Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 18/06/2026FDA provided a thorough & unbiased review of Moderna's mRNA flu vax at today's VRBPAC mtg. 👉 Superior relative effectiveness vs. standard dose vax in ppl 50+ 👉 Superior immune response vs high dose vax in ppl 65+ 👉 More freq local/systemic side effects (most mild/mod) 👉 Reassuring safety profile 0197
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 23/05/2026Takeaways from @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social webinar on vax hesitancy 👉Changing minds takes time 👉Vax decisions play into identity 👉Close the language gap (use familiar terms) 👉Be genuinely curious about sources 👉You don't have to be a doc to be a trusted messenger open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...open.substack.comFrom questions to confidence: What changed my mind on vaccinesYLE webinar recording, takeaways, and FAQs 0103
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDJonathan Howard @joho.bsky.social · 19/05/2026"The double standard could not be more stark: Scientific evidence supporting vaccines is suppressed while unsupported claims casting doubt on them are amplified." The legacy of our failed FDA leadersgeneticliteracyproject.orgThe FDA couldn’t find a vaccine safety crisis, so it buried its own researchCorrupt and Unethical Leadership at the FDA here is a particular kind of government betrayal that arrives not with a bang, but with an 34720
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 18/05/2026How to restore ACIP credibility: 👉 Ensure appropriate membership (ie, real experts) 👉 Restore integrity to meeting agendas 👉 Restore integrity & transparency to ACIP processes 👉 Limit & disclose role of political appointees 👉 Revise ACIP charter www.statnews.com/2026/05/18/a... via @statnews.comstatnews.comHow to restore credibility to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committeeJesse Goodman, former director of CBER and former FDA chief scientist, calls for five critical changes to restore trust in the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. 074
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 15/05/2026"Hantavirus may be contained. But the conditions that made these two weeks so destabilizing are not. The real outbreak is one of fractured trust, unhealed trauma, and absent leadership. No one is coming to fix it but us." @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...open.substack.comSomething deeper than hantavirusTwo weeks ago, my phone started lighting up before I’d had my coffee. 042
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 08/05/2026Great update on the hantavirus situation, including a few pointed questions for CDC. 👇 @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...open.substack.comHantavirus updateSteady heads, good news, and some questions 050
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDpublic health guy @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 07/05/2026icymi trump defunded an important yale lab that works on pandemic and climate change risk *as the hantavirus outbreak unfolded*. that deserves more attention 520698
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 07/05/2026CDC denied a request by @helenbranswell.bsky.social to interview a hantavirus expert, & CDC press release is fluff without substance. Look to ECDC and WHO for timely & detailed situation updates. www.statnews.com/2026/05/07/h... via @statnews.comstatnews.comCruise ship hantavirus outbreak worries experts, though they discount pandemic fearsScientists are worried that hantaviruses haven’t been as well studied as they ought to be, but not that the MV Hondius cruise ship is ground zero for the next pandemic. 1113
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 07/05/2026Good resource for sharing with vaccine-hesitant family and friends. 👇 0135
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 05/05/2026Withdrawing from the World Health Organization was a very bad move. 👇 071
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDAdam Kucharski @adamjkucharski.bsky.social · 22/04/2026This is a good primer on the test-negative study design if you want to know how this widely used method works: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... Main benefit is can get near real-time estimates (i.e. this vaccine against this strain), rather than low RCT (result = historical vaccine & strain) 46934
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 22/04/2026CDC Director is censoring CDC scientists on COVID vax effectiveness study. The stated reason is concerns about study methods. This is bogus--the test-neg design is valid and has been widely used for 15+ years. The real reason is the study results don't support RFK's anti-vax crusade. wapo.st/41JhAhbwapo.stCDC won’t publish report showing covid shots cut likelihood of hospital visitsThe report, which had cleared the agency’s scientific-review process, had been delayed. It now won’t be published at all, people familiar with the decision told The Post. 05917
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDEdward Nirenberg @enirenberg.bsky.social · 10/04/2026I'd like to take a second to explain all the ways that this comment is disqualifying as a marker of legitimate expertise in vaccination. 🧵 www.nytimes.com./2026/04/09/h... 413461
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 09/04/2026Acting CDC Dir is delaying publication of COVID vax effectiveness (VE) study that found high protection. He has concerns about the test-negative design (TND) but does not understand this method. It has been widely used for 15+ years & is the gold-standard for flu/COVID VE studies. 👇 wapo.st/4ccudpFwapo.st 12912
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 24/03/2026I just started following Grandparents For Vaccines. What a great concept! They are promoting vaccines with stories from: 👉 Survivors of preventable childhood diseases 👉 Caregivers 👉 People who remember friends, relatives, etc with polio or other serious childhood disease bsky.app/profile/gpar...bsky.app 072
