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Helen Branswell 🇨🇦

@helenbranswell.bsky.social

51K followers 425 following 2.2K posts

I cover infectious diseases for STAT (www.statnews.com). 2020 Polk winner. Nieman '11. She/her. I write about H5N1 (in all species), Covid, polio, flu, Ebola, RSV, mpox, STIs. Send me news tips on Signal: HBranswell.01

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Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 8h

The confirmed #measles count in Pennsylvania has topped 1,000. Important to note that confirmed cases make up only a portion of all cases, especially given infections among PA's Amish community probably do not come to public health's attention in many cases. app.powerbigov.us/view?r=eyJrI...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#Flu update: Nationally, flu activity in the US remains low, with all jurisdictions reporting minimal activity in the week ending Sept. 26. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The #Ebola outbreak in DRC isn't getting much attention these days. It should be. www.statnews.com/2026/10/02/e...

An Ebola treatment center was burned down as the death toll in Congo passes 4,000

Congo's Ebola outbreak has killed more than 4,000 people, authorities said, as they struggle to contain what has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The list of people seeking to be the next #WHO director-general has grown to 6 with Botswana's nomination of Armenian oncologist Gevorg Tamamyan. I wrote about the other 5 & the selection process here, before this nomination was made public. www.statnews.com/2026/09/25/w... & x.com/GevTamamyan/...

Gevorg Tamamyan (@GevTamamyan) on X

I am honored to announce my candidacy for Director-General of the World Health Organization, nominated by the Republic of Botswana. I am deeply grateful to President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko and th...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

#CDC was informed of 3 more pediatric #flu deaths, 2 in the soon-to-end 2025-26 season & 1 from 2024-25. That brings the totals to 195 this year & 298 last year. Bad years for kids & flu. Flu is ticking up a bit, but all areas are still reporting minimal activity. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

5 people are known to be in the running to become the next director-general of the #WHO. Although the nomination deadline was yesterday, it's possible other candidates are in the mix but haven't been announced yet. Whoever wins faces daunting challenges. www.statnews.com/2026/09/25/w...

At least five candidates vie to become the next WHO leader, as questions over U.S. role loom

At least five candidates are in the running to become the next director-general of the WHO, a job that will come with extraordinary challenges.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

#CDC has been informed of another child who died from #flu this past winter, bringing the 2025-26 total to 193 deaths. The new season starts in Oct. All states are reporting minimal flu activity, but you can see (right) it's starting to tick up, led, as usual, by kids. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

#CDC reports today that as of 9/17, the US has recorded 3,471 confirmed measles cases in 2026, up 50% from the figure recorded in all of 2025. CDC is still not acknowledging the 4 measles-related deaths Pennsylvania has reported. Important note: confirmed cases are a fraction of the true total.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

#USDA reports that 2 more Texas dairy cow herds have tested positive for #H5N1 #birdflu. That brings the number of declared outbreaks from Texas to 38 and the national tally to 1,177 herds in 19 states. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

#USDA reports that Idaho has reported 2 more dairy cow herds infected with #H5N1 #birdflu. This brings the state's total to 177 herds, and the national total to 1,175 infected herds in 19 states since the outbreak was first recognized in March 2024. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The #CDC #measles page still doesn't list any measles-related deaths in 2026. But the coroner in Lancaster County, PA has reported that at least 1 of 2 recent deaths linked to measles was due to measles. The CDC site was updated today. Will another update follow? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/w...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

#CDC has been informed of another child who died from #flu during the 2025-2026 flu season; the death occurred in late March. It brings the confirmed death toll among kids to 192 for the season so far. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Wondering about fall vaccines — who should get them, when, & will they still be available? Key medical organizations have issued clear guidance today. Good news: The Vaccines for Children program, which covers about 50% of US kids, will still provide them this year. www.statnews.com/2026/09/02/v...

