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David Higgins, MD, MPH

@drhigginsmd.bsky.social
2K followers 331 following 383 posts

Pediatrician | Public health specialist | Immunization delivery researcher | Dad | Views my own | Writing Community Immunity on Substack

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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Dorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The System was Always Fragile: what works? What doesn't? My opinion in discussion with @drhigginsmd.bsky.social. Also, this has a link to the full set of interviews, and I hope people look at them. communityimmunity.substack.com/p/the-system...
communityimmunity.substack.com
The System was Always Fragile
The Next Era of Vaccine Governance with Dorit Reiss, Part 1
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Dorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
What Would Actually Hold Up? How can we fix the public health system? interview with @drhigginsmd.bsky.social on Community Immunity substack. communityimmunity.substack.com/p/what-would...
communityimmunity.substack.com
What Would Actually Hold Up
The Next Era of Vaccine Governance with Dorit Reiss, Part 2
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
"It wasn't the science, it was how we communicated it." I sat down with Dr. Paul Offit for my latest conversation in a series on the next era of vaccine governance. Read the full conversation at Community Immunity. #vaccines #trust
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Community Immunity this week: This is not your grandmother‘s measles. our current resurgence in the U.S. is not the same as past outbreaks and that changes how we respond. I also answer a question: If Kamala Harris were president right now, would we still be here? open.substack.com/pub/communit...
open.substack.com
This Is Not Your Grandmother's Measles
Why today's measles resurgence is different than prior ones and why that should change how we respond
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Vaccine policy in the U.S. is at a pivotal moment and the conversation about what comes next can’t wait. www.cidrap.umn.edu/vaccine-inte...
cidrap.umn.edu
Vaccine Integrity Project, The Evidence Collective announce projects to improve vaccine policy, restore trust
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
What if AI could have your difficult vaccine conversations for you? The moment you felt disagreement brewing, you could pass it off to the AI agent. Would you take that offer? I would not. Read my essay on why the hardest vaccine conversations should stay human. #communityimmunity #vaccines
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Public health cannot ask for trust before it has earned it. NYC health commissioner Dr. Alister Martin says we must earn it by solving the problems people have right now. Read more from my interview on the next era of vaccine governance @Community Immunity. 🔗 👇
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
New editorial in American Family Physician with @kkjetelina.bsky.social: the vaccine conversation no longer begins in the exam room. Physicians are at the end of a misinformation pipeline, and must move upstream. www.aafp.org/afp/2026/050... #Vaccines #PublicHealth @aafp.org
aafp.org
Beyond the Exam Room: Why Family Physicians Must Advocate for Evidence-Based Vaccine Policy
The vaccine conversation no longer begins in the examination room. Many parents come with fear and confusion that is shaped long before the visit by social media, political rhetoric, and, increasingly...
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
A hantavirus outbreak is under investigation after cases linked to an expedition cruise ship. This situation is evolving fast, and so is the coverage. Some of it is helpful, some not. I helped put together a rapid evidence brief with The Evidence Collective. open.substack.com/pub/evidence...
open.substack.com
Got hantavirus questions?
Here's a guide to help you stay informed and talk about it
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
The anti-vaccine movement doesn’t sell alternative facts. It sells belonging. The tactics from 1896 and today are the same. What changed is the scale and erosion of communities that used to buffer it. It doesn’t matter how good our evidence is. People don’t adopt facts. They accept invitations
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
The science they tried to bury: a study on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness, blocked from MMWR publication by CDC and HHS leadership, is now out in Inside Medicine. Read it here 👇 open.substack.com/pub/insideme...
open.substack.com
Exclusive: Here's the Covid-19 vaccine paper the CDC censored.
RFK Jr. and the CDC’s top official, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, don’t want you to read this. That’s exactly why you should.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
When I was a child, I was hospitalized with rotavirus. There was no vaccine then. There is one now. Social media is blaming this rotavirus season on vaccine hesitancy. The truth is more complicated. This is a structural problem. Missing that means investing in the wrong solutions. 🔗 Link below👇
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
I joined BBC’s More or Less porcast to answer a question a lot of people are asking: have RFK Jr. and MAHA actually changed how Americans think about vaccines? The data have a more nuanced answer than most headlines suggest. It's worth 8 minutes of your time → bbc.com/audio/play/p...
bbc.com
BBC Audio | More or Less | Have RFK and MAHA really changed American views on vaccines?
