Reposted by Alison YoungHealthbeat @healthbeat.org · 13/10/2026Hundreds of Americans have been hit with severe West Nile symptoms this year, with some states reporting high activity. A California patient’s ordeal shows the long road to recovery. Read more: bit.ly/4yk7rFp 002 2
Reposted by Alison YoungGreg Folkers @gregfolkers.bsky.social · 13/10/2026Healthbeat: When West Nile virus attacks the brain by Alison Young @healthbeat.org @alisonannyoung.bsky.social yikes. Spray that DEET bit.ly/47QLZNr 001 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 13/10/2026The nurse asked Paul Vercammen what should have been a simple question: What is your pain level? Vercammen struggled to find words. West Nile virus had attacked his brain. He incoherently managed to mumble: LinkedIn & Instagram. healthbeat.beehiiv.com/p/when-west-... #publichealth #episky #medsky 000 0
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Healthbeat found a D.N. Shipilova listed as a co-author of plague bacteria research examining antibiotic susceptibility of Yersinia pestis strains. The study, by scientists from the Irkutsk institute was presented earlier this year. 011 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 07/10/2026I’ve covered lab accidents in biological research facilities for 20 years. Here’s my latest for Healthbeat on what we know about the worker death at the Russian anti-plague lab - and why some are skeptical of official statements www.healthbeat.org/2026/10/06/r... #publichealth #IDsky #MedSky #Episky 020 2
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Sweeping changes are coming to Medicaid, and some start Thursday. Here are 5 things to know in my latest @healthbeat newsletter. healthbeat.beehiiv.com/p/medicaid-c... #publichealth #medsky #primarycare #medicaid 011 1
Reposted by Alison YoungHealthbeat @healthbeat.org · 23/09/2026The FDA has issued seven alerts since June about weight-loss products containing undisclosed drugs or chemicals. Some of these hidden ingredients have notorious pasts. Read more in Healthbeat National Reporter Alison Young's latest newsletter: bit.ly/4xEEzYc 001 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Nearly a century ago, Americans seeking an easy way to lose weight put their faith in what promoters sold as a potent fat-burning drug. Some went blind. Others died. Now this dangerous chemical has been detected in a supplement marketed online. healthbeat.beehiiv.com/p/the-troubl... #publichealth 001 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Arnold Wedum photo courtesy of the Wedum family. Archival images courtesy of the National Archives. 010 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 21/09/2026What hasn’t changed is the importance of institutions willing to investigate independently – and follow the evidence wherever it leads. Bill Gurley’s talk, “Searching for Feynman,” at the All-In Summit 2026: www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Q7... #safetyculture #occupationalsafetyyoutube.comBill Gurley: Searching for FeynmanYouTube video by All-In Podcast 110 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 21/09/2026The technology inside biological labs has changed dramatically since Wedum’s time. Today there are far more high-containment laboratories working with dangerous pathogens, and scientists now have the power to manipulate microbes in ways that can increase their pandemic potential… 110 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 21/09/2026I appreciate that Gurley mentioned Pandora’s Gamble and its reporting on the history of laboratory accidents around the world – including at prestigious labs in the years leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic. I was also struck by how Gurley’s argument echoes this much older history. 110 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 21/09/2026That principle was at the core of Arnold Wedum’s work all those years ago: You can’t learn from a disaster if you don’t investigate. 110 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Gurley argues that the unresolved question of Covid’s origin deserves the kind of rigorous, independent, forensic root-cause investigation expected of other catastrophic events. An investigation doesn’t predetermine the answer. It follows the evidence wherever it leads. #biosecurity 110 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 21/09/2026One important reason: routine lab tasks can launch invisible plumes of microbes into the air. A worker may unknowingly inhale them, become ill days later — and, depending on the pathogen, potentially carry an infection outside the laboratory. 110 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Gurley’s comparison of catastrophic failures has a complication. Unlike a plane crash or building collapse, a laboratory accident may leave no wreckage. There may not even be recognition that an accident has occurred. Wedum’s team found that most infected workers never knew they were exposed. 110 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Safety needed more than training and equipment. It required rules and standards backed up with inspections, investigations, data analysis, and corrections. But Wedum faced another obstacle: culture. Wedum wrote often about the resistance among biological researchers to safety rules and scrutiny. 121 2