Doctors groups release vaccination guidelines ahead of respiratory illness season

Ahead of respiratory illness season, professional organizations have issued guidance on flu, Covid, and RSV vaccines.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

When you have the number of confirmed #measles cases that the US has these days — nearly 2,800 as of last week — measles deaths are going to happen. Each is a tragedy. The more children vaccinated against measles, the lower the risk of this unbearable loss. www.statnews.com/2026/08/25/t...

Pennsylvania reports first 2 measles deaths in the U.S. this year, both people unvaccinated

Two unvaccinated Pennsylvania residents have died from measles, state health officials said Tuesday, the first measles-related deaths in the U.S. this year.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Public comments about a proposal that would make science funding decisions open to political influence are removed from the record, but not by the submitters. A number mentioned that OMB Director Russell Vought's family has benefited from federally funded research. www.statnews.com/2026/08/25/r...

Comments on OMB research rule mysteriously removed from federal website

Some comments on a proposed OMB research rule have been mysteriously removed from a public-facing government webpage.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

.@WHO has increased its recommendations about how #DRC should contain the #Ebola #Bundibugyo outbreak, including postponing mass gatherings in areas with ongoing transmission, limiting the number of passengers on motorcycles & reducing crowding in bars. www.who.int/news/item/24...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

#USDA reports that Texas has found another 2 herds of dairy cows that are infected with #H5N1 #birdflu. They bring the state's total to 36 and the national total to 1,173 herds in 19 states. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Jeremy Farrar, a @WHO assistant director-general, is retiring from the global health agency next month. He turns 65 — the UN's mandatory retirement age — in Sept.

Reposted by Helen Branswell 🇨🇦

Jonathan Howard @joho.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

2 honorable choices. She can resign or resist from the inside until she’s fired. She knew she was signing up for this. We’ll see.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

#CDC has been alerted to another 101 #measles cases in the last week, bringing this year's total to date to 2,566. Only 16 of those infections were contracted outside the U.S. www.cdc.gov/measles/data...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

#CDC 's new director clearly has been sworn in. Erica Schwartz is now listed on CDC's website as the director. First big challenge for Schwartz: how she responds to this week's executive order on reducing recommended childhood vaccines & the call to break up MMR vax. www.cdc.gov/about/leader...

Erica Schwartz, MD, MPH, JD (RADM, USPHS, RET)

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

With @drtedros.who.int projecting DRC's #Ebola outbreak is on track to eclipse the 2014-16 West African outbreak, #WHO is finalizing a Phase 3 vaccine trial protocol it hopes DRC regulatory officials will green light. Likely to start with Merck's Ervebo vaccine. www.statnews.com/2026/08/12/e...

Talks on launch of clinical trial of Ebola vaccine in DRC advance, WHO says

Talks are underway between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the WHO to expedite the start of a multi-armed Phase 3 clinical trial of Ebola vaccines.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

#WHO leaders, including @drtedros.who.int, criticized the changes to U.S. vaccination policy proposed by this week's executive order, saying they're politically motivated, not science based. “This is going in exactly the wrong direction," one official said. www.statnews.com/2026/08/12/t...

WHO says Trump’s latest vaccine policy order is misguided

The White House's order attempting to overhaul the vaccine schedule could subject children to more needles and more disease risk, world health leaders say.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Trump's #vaccines executive order calls for breaking combo vaxes into individual pathogen shots again, starting with #MMR — measles, mumps & rubella. Experts argue there's no science supporting this & manufacturers are not on board. Most parents likely aren't either. www.statnews.com/2026/08/11/h...

Trump is counting on the health care industry to remake vaccines. It’s pushing back instead

Trump wants to change how American kids are vaccinated, but doctors and the pharma industry aren't on board.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

There've been big advances in #Ebola since the devastating West African outbreak in 2014-16. But unfortunately, most of those advances were aimed at tackling the Zaire species of Ebola. There are others, as this Bundibugyo outbreak in DRC painfully reminds us. www.statnews.com/2026/08/10/e...