Why a Politico headline overstated vaccine scepticism in the US
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Lena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
SCOOP: Two weeks ago, the head of the CDC delayed publication of a report showing covid vaccine cut likelihood of ER visits and hospitalizations by half. Now that report is no longer allowed to be published in CDC’s flagship scientific journal. My latest. 1/2 www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
washingtonpost.com
CDC won’t publish report showing covid shots cut likelihood of hospital visits
The 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.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
George Washington mandated a relatively dangerous inoculation for his troops in 1777 because he knew disease undermined readiness. In 2026, a low-risk vaccine became optional for the U.S. military. www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
nbcnews.com
Pete Hegseth says the U.S. military will no longer require flu shots
Vaccination programs in the U.S. military date back to the American Revolution, but they became a contentious political issue during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Gary Schwitzer @garyschw.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
How valid is Politico’s vaccine skepticism poll? @drhigginsmd.bsky.social delivers a helpful analysis. We may be in an era of poll pollution. garyschwitzer.substack.com/p/questionin...
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Edward Nirenberg @enirenberg.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Such an important piece from @drhigginsmd.bsky.social. I had similar conclusions when I looked at the Politico poll in question, but Dr. Higgins expressed it more eloquently than I ever could. Vaccine hesitancy is not mainstream and we should not present it as such.
statnews.com
Don’t believe headlines saying that vaccine skepticism is widespread
Despite some headlines, a new poll does not show that most Americans no longer trust vaccines.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Don’t believe the headlines this week saying that vaccine skepticism is widespread. Here’s what the data actually shows in my piece in STAT today. www.statnews.com/2026/04/17/v... via @statnews.com
statnews.com
Don’t believe headlines saying that vaccine skepticism is widespread
Despite some headlines, a new poll does not show that most Americans no longer trust vaccines.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Should pediatric clinics dismiss families who refuse vaccines? I've come full circle on this. Read my article co-authored with Dr. Jess Steier and Dr. Elana Pearl Benjoseph
open.substack.com
"Looking for a Pediatrician Who Doesn’t Push Vaccines”
What vaccine-hesitant parents are told, what pediatricians are actually doing, and the legislation caught in between
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
The claim that pediatricians profit from vaccines has been amplified at the highest federal levels. The Unbiased Science Podcast spent 6 months investigating across all 50 states. Reality: many practices lose money on every dose. I co-hosted with Dr. Jess Steier. open.spotify.com/episode/5Z4o...
open.spotify.com
Pediatricians: Not About The Benjamins, Baby
Unbiased Science · Episode
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
This week’s AAP v. Kennedy ruling is worth celebrating. A federal judge blocked the Kennedy vaccine schedule and sent a clear message: you cannot bypass scientific and legal process and expect it to stand.🧵
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
The most effective vaccine program in America doesn't require a new drug or breakthrough. It requires a form for school enrollment. And the reason it works might surprise you. Five questions with honest answers, written with Dr. Katelyn Jetelina open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...
open.substack.com
Top 5 questions about school vaccination requirements
The most effective vaccine program in American history doesn’t require a single new drug, clinical trial, or breakthrough.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
New in Community Immunity: The Roundup. Five things: new series on vaccine governance, school vaccine requirements, vaccine dismissal policies, ACIP prebunk, and the myth that won't die. Link below 👇 #vaccines #community #publichealth
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Parents’ vaccine decisions are rarely just about evidence. They’re shaped by fear, identity, experience, and love. A beautiful @nytimes.com piece by my colleague captures that complexity with real empathy. This is a must-read! www.nytimes.com/2026/02/27/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | I’m an Immunologist. I Grew Up Unvaccinated.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
New essay out in Community Immunity. It begins with a simple thought experiment: what if future leaders attempt to restore vaccine policy structures overnight? Would that rebuild trust — or deepen polarization? The way things were isn’t the way things can be anymore. #PublicHealth #Vaccines
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
When it comes to vaccines, what parents want has not changed. They want clear recommendations and honest explanations. They want reassurance that the advice they receive is grounded in their child’s best interest. And they want a trusted expert to help them navigate the noise.