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDCIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 23/03/2026New COVID variant with immune escape potential confirmed in US & 22 other countries. BA.3.2 represents a new lineage of SARS-CoV-2, genetically distinct from the JN.1 lineages that have circulated in the US since January 2024. Read more: ow.ly/Q50350YxOSv Photo Credit: NIAID 9160100
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 23/03/2026CDC used to be the world's preeminent public health agency. It has been dismantled with astonishing speed. The loss of CDC expertise and credibility will lead to more sickness & distrust for a generation, regardless of who wins the next election. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...nytimes.comInside the Turmoil at RFK Jr.’s CDC, as Told by Current and Former Employees (Gift Article)Forty-three current and former C.D.C. employees on the changes they say are replacing science with ideology — and making Americans more vulnerable. 11412
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 19/03/2026Warming oceans, melting glaciers, extreme weather, rising seas👇 “A study about the pace of global warming, published on March 6, found that…the rate of global warming has accelerated since 2015.” @nytimes.com 022
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDEdward Nirenberg @enirenberg.bsky.social · 19/03/2026The indirect — and sometimes surprising — benefits of vaccines www.statnews.com/2026/03/19/v... via @statnews.comstatnews.comThe indirect — and sometimes surprising — benefits of vaccinesMany vaccines confer surprising knock-on, or indirect, health benefits when they have been put into widespread use. 04418
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 19/03/2026Get ready for a resurgence in vaccine-preventable diseases, brought to you by the US govt. Excellent review by @propublica.org 👇 1167
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 16/03/2026This is a big win for evidence-based vaccine policies. ACIP can meet this week but they can’t vote to change the CDC recommendations. 182
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDAmy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 05/03/2026Growing measles outbreak in Florida, and yet somehow the Florida Dept of Health has managed to avoid mentioning vaccines. Small print suggests consulting clinics for "pre-exposure options." 🫠 14727
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 02/03/2026Stanley Plotkin is a living legend in the vaccine world. He often attended ACIP meetings & I was lucky to meet him years ago. Kudos to @helenbranswell.bsky.social for profiling his life and accomplishments at a time when vaccines are under attack. We need his wisdom & insights more than ever. 👇 25924
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDCIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 28/02/2026WHO updates all 3 viral strains to be included in fall flu shots The recommendation for vaccines for the next flu season includes a new influenza variant—subclade K—that started to increase last fall. www.cidrap.umn.edu/i... 09030
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 26/02/2026“In the pre-vaccine era, hundreds of kids would get measles encephaltitis each year. And many of them died.” 051
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDDorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 26/02/2026As measles cases climb, these 9 diseases threaten comebacks: ""When vaccination rates decrease, the most highly contagious diseases pop up first..." so measles is first, but other killers will follow. wapo.st/3ZXc2yKwapo.stAs measles cases climb, these 9 diseases threaten comebacksWhen it comes to infectious diseases, measles is “the canary in the coal mine,” one expert said. 0133
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 26/02/2026“In his relentless undermining of vaccines, Kennedy is working to make our lives shorter and harder. Congress should pay attention.” 👇 wapo.st/40hAz1Hwapo.stOpinion | RFK Jr.’s war on vaccines is coming for the elderlyThe miseries of aging are more linked to late-life infections than was previously understood. 010
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 21/02/2026HHS spokesperson says "HHS will put rigorous science and public trust first, every time.” It's the opposite. They cherry-pick data, overstate the risks, & ignore the benefits of vaccination. They actively undermine public trust. Must-read article by @laurenweberhp.bsky.social 👇 wapo.st/46jSng1wapo.stInside RFK Jr.’s push against the flu vaccine that he links to his voice conditionTrump’s health secretary has halted federal flu vaccine promotions, citing personal beliefs about vaccine risks. 62910
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 16/02/2026"So far, vaccine manufacturers say that they have no plans to exit the market & that their businesses are resilient enough to withstand the new pressures." But vaccine manufacturers could decide to abandon the US market if the govt removes liability protections. NYT report by Rebecca Robbins 👇 2216
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 15/02/2026The US govt has rejected rigorous & unbiased review of vaccine benefits/risks. The clown show at the new ACIP is causing public distrust & confusion. Kudos to VIP, AMA, AAP and other orgs for stepping up to provide clear science-based recs. 030
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDDorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 15/02/2026Moderna’s president weighs in on FDA’s decision not to review its flu vaccine: completely unexpected, again FDA's prior representations, and cast doubt on industry's willingness to go into trials for vaccines and other products. www.statnews.com/2026/02/12/m... via @statnews.comstatnews.comModerna’s president weighs in on FDA’s decision not to review its flu vaccineIn an interview, Moderna President Stephen Hoge took questions on an FDA decision on the biotech's mRNA flu vaccine, as well as the impact on the company and others in the industry. 1198