We prepared for Ebola — but not this Ebola

“Preparedness cannot mean optimizing every investment for yesterday's epidemic,” write Krutika Kuppalli and Placide Mbala.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

The confirmed #measles case count in the US jumped nearly 100 cases last week to 2,465 — 108% of the cases reported last year, but in only 7 months. Only 16 of these were imported cases. No abating happening here. And this graphic doesn't reflect the US situation. www.cdc.gov/measles/data...

Measles Cases and Outbreaks

Find the latest numbers of confirmed U.S. measles cases. CDC updates this page weekly.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Another child died from #flu in the past season, bringing the confirmed, reported deaths to 191. There will likely be more before the calendar rolls over into the 2026-27 flu season at the beginning of Oct. But hey, fewer kids should get flu shots, the Health Sec says. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

#USDA reports another #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy cow herd in Utah, the state's 29th. This makes the 1,171th confirmed herd (in 19 states) since the outbreak in cows was first identified in March 2024. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Twofer here: Last night Moderna got word the #FDA had approved its mRNA flu vaccine for older adults. www.statnews.com/2026/08/05/f... The decision came on the anniversary of when Health Sec. Kennedy axed flu pandemic preparedness funding for Moderna. www.statnews.com/2026/08/06/m...

FDA approves Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine, the first to use the technology

The FDA has approved Moderna’s influenza vaccine, the first licensed flu shot made using messenger RNA technology.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

The #Ebola #Bundibugyo outbreak in DRC's Ituri province is now the 2nd largest in known history, having overtaken the 2018-2020 outbreak in North-Kivu & Ituri in a matter of 2.5 months. Hard to say how big this one will get. Can't see it ending anytime soon.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

#CDC has been alerted to 2 more kids who died from #influenza last winter. They bring to 190 the number of confirmed pediatric #flu deaths in 2025-26. This in a year in which Health Sec. Kennedy told CDC to drop its recommendation that kids 6 months & older get flu shots. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

The confirmed #measles case count so far this year is now 2371, in only 7 months, compared to 2289 in all of 2025. Only 7 states haven't reported cases in 2026. Only 16 of these cases were imported, #CDC reports. www.cdc.gov/measles/data...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

The #Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in NE DRC was likely underway for months before it was formally detected in mid-May. That's often the way with Ebola outbreaks, but the scale of the missed cases seems ... extraordinary. Terrific reporting by @kakape.bsky.social. www.science.org/content/arti...

EXCLUSIVE: Congo’s Ebola epidemic started at least 4 months before it was detected

A remote mining town gripped by fear saw hundreds of suspected cases before the government declared an outbreak, report says

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

For decades, Tony Fauci was beloved on both sides of the political aisle in Washington. Those days are over. www.statnews.com/2026/07/29/f...

Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment in declining to answer questions before Senate panel

At a highly anticipated Senate hearing, Anthony Fauci evoked his Fifth Amendment right to refuse to answer questions about the Covid-19 pandemic and its origins.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

On June 30, Uganda reported a case of #Marburg to @WHO, only after the US embassy in Kampala revealed it had heard there was a case in the west of the country. Since then, radio silence. WHO confirmed today that though it has been asking for followup information, Uganda has provided none.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

#USDA reports 3 new #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy cow herds in Idaho, bringing the national total since the outbreak was first detected to 1,170 herds in 19 states. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

DRC's #Ebola case count continues to climb. As of 07/22, there have been 2,905 confirmed cases, 1,269 of them fatal. At this pace it may not be long before this outbreak surpasses the 2018-2020 North Kivu outbreak, the 2nd largest on record (3470 cases, 2287 of them fatal). insp.cd/sitrep-n069-...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

#CDC reports another pediatric #flu death in the 2025-26 season. That brings the number of children who died from flu this season to 188. FluView doesn't say what percentage of those kids were not vaccinated but earlier in the season CDC estimated about 85%. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

#CDC reports that the confirmed #measles count in 2026 has hit 2,318, exceeding the 2025 total. It's the highest annual total — & the year's far from over — in 35 years. To keep measles under control, about 95% of kids need to be vaccinated. Few parts of the country are hitting that target.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

1. Another European country is reporting cases of Dermatophilus congolensis, an animal skin disease, in men who have sex with men. Swiss researchers report in @eurosurveillance.org that they've detected 6 cases; two were likely imported, 4 locally acquired. www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2...

eurosurveillance.org

Human infections with Dermatophilus sp.: travel-associated first case and a local cluster in the context of emerging European outbreaks, Basel, Switzerland, 2025 to 2026

We report six human Dermatophilus infections diagnosed in Basel between May 2025 and March 2026. The travel-associated first case developed a pustular rash and conjunctivitis after a stay in Thailand....

