J. Offir, PhD
@joffirphd.bsky.social
Ph.D. in social psychology. Former researcher in pandemic behavioral risk reduction (non-pharma intervention). Healthcare & public health; psych.; ed.; disability rights; women's rights; environmental issues; politics/activism.
🚨Something important I neglected to mention below: when I said, in my *original* 🧵, that "it's not either/or but both & more," I was referring to specific patterns & interactions that may well have a causal component. For ex., when you look a situation where, over a decade, there's less GP... 1/6
J. Offir, PhD@joffirphd.bsky.social · 6h ago🧵 about childhood vaccine uptake in the UK (and the BBC piece I posted earlier, to which some folks took exception.)
🧵 about childhood vaccine uptake in the UK (and the BBC piece I posted earlier, to which some folks took exception.)
J. Offir, PhD@joffirphd.bsky.social · 6h agoThe article says that home services have dropped 45% over the past decade - and the graph they show of declining vax rates covers roughly the same period. That doesn't mean those two things are *necessarily* associated, however, so I read through a few studies this morning to try to get...
">900 people in Washtenaw County, MI, have been sickened with cyclosporiasis since mid-June. Linda Kim, a public health nurse, has called >100 of them. Almost everyone has said the same thing: It’s excruciating, and one of the worst illnesses they’ve experienced." kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...
Nurses Chase Cyclospora, Aided by Interviews, Fast-Food Receipts — And the Messy Details - KFF Health News
Yes, they’ve heard all the poop jokes. Public health staffers are painstakingly tracing the sources of this massive outbreak, combing through fast-food orders and lettuce purchases as they listen to p...
kffhealthnews.org
Thank goodness for courts protecting the environment from the US Environmental Protection Agency. www.huffpost.com/entry/epa-cl...
EPA Cannot Block Billions In Climate Grants, U.S. Appeals Court Rules
The $20 billion in grants were awarded during the Biden administration with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
huffpost.com
Tonight on NBC news, they referred to the cyclosporiasis outbreak as "that illness due to lettuce." 🔹️Not naming it is not informative 🔹️We don't know that it's all due to lettuce Not good coverage, tonight.
"Publicly, Uber proclaims itself to be a company devoted to handling sexual violence in a 'survivor-centric' and 'trauma-informed' way, supporting survivors and treating them with dignity. After years of fielding reports of sexual misconduct, the company... 1/3 www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/b...
Uber’s Strategy for Fighting Sexual Assault Suits: ‘What Were You Wearing?’ (Gift Article)
The ride-hailing giant promised to handle legal claims “in a way that is best for the survivor.” Its lawyers are pursuing a far more aggressive strategy.
nytimes.com
That is seriously messed up. I now have a strange urge to put on a tuxedo and fake mustache and dance in a "wicked" manner down WDW's Main Street USA.
Chris Geidner@chrisgeidner.bsky.social · yesterdayBREAKING: The Eleventh Circuit, en banc, upholds Florida's anti-drag law, holding that it is neither unconstitutionally vague nor unconstitutionally overbroad. More to come at Law Dork: www.lawdork.com
See - not over, friends. And Bhattacharya's CDC is lagging behind, as usual. Cyclosporiasis has been reported in *45* states. 🔹️Missouri "reported a dramatic jump in cases in the past week." The CDC is adding it's 1,095 cases (so far) only now. 🧵1/5 www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
CDC expands largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states
Missouri reported a dramatic jump in cases in the past week. Six states have joined the outbreak linked to lettuce from central Mexico, according to people familiar with the investigation.
washingtonpost.com
From last week: "The group of [more than 100] former health and national security officials warned that Americans will be more vulnerable to infectious disease threats." "They include former health secretaries, directors of health agencies, Pentagon and... 1/2 www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/h...
Former Officials Protest U.S. Plan to Defund Pan American Health Organization (Gift Article)
The group of former health and national security officials warned that Americans will be more vulnerable to infectious disease threats.
nytimes.com
Interesting vax thoughts from the UK: 🔹️The article suggests social media isn't a primary player in GB's falling vax rates. (It sure is in the US, though factors making vaccination more/less likely don't work in isolation: it's not either/or, but both & more.) 🧵1/10 share.google/msNBmvFkjFNr...