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 11/02/2026The Moderna flu vax is under review for licensure in Canada, Australia and the EU. It will be widely used in many countries, but not in the US. Excellent summary by @melodyschreiber.com 👇 411250
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 10/02/2026FDA launches a full-scale war on mRNA vaccines by refusing to review the clinical trial data for Moderna's flu vax 👇 www.statnews.com/2026/02/10/f... via @statnews.comstatnews.comFDA refuses to review Moderna’s influenza vaccineFDA refuses to review Moderna’s influenza vaccine, which could raise concerns about the agency’s posture toward vaccines and drug approvals more generally. 085
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDHelen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 28/01/2026Wondering why there's such a fuss about pushing some #vaccine recommendations to "shared clinical decision making"? The term is being conflated with "informed consent," suggesting it's about empowering parents. This isn't that; good take here. yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/shared-dec... 48641
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDCIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 27/01/2026This year’s Pfizer #COVID vaccine estimated to be 57% effective against emergency, urgent care Estimated effectiveness was 54% against outpatient visits, although with considerable uncertainty. www.cidrap.umn.edu/c... Photo: Kenneth Abbate, US Pacific Fleet / Flickr cc 13512
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 26/01/2026We've lost a giant in the field of global health. Bill Foege was an inspirational & selfless leader who played a major role in smallpox eradication. The world needs more leaders like him, esp at this time when public health is under attack. www.statnews.com/2026/01/25/w... via @statnews.comstatnews.comPublic health giant William Foege, who helped eradicate smallpox, has died at 89‘I wish we could have spared him from seeing that’: Friends of Bill Foege on his legacy, and his anger over anti-vaccination. 052
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 19/01/2026"If Covid was a fire alarm, our response, incredibly, has been to rip out the wiring. Instead of correcting the underbuilt public health systems that allowed thousands to die in the dark, we are choosing to institutionalize blindness." 👇 www.statnews.com/2026/01/18/t... via @statnews.comstatnews.comWhat lingers in ‘The Pitt’ is heartache. What’s missing is outrage“I am hungry, so hungry, for some depiction of Covid that tells the truth. That what was done to us was not just unbearable, but wrong,” an emergency physician writes of “The Pitt.” 18533
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDLiz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · 16/12/2025Another study finds big benefits to getting a COVID vaccine during pregnancy. So why might the FDA add a black box warning to Covid shots? “I just don't think that these are ‘Oopsy!’ accidental leaks. They’re testing the waters to see how far they can go.” www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/pre...cidrap.umn.eduPregnant women vaccinated against COVID-19 less likely to be hospitalized or deliver prematurely, new data show 12313
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDDorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 12/12/2025Covid Vaccines Reduced Children’s Likelihood of E.R. and Urgent Care Visits, the C.D.C. Reported www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/h... via @apoorvkh.com @nytimes.comnytimes.comCovid Vaccines Reduced Children’s Likelihood of E.R. and Urgent Care Visits, the C.D.C. Reported 04112
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDDorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 08/12/2025Even ignoring Dr. Høeg's antivaccine views and obvious bias, she has no qualifications for the job. She does not know regulations, she does not know drug approvals, and she has no expertise in any relevant scientific area. No wonder people are resigning. www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-tra...cbsnews.comAppointment of controversial FDA official rocking agency like "an atom bomb," scientists there sayThe Trump administration's elevation of Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg to lead a high-profile office within the Food and Drug Administration is raising alarm among multiple senior FDA officials. 317774
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 06/12/2025Must-read review of the CDC ACIP meeting by @doritreiss.bsky.social 👇 "These people make decisions that impact people’s lives. Given that, the members’ lack of expertise, incompetence, and blatant anti-vaccine biases were dismaying" www.statnews.com/2025/12/06/a... via @statnews.comstatnews.comRFK Jr.’s vaccine advisory panel is beset by incompetence, bias, and procedural chaosThe Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP) meetings used to be a geek’s dream: hours of long, maybe dreary presentation of extensive data 28751
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDKai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 05/12/2025 “I want to reassure parents and clinicians that there is no new or concerning information about the hepatitis B vaccine that is prompting this change, nor has children’s risk of contracting hepatitis B changed. …this is the result of a deliberate strategy to sow fear and distrust among families.” 03913
Reposted by Ed Belongia MDTara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · 05/12/2025One (of so so many) things that made me angry today was Retsef Levi suggesting people "ask their friends" as a way to gauge HepB prevalence in the community*, when a reason it's currently low is *all the effort we've put into vaccination over several decades*. I miss actual experts on ACIP. 411632
Ed Belongia MD @belongia.bsky.social · 05/12/2025Kudos to Dr Langer—a real subject matter expert from the CDC hepatitis branch. His comments are a beacon of clarity in a confused and muddled discussion. 040