that the live-attenuated shingles vaccine reduced the probability of a new dementia diagnosis within a... 38426
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDBrandy Zadrozny @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social · 01/04/2025Kennedy's dismantling of public health has begun. Thousands of doctors, scientists & admins, w deep cuts to HIV, minority health & injury prevention. Several CDC center directors—have been offered a random (and likely remote) reassignment: Indian Health. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt... 721389506
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDRyan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 28/03/2025CDC ordered staff this week not to release their experts’ assessment that found the risk of catching measles is high in areas near outbreaks where vaccination rates are lagging. “The decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” a spokesperson said, echoing a line from a recent editorial RFK Jr. wrote 461085522
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDTimothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 24/03/2025If you accept that non-citizens have no right to due process, you are accepting that citizens have no right to due process. All the government has to do is claim that you are not a citizen; without due process you have no chance to prove the contrary. 3252757310443
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDTim Carvell @timcarvell.bsky.social · 23/03/2025School Bully Shocks Nerds With Further Lunch-Money Demands 11164711271
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 23/03/2025*Unvaccinated child gets measles, develops pneumonia which is a well-known complication of measles, and tragically passes away.* Anti-vaxxers: “See?! It was pneumonia, not measles, that killed her! This was medical error!” 🤦♂️ 🤦♂️ 🤦♂️ 74313
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 19/03/2025Good. An immature billionaire and his crew of adolescents don’t have the right to shut down life-saving functions that benefit the poorest and neediest. 1113
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 12/03/2025RFK Jr with more scientifically illiterate ramblings: The vaccine confers life long immunity to 95-98% of people who get 2 doses. Breast milk does NOT provide reliable protection to infants, regardless of mother’s immunity (infection vs vaccine). 34220
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 10/03/2025Lemme get this straight - Trump inherited a booming economy with stocks at an all-time high… And now he’s crashed it and made a recession very likely… All over stupid tariffs and other poor decisions? 1133
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 10/03/2025Marco Rubio announces that he has killed PEPFAR. An organization that provided critical HIV care to the poorest and neediest. All while professing to follow the teachings of Christ. 4317
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDIlan Schwartz @germhuntermd.bsky.social · 08/03/2025Killing PEPFAR means killing millions of people All to save 0.08% of the budget. www.vox.com/future-perfe...vox.comKilling PEPFAR means killing millions of peopleAll to save 0.08 percent of the budget. 113262
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDJonathan Howard @joho.bsky.social · 07/03/2025According to a former editor of JAMA, we need more studies on whether or not vaccines cause autism. What mistakes does he make? 🧵 136768230
Alastair McAlpine, MD @alastairmca30.bsky.social · 08/03/2025Please don’t have “measles parties.” Even for kids who fully recover, measles is a miserable experience. And a substantial number will have complications. Just get vaccinated instead. 98935
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDJon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 07/03/2025Cartoon by @billbramhall.bsky.social. 423159844211
Reposted by Alastair McAlpine, MDThe Onion @theonion.com · 27/02/2025RFK Jr. Vows To Make Measles Deaths So Common They Won’t Be Upsetting Anymoretheonion.comRFK Jr. Vows To Make Measles Deaths So Common They Won’t Be Upsetting AnymoreWASHINGTON—Addressing the ongoing outbreak in Texas that has infected at least 124 state residents and killed one child, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vowed Thursday to mak... 460227074767