The real reason child vaccination rates are falling
As child immunisation rates fall across the UK, one clinic in west Yorkshire is taking aggressive steps to boost immunisations
share.google
Different job; same story. First responders look out for us; our government does not look out for them. (Months ago I read a piece about a young firefighter who completed suicide due to his work-related illness that mirrors this new story, but I can't find it.) 1/2 www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/u...
Rescue Boat Crews Show Signs of Brain Injuries, but Coast Guard Isn’t Looking (Gift Article)
Untreated and undiagnosed, the crews that save lives in the roughest seas face the relentless pounding of waves.
nytimes.com
J. Offir, PhD@joffirphd.bsky.social · 11mo agoAt 24, this firefighter got cancer. Here's why: "Many countries now routinely offer wildfire crews half-face respirator masks. But in the [US], the Forest Service tells its workers not to wear masks on the fire line. The agency says firefighters could... 1/3 www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/u...
Important: What the media leaves out can influence behavior as much or more than the information it provides. People already know being chronically ill increases infection risks. So one should ask: what is the purpose of vague reporting (reassurance?) & who benefits? (No conspiracy theories.)
J. Offir, PhD@joffirphd.bsky.social · 2d ago🚨🚨🧵 Let me elaborate, for folks suggesting it's not a bad thing to report that the 2 cyclospora patients who died had underlying risk factors: 🔹️Whether or not it's a "bad thing" or a "good thing" depends on how it's done. 🔹️Informing people of risk factors for serious infection outcomes is... 1/16
I watch 90 minutes of national news every night. Tonight, I am 53 minutes in, and have just had the realization that my last hour has been spent, almost exclusively, on hearing Bad Things Trump Has Done; Bad Things Trump is Trying to Do; and Bad Things That Are Happening Because of the Trump Admin.
🚨🚨🧵 Let me elaborate, for folks suggesting it's not a bad thing to report that the 2 cyclospora patients who died had underlying risk factors: 🔹️Whether or not it's a "bad thing" or a "good thing" depends on how it's done. 🔹️Informing people of risk factors for serious infection outcomes is... 1/16
J. Offir, PhD@joffirphd.bsky.social · 2d agoThey note "pre-existing conditions," but folks, that's not a better argument now than in 2020. As much as 61% of the US population has pre-existing conditions; 85% of those aged 55 & up. Appropriate framing is that RFK's HHS is responsible for these 2 deaths. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
Oh, swell. Gift 🎁 link, because I can't even go there today. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/u...
Trump Administration Plans to Upend Head Start by Deregulating It (Gift Article)
The White House tried but failed to block funding for preschool for poor children. Instead, it will seek to strip away standards on health, literacy — and brushing teeth.
nytimes.com
They note "pre-existing conditions," but folks, that's not a better argument now than in 2020. As much as 61% of the US population has pre-existing conditions; 85% of those aged 55 & up. Appropriate framing is that RFK's HHS is responsible for these 2 deaths. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
Two cyclospora-related deaths reported in Michigan
The people who died had “significant underlying health conditions” that may have been affected by the illness caused by the microscopic parasite, state health officials said.
washingtonpost.com
Granger, who died of Alzheimer's, was the Texas Republican Rep. who'd been in an assisted-living facility for months (while in office!) before anyone even noticed. Just a reminder, in case folks no longer remember this scandal due to the Mitch McConnell scandal. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...
Kay Granger, Pathbreaking Texas Congresswoman, Dies at 83
She was the first Republican woman from the state to be elected to Congress. It caused a stir in 2024 when she was discovered to be residing in a senior living facility while still in office.
nytimes.com
🚨 Bay area folks: The Exploratorium at Pier 15 in San Francisco is holding mask-required (N95 or KN95) hours for their exhibit Life in Space, from 9-11am on Sat., Aug 22. It should be more hrs & the whole museum, @exploratorium.bsky.social, & you should post the event on your accessibility... 1/3
We've done a virus, a parasite, and next up.