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 21/09/2026… at the U.S. Army’s secret biological weapons laboratories at Camp Detrick. Wedum understood something fundamental: You can’t prevent laboratory accidents unless you look for them, investigate them, and learn from them… #episky #publichealth #IDsky 120 2
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 21/09/2026I kept thinking about Arnold Wedum. While researching my book Pandora’s Gamble, I examined the writings and records of Arnold Wedum, the physician and bacteriologist widely regarded as the father of modern #biosafety. Beginning in the 1940s, Wedum investigated worker infections… 130 3
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Why do we investigate plane crashes, nuclear accidents and structural failures differently from a biological catastrophe? Venture capitalist Bill Gurley (Uber etc) tackled that question last week at the All-In Summit while discussing the unresolved origin of the Covid-19 pandemic. As I watched…🧵 111 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Share your #Medicaid story: Healthbeat wants to hear what’s working and not working in Medicaid - and not just with maternal care. I’d appreciate hearing your thoughts and tips. Contact information is in the article below.👇 #medsky #publichealth 000 0
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 15/09/2026'Ghost providers' in Medicaid networks put pregnant patients at risk of delayed care. Officials have known about the provider network accuracy issues for a long time - yet a key fix is still years away. www.healthbeat.org/2026/09/15/m... #medsky #publichealth #pregnancy #medicaid #midwives #obgynhealthbeat.orgPregnant and on Medicaid? The provider network might be smaller than it looks.How real are Medicaid’s maternal care networks? Federal investigators found “ghost providers” and other errors in lists used by patients and states. 000 0
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 09/09/2026School-level immunization data is a powerful tool for assessing local outbreak risks. Yet some states post outdated data online or don’t even collect it, Healthbeat found. #medsky #idsky #publichealth #measles #pediatrics www.healthbeat.org/2026/09/08/s...healthbeat.orgCan you find out if your child’s school is at risk of an outbreak?School-level vaccination rates can reveal outbreak risks. In states like Texas and Florida, getting that information can require a public records request. 002 2
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Can you find out if your child’s school is at risk of an outbreak? Statewide & countywide vaccination rates obscure at-risk pockets of unvaccinated people. But access to school-level data varies — even for public health officials. www.healthbeat.org/2026/09/08/s... #publichealth #medsky #IDskyhealthbeat.orgCan you find out if your child’s school is at risk of an outbreak?School-level vaccination rates can reveal outbreak risks. In states like Texas and Florida, getting that information can require a public records request. 010 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Would you be able to quickly find your old measles vaccination records or other proof of immunity if you were exposed? For faculty and staff it’s not always easy. Colleges advise finding records now - before an exposure occurs. www.healthbeat.org/2026/09/01/m... #publichealth #medsky #higheredhealthbeat.orgProof of measles immunity is a back-to-school essential on college campuses — even for faculty and staffMeasles cases are the highest they’ve been in decades. That has colleges and universities expanding approaches to employees that traditionally have focused on students. 000 0
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 01/09/2026The growing threat of measles has some universities urging faculty and staff to find their old vaccination records or other proof of immunity now — before an exposure happens on campus. www.healthbeat.org/2026/09/01/m... #publichealth #highered #IDsky #MedSky #Episky #AcademicSky #highereducation 132 3
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 26/08/2026The nation’s system for gathering information on reportable diseases still largely relies on calling or faxing case reports to health departments, which then need to digitize or enter the data, said Janet Hamilton, CSTE executive director. More: healthbeat.beehiiv.com/p/cyclospora... #publichealth 000 0
