Dr Kat, Epidemiologist
@epidemiologistkat.bsky.social
Epidemiologist at University of Illinois Chicago, misinformation debunker, data nerd, Chicagoan, scientist for the resistance
Thank you @cbschicago for this reporting reflecting that actual experts do not agree with the new, more restrictive COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Was a pleasure to contribute to this story. www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...
Health experts fear potential public health impacts from RFK Jr. halting COVID vaccine recommendations for kids, pregnant women
University of Illinois Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Katrine Wallace said it's more difficult to assess risk factors for children than it is for adults.
cbsnews.com
LISTEN TO EXPERTS: “The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective & the best way to protect children. If the vaccine were no longer available or covered by insurance, it takes choice away from families who wish to protect their children from COVID-19.” publications.aap.org/aapnews/news...
AAP concerned about new FDA plan that could limit children’s access to COVID vaccines
Children may not have access to COVID-19 vaccines this fall unless they have underlying health conditions.
publications.aap.org
LISTEN TO EXPERTS: “ACOG is concerned about and extremely disappointed by the announcement that HHS will no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy.” Read statement here: www.acog.org/news/news-re...
ACOG Statement on HHS Recommendations Regarding the COVID Vaccine During Pregnancy
ACOG strongly opposes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' decision to stop recommending the COVID vaccination during pregnancy, citing clear evidence of its safety and effectiveness in p...
acog.org
I think HHS forgot about this data when making recommendations
I spoke to @huffpost about potential shenanigans with the Covid vaccine this fall www.huffpost.com/entry/covid-...
Could COVID Boosters Be Delayed This Fall Because Of The Trump Admin? Experts Weigh In.
Leaders at the FDA, HHS and elsewhere are putting guardrails around COVID-19 boosters, which could mean delayed shots or eligibility changes this fall.
huffpost.com
Hating on “Big Pharma”? Cool, it’s a $1.6 trillion regulated industry. But hang on…the $6.3 trillion wellness industry sells you mushroom tea, dewormers, crash diets, and alkaline water—no regulations, no oversight. But hey, it’s ‘natural,’ right?
In today’s WTF - antivaxxers are claiming the measles outbreak in Texas is a “bioweapon” targeting Mennonites. www.wired.com/story/antiva...
Anti-Vaxxers Are Grifting Off the Measles Outbreak—and Claim a Bioweapon Caused It
Activists affiliated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are selling a “measles treatment and prevention protocol” for hundreds of dollars, including supplements supposedly formulated by AI.
wired.com
THIS IS NOT NORMAL. Children should not die of preventable illness. The children AND the parents are victims of disinformation www.cnn.com/2025/04/06/h...
Second unvaccinated child dies of measles in Texas amid outbreak | CNN
A school-aged child died at a Texas hospital where they were receiving treatment for measles, marking the second death of a minor in the state linked to the ongoing outbreak.
cnn.com
This week, as the number of confirmed measles cases rose to 483, the CDC buried a report that would’ve stressed the importance of getting vaccinated. The move was “not normal at all,” one agency staff member said. By @sheinvestigates.bsky.social
The CDC Buried a Measles Forecast That Stressed the Need for Vaccinations
The move — along with the CDC’s explanation — is a sign that the nation’s top public health agency may be falling in line under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines.
propub.li
Bad news for us, but good for him for speaking out www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/h...
Top FDA Vaccine Official Resigns, Citing Kennedy’s ‘Misinformation and Lies’ (Gift Article)
Dr. Peter Marks, a veteran of the agency, wrote that undermining confidence in vaccines is irresponsible and a danger to public health.
nytimes.com
Utah bans fluoridated water. Dentists - here’s a market for you to open practices www.nytimes.com/2025/03/28/w...
Utah Becomes First State to Ban Fluoride in Public Water (Gift Article)
Medical experts warn the move could have consequences for oral health, especially among children.
nytimes.com
The administration says COVID is over, and they are priotizing “making America healthy again”. Um ok. Hundreds of people still die every week from Covid, and long Covid symptoms continue to cause debilitating medical problems www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
CDC is pulling back $11B in Covid funding sent to health departments across the U.S.