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Tina Studts, PhD, MSW, MSPH @tstudts.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Applications accepted until 2/15 for Fall 2026! App instructions and other info here: tinyurl.com/5bps2c8j @borsikarabin.bsky.social, @bmkwan.bsky.social, @monica-p-jolles.bsky.social, @drhigginsmd.bsky.social, @dramyhuebschmann.bsky.social, @russgl.bsky.social @cctsi.bsky.social #DIScience #ImpSci
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
New KFF data show trust in the CDC as a source of reliable vaccine information is now at a historic low following a recent overhaul to childhood vaccine recommendations. That matters because federal health leaders have explicitly justified their policy changes as necessary to restore public trust.🧵
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Our article is out today in @statnews.com. Do pediatricians get rich from vaccines? We followed the money. Short answer: ABSOLUTELY NOT. This dangerously misleading claim just won’t die. www.statnews.com/2026/01/29/p...
statnews.com
Do pediatricians make large profits from vaccines?
Vaccine critics like to say that pediatricians profit from vaccines. This report found something very different.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Preventing more diseases is a success, not a failure. This shouldn’t be controversial. open.substack.com/pub/communit... #Vaccines ##PreventDisease
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
New 📰 The U.S. is being called a vaccine “outlier.” But why is that assumed to be bad? Also: changes to a key federal advisory commission, flu policy during a severe season, and ethics concerns in a halted hepatitis B study in Africa. Read here: 🔗 communityimmunity.substack.com/p/the-proble...
communityimmunity.substack.com
The Problem With Calling the U.S. an Outlier on Vaccines
And why a little-known commission, a severe flu season, and a hepatitis B vaccine study in Africa deserve attention
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
CIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
States, health organizations reject new CDC vaccine guidance A growing number of states are pushing back against sweeping changes to the US childhood vaccine schedule. www.cidrap.umn.edu/p...
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Read my @medpagetoday.com op-ed on recent U.S. vaccine policy changes framed as “restoring trust.” The gap between that idea and reality is striking. Trust comes from clarity, evidence, and consistency. www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/seco... #Vaccines #PublicHealth @gfriedma.bsky.social
medpagetoday.com
Opinion | Parents Are Confused. I'm Worried for My Pediatric Patients.
The consequences of rewriting the pediatric vaccine schedule
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
ACCORDS @accordsresearch.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
TOMORROW! Join us for an informational webinar about the D&I Science Graduate Certificate Program. Register at ucdenverdata.formstack.com/forms/dicert... #ImpSci #CUAnschutz
calendar.cuanschutz.edu
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
🚨 The U.S. childhood vaccine schedule is being rewritten. The New York Times reports that RFK Jr./HHS/CDC are shifting routine vaccines into “individual decision-making,” cutting routine protection from 17 diseases to 11. 🔗 www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/h...
nytimes.com
Kennedy Scales Back the Number of Vaccines Recommended for Children
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Writing publicly and being in the spotlight isn’t my default setting. 📰 This week’s Community Immunity is a reflection on why I write publicly about vaccines, evidence, and trust, and what it takes to sustain this work.
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
CIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
The nearly 80-year-old law that could hamper RFK Jr.’s drive to remake vaccine schedule Legal experts say Kennedy needs to follow established legal procedures to prevent any policy changes from being dismissed by a judge. www.cidrap.umn.edu/c... Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr cc
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
public health guy @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
@drhigginsmd.bsky.social: "many clinics and pediatricians will simply say they don’t recommend the Denmark schedule, which will worsen parental confusion. School vaccination requirements are set by state laws, and most require some of the vaccines that aren’t on the Denmark schedule" 🎁
wapo.st
Under RFK Jr., U.S. plans to stop recommending most vaccines, defer to doctors
The plan, which is not finalized, suggests children get fewer shots and shifts to a model telling parents to consult doctors to make their own vaccine choices.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
National vaccine schedules cannot be copy-pasted. This is dangerous vaccine policy. The confusion and disruption would be immediate. As I told WaPo, "I have never been more concerned about the future of vaccines and children’s health than I am now.” 1/6🧵 www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/h...
nytimes.com
R.F.K. Jr. Likely to Swap U.S. Childhood Vaccine Schedule for Denmark’s
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Petty infantile vengeance vs objective science? Are we surprised MAGA/MAHA has embraced science-free rage? So on-brand. Still unbelievable. American Academy of Pediatrics loses HHS funding after criticizing RFK Jr. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/... cc @ameracadpeds.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
American Academy of Pediatrics loses HHS funding after criticizing RFK Jr.
HHS cuts key AAP grants, citing concerns about “identity-based language” and insufficient focus on agency priorities. The organization said the cuts could harm child health.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
“Shared decision-making” is being invoked more and more in federal vaccine guidance. That doesn’t mean everyone is using it the same way. Today’s Community Immunity looks at what shared decision-making is—and what it isn’t—especially when it comes to vaccine policy.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
If there’s a misperception that vaccine hesitancy is extremely high, it creates real risk at the policy and clinician level. My thoughts on this are in Medical Economics. #VaccineConfidence #PublicHealth #HealthPolicy www.medicaleconomics.com/shorts/risk-...
medicaleconomics.com
Risk of misperceptions about vaccine hesitancy | Medical Economics
If there is a misperception about high rates of vaccine hesitancy in patients, that creates risk at the policy level and at the physician level. David Higgins, MD, MPH, FAAP, explains.
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Pregnant women vaccinated against COVID-19 less likely to be hospitalized or deliver prematurely, new data show. The study confirms the benefits of the vaccines, even as the Trump administration raises doubts about their safety. www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/pre...
cidrap.umn.edu
Log in | CIDRAP
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
CIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Racially charged language on mothers, babies taints vaccine advisory meeting by @LizSzabo Throughout the 2-day meeting, speakers and ACIP members singled out immigrants and people from Asia as potential sources of hepatitis B infection www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
The CDC’s ACIP vaccine meeting this week was flooded with rhetoric posing as science. Confidence ≠ evidence. As I told WaPo: misinformation wrapped in scientific authority is the most dangerous kind. Our kids deserve better.
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David Higgins, MD, MPH @drhigginsmd.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
ACIP’s two-day meeting was a chaotic circus of misinformation, distortion, and people speaking with confidence far beyond their expertise. One thought kept coming back to me: our kids deserve better. Do not come between a pediatrician and our patients’ health. We are fiercely devoted to them.
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 05/12/2025
“Vaccinating babies for hepatitis B at birth remains one of the clearest, most evidence-based ways to keep American children free of this lifelong, deadly infection.” - @drhigginsmd.bsky.social, preventive medicine specialist, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
buff.ly
Vaccine committee votes to scrap universal hepatitis B shots for newborns despite outcry from children’s health experts
The decision undoes a highly effective 34-year prevention strategy that has nearly eliminated early childhood hepatitis B infections in the U.S.
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Your Local Epidemiologist @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
9/ The vaccine schedule is only one item on ACIP’s agenda this week. This breaks it all down👉 evicollective.org/2025-dec-acip-prebunk Love, @drhigginsmd.bsky.social Annicka Evans, PhD @sciencewhizliz.bsky.social @unbiasedscipod.bsky.social @enirenberg.bsky.social @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
evicollective.org
RSVP 4 — The Evidence Collective
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Your Local Epidemiologist @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
1/ Tomorrow, #ACIP —the external advisory committee that guides U.S. vaccine policy—will meet for two days. Thursday’s agenda will focus on Hepatitis B (Hep B). We’re expecting to hear a few falsehoods to start circulating along with some unsupported safety concerns. Here’s what you should know 👇
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Reposted by David Higgins, MD, MPH
Your Local Epidemiologist @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
11/ HBV is only one item on ACIP’s meeting agenda this week. This resource breaks it all down👉 evicollective.org/2025-dec-acip-prebunk Love, Annicka Evans, PhD @drhigginsmd.bsky.social @enirenberg.bsky.social @sciencewhizliz.bsky.social @unbiasedscipod.bsky.social @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
evicollective.org
RSVP 4 — The Evidence Collective
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