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 26/08/2026From her vantage point in Michigan, the state’s chief medical executive told Healthbeat that an already challenging Cyclospora outbreak response has been made more difficult by strains on the nation’s public health system. healthbeat.beehiiv.com/p/cyclospora... #publichealth #episky #medsky 010 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 25/08/2026As cyclospora exposes cracks in the public health system, a top Michigan health official tells me that states “simply cannot be the CDC.” #publichealth #episky #medsky #IDsky #foodsafety healthbeat.beehiiv.com/p/cyclospora... 052 5
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 25/08/2026I’m excited to be taking the helm of Healthbeat’s national newsletter. Every Tuesday, we will explore public health stories that matter nationally, whether they start in Washington or across the country. I hope you will sign up – and also share your tips. #publichealth #episky #IDsky 001 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Lots in the news right now about the origin of Covid and oversight of gain-of-function research. My book, Pandora’s Gamble, reveals the history of lab accidents and lax biosafety in the U.S. and around the world. Today, Amazon is offering the Kindle edition at a special price: Just $1.99. 011 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 29/07/2026Fauci before invoking the Fifth Amendment: “The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up - in his words - quote behind bars unquote.” 010 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 29/07/2026Anthony Fauci in response to questions at today’s hearing: “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.” Live now: www.c-span.org/event/senate... #publichealth #covidc-span.org 020 2
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 07/07/2026My latest article examines one of the many ways that the return of measles is impacting people’s lives: More than 72,000 older adults sought blood tests to check their measles immunity during Jan 2025 - March 2026, exclusive data show. www.healthbeat.org/2026/07/07/t... #publichealth #episky 182 8
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 07/07/2026A new analysis of patient data suggests that public awareness of high-profile local measles outbreaks may be influencing more people across the country to seek measles titer tests to check their immunity. The analysis was done in response to questions from Healthbeat. #publichealth #medsky #IDsky 030 3
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 16/06/2026The two firms that manufacture Nara Organics formula in Europe were inspected by the FDA before the outbreak. “At the conclusion of both inspections, observations citing deficiencies were issued to both facilities,” FDA told @healthbeat.org www.healthbeat.org/2026/06/15/n... #publichealth #episkyhealthbeat.orgByHeart recommended its customers switch to Nara. Now a second infant formula is linked to botulism.“Something is very wrong in the production of these formulas, and FDA is not moving fast enough to find the cause,” one consumer advocate said. 001 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 16/06/2026What began as an evacuation of Americans from a deadly outbreak has raised increasing concerns about whether the U.S. government has failed to properly balance protecting public health with ensuring people are quarantined in the least restrictive safe setting. www.healthbeat.org/2026/06/16/k...healthbeat.orgA federal medical reviewer said she could go home. RFK Jr. said no.One legal expert calls HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s order keeping a Florida woman in a locked quarantine facility “a shocking disregard for both science and personal freedom.” 021 2
Reposted by Alison YoungCenter for Science in the Public Interest @cspinet.org · 15/06/2026“Something is very wrong in the production of these formulas, and FDA is not moving fast enough to find the cause,” said CSPI's Sarah Sorscher. Read more by @alisonannyoung.bsky.social ➡️ www.healthbeat.org/2026/06/15/n...healthbeat.orgByHeart recommended its customers switch to Nara. Now a second infant formula is linked to botulism.“Something is very wrong in the production of these formulas, and FDA is not moving fast enough to find the cause,” one consumer advocate said. 001 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 15/06/2026ByHeart during its recall recommended its infant formula customers switch to Nara Organics. Now Nara’s products are also linked to an infant botulism outbreak. My latest👇 www.healthbeat.org/2026/06/15/n... #pediatrics #medsky #publichealth #infantformula #momshealthbeat.orgByHeart recommended its customers switch to Nara. Now a second infant formula is linked to botulism.“Something is very wrong in the production of these formulas, and FDA is not moving fast enough to find the cause,” one consumer advocate said. 173 7