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

The #HELP committee vote on whether to advance the nomination of Erica Schwartz for #CDC director is also postponed; not enough senators showed up, per committee chair Bill Cassidy. Vote will take place next week. www.statnews.com/2026/07/23/e...

Senate health panel delays vote on CDC nominee

Too few senators were in attendance to proceed with a vote on the CDC director nominee.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

The Senate's #HELP committee vote on whether to support Sean Kaufman's nomination for the head of the public health preparedness operations at #HHS has been delayed due to lack of support. @statnews.com 's intrepid @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social has the story. www.statnews.com/2026/07/23/s...

Vote on key federal health nominee delayed amid questions over vaccine views

Sean Kaufman, nominated to run ASPR, has a track record of questioning the safety of vaccines.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

The bits of animal data suggesting #Ervebo, the #Ebola Zaire vaccine, might be useful against #Bundibugyo Ebola are getting supported from data showing some cross protection in blood of vaccinees. That's leading to increasing calls to study the vaccine in DRC. www.statnews.com/2026/07/22/n...

New study supports testing of Merck’s Ebola vaccine in DRC outbreak

New data supports the idea that Merck’s Ebola vaccine Ervebo, licensed to target the Zaire species of ebolaviruses, could also offer some protection against another.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

#USDA reports that Utah has another #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy cow herd, its 14th since the beginning of June & 28th overall. That makes 1,167 confirmed infections in herds in 19 states since this outbreak was first detected in March 2024. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

There is a bit of evidence to suggest vaccines to protect against other species of #Ebola might offer cross protection against #Bundibugyo, the cause of the DRC outbreak. I wrote about it here: www.statnews.com/2026/05/18/e... Looks like it may be studied: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

With no approved vaccine for Ebola outbreak, experts weigh testing a long shot

With no approved vaccine for the fast-growing Ebola outbreak in the DRC, experts weigh testing one with unknown protection.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

#CDC reported today that it has been informed of 2 more pediatric #flu deaths in the 2025-26 season. The deaths occurred in March. That brings the total for this season to 187 peds flu deaths, though the number could continue to climb as late reports come in. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

#Measles update: #CDC reports that another 29 confirmed cases have been detected, bringing the year to date total to 2260 — 29 cases shy of 2025's full year tally. 15 of these cases were imported; the rest were caught in the USA. www.cdc.gov/measles/data...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

#USDA reports that 4 more dairy cow herds in Utah have been infected with #H5N1 #birdflu, bringing that state's total to 27. Nationally, 1,166 herds in 19 states have been confirmed to have been infected since the outbreak was first detected in March 2024. www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Remember that #Marburg outbreak in Uganda that only came to light in late June because the US embassy there issued a health alert? #WHO has been asking for information, but has been getting none. www.statnews.com/2026/07/16/w...

WHO: Uganda is silent on updates following disclosure of Marburg outbreak

The government of Uganda has gone quiet on an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus that it reported late last month, the WHO acknowledged.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

The nominees for #CDC director & #ASPR head faced tough questioning from the Senate #HELP committee today. Chair Bill Cassidy, who's out of a job next Jan., was especially blunt with the pair, suggesting Erica Schwartz (CDC) spent the hearing trying not to answer Qs. www.statnews.com/2026/07/15/b...

Cassidy grills Trump nominee on past vaccine comments in heated exchange

Sean Kaufman, Trump's pick for a key pandemic preparedness role, has questioned vaccines and criticized the CDC.