“Now that the pandemic is over, the grants and cooperative agreements are no longer necessary," federal health authorities wrote to funding recipients this week.
nbcnews.com
So the antivax nonprofit previously (?) run by our current HHS secretary has created a fake CDC clone website full of vaccine misinformation infoepi.substack.com/p/cdc-clone-...
CDC Clone Site, Rife with False Vaccine Claims, Hosted by Group Previously Led by HHS Secretary
A CDC clone site with false vaccine claims is hosted by an NGO once led by the current HHS Secretary. With CDC logos, real social media links, and a near-identical design, it may violate federal laws.
infoepi.substack.com
I don’t even know what to say anymore because everything is so far beyond the pale www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Newborn babies exposed to measles in Texas hospital
Infants barely three days old are receiving antibody injections to help protect against the virus. Nearly 300 cases have been reported in the outbreak.
nbcnews.com
We need a reminder of what the pre-vaccine era was like www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Opinion | A Reminder of What Pre-Vaccine America Was Like (Gift Article)
The worst manifestations of preventable diseases have faded from public memory.
nytimes.com
Well, here’s some good news, but I’m also scared of what nomination is coming next www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/h...
White House Withdraws Nominee for C.D.C. Director
Dr. Dave Weldon was to have appeared on Thursday in a confirmation hearing before the Senate health committee. He has close ties to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the new health secretary.
nytimes.com
Someone let all the cancer patients who were born before 1957 know that they didn’t really have cancer because RFK said measles prevents cancer 😵💫 www.independent.co.uk/news/health/...
All of the wild theories RFK Jr. has been spreading about the measles outbreak
The deadly measles outbreak has sickened hundreds in Texas and 11 other states
independent.co.uk
The studies have been done. All the published papers are in my linktree. Honestly, spending money to reexamine this is “waste, fraud and abuse”. Should I report to DOGE? www.reuters.com/business/hea... 
Exclusive: U.S. CDC plans study into vaccines and autism, sources say
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning a large study into potential connections between vaccines and autism, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, despite extensive scientific research that has disproven or failed to find evidence of such links.
reuters.com
Don’t have “measles parties” - this is dangerous and profoundly stupid. Get your children vaccinated to protect them AND others who are immune compromised or too young to be vaccinated. Measles parties will only further exacerbate this outbreak arstechnica.com/health/2025/...
Texas official warns against “measles parties” as outbreak keeps growing
Twenty people have been hospitalized. Most cases are in children.
arstechnica.com
Vitamin A does not prevent measles!! Get your kids vaccinated.
When asked about the child who died of measles the secretary of the HHS says “it’s not unusual” to have measles outbreaks. This is a disease that was eradicated in 2000 thanks to vaccines. www.nbcnews.com/now/video/-i...
'It's not unusual': RFK Jr. comments on growing Texas measles outbreak
When questioned about a growing measles outbreak in West Texas that has claimed at least one life, Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told reporters "we have measles outbreaks eve...
nbcnews.com
This is serious. PLEASE vaccinate your kids. Measles is NOT a “normal childhood illness” and people telling you it is are either 1) lying or 2) uninformed because they are too young to remember dire complications from vaccine-preventable illnesses. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/u...
Unvaccinated Child Dies of Measles in Texas, Officials Say
nytimes.com
Hydroxychloroquine doesn’t prevent bird flu. This is why we don’t listen to Dr “Demon Sperm” Immanuel of any of “America’s Frontline Doctors” for real medical advice
💉POLIO VACCINE SUCCESS💉 The use of the polio vaccine has prevented millions of cases of paralysis and death worldwide.
Welp. Get caught up on all your vaccines, folks.
Senator Bill Cassidy just voted to advance illness, disability, and death for the American people. Disgraceful abandonment of your obligations as a doctor and an elected official. The preventable deaths this man will cause are on your hands. www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
Senate panel advances RFK Jr.'s nomination to be health secretary
The Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines to send Kennedy’s bid to lead the Department of Health and Human Services to the full chamber.
nbcnews.com