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 02/06/2026“Every American should be concerned about the somewhat quixotic and a bit arbitrary approach that they have taken in dealing with these passengers,” says @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social www.healthbeat.org/2026/06/01/h... #publichealth #epidemiology #episky #medsky #IDsky 030 3
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 02/06/2026Hantavirus quarantines: “The administration is being quite secretive and arbitrary in its use of quarantine powers,” one expert said. www.healthbeat.org/2026/06/01/h... #publichealth #medsky #episky #idskyhealthbeat.org5 hantavirus cruise ship passengers leave quarantine facility as transparency concerns growQuestions are mounting after federal officials allow home quarantine for some hantavirus cruise passengers while keeping others confined. “I do not think the administration is acting in a transparent ... 030 3
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 22/05/2026CDC only has power to quarantine certain diseases detailed in presidential executive orders. Hantavirus is not on the list. To detain hantavirus-exposed passengers, CDC is classifying the disease as a severe acute respiratory syndrome www.healthbeat.org/2026/05/22/c... #epidemiology #publichealthhealthbeat.orgHantavirus quarantine orders are based on a disease list that doesn’t include hantavirusCDC quarantine orders could face legal challenges, a public health law expert told Healthbeat. The federal agency contends hantavirus is a type of severe acute respiratory syndrome to keep two cruise ... 073 7
Reposted by Alison YoungCalifornia Immunization Coalition @immunizeca.bsky.social · 19/05/2026Largest measles outbreak in decades, began with just four households. www.healthbeat.org/2026/05/19/m...healthbeat.orgExclusive: Largest U.S. measles outbreak in decades began with just four householdsInternal records reveal new details about how South Carolina’s record-breaking measles outbreak spread through a close-knit group of unvaccinated people. 011 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 19/05/2026Just 4 households had measles infections at the start of the South Carolina outbreak — which became the largest in decades. #epidemiology #publichealth #Medsky #IDsky 1102 10
Reposted by Alison YoungHealthbeat @healthbeat.org · 19/05/2026Internal records reveal new details about how South Carolina’s record-breaking measles outbreak spread through a close-knit group of unvaccinated people.bit.lyExclusive: Largest U.S. measles outbreak in decades began with just four householdsInternal records reveal new details about how South Carolina’s record-breaking measles outbreak spread through a close-knit group of unvaccinated people. 022 2
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 19/05/2026Inside the largest U.S. measles outbreak in decades: Records obtained by Healthbeat reveal the challenges stopping the virus as it spread in a close-knit, vaccine-hesitant community. www.healthbeat.org/2026/05/19/m... #publichealth #episky #medsky #IDsky #pediatrics 172 7
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 28/04/2026It’s finally over: 7 key takeaways from the South Carolina measles outbreak that sickened 997, kept kids out of school and cost millions to bring under control. www.healthbeat.org/2026/04/27/s... #publichealth #episky #medsky #IDsky #pediatricshealthbeat.orgIt’s over: What South Carolina learned from the largest U.S. measles outbreak in 35 years7 things to know about how this record-breaking measles outbreak began and ended – the price of containment and what worked to stop the spread. 010 1
Reposted by Alison YoungHealthbeat @healthbeat.org · 24/04/2026Most of the babies hospitalized in a recent nationwide outbreak of infant botulism linked to ByHeart baby formula needed additional treatment after going home, according to new CDC data shared Friday.bit.lyByHeart baby formula outbreak: New CDC data reveal lasting impacts on sick infantsDozens of babies were hospitalized with infant botulism. Most still needed more treatment after going home. 001 1
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 24/04/2026Dozens of babies were hospitalized with infant botulism after being fed ByHeart formula. Most needed even more treatment after they were sent home, according to new data presented today at CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference. www.healthbeat.org/2026/04/24/b... #MedSky #EpiSky #pediatricshealthbeat.orgByHeart baby formula outbreak: New CDC data reveal lasting impacts on sick infantsDozens of babies were hospitalized with infant botulism. Most still needed more treatment after going home. 003 3
Alison Young @alisonannyoung.bsky.social · 10/04/2026What to know about the large measles outbreak in Utah and 5 others across the country. www.healthbeat.org/2026/04/09/w...healthbeat.orgMeasles cases are rising across the U.S., with dozens of states reporting infectionsHere's where measles outbreaks are spreading and why experts are concerned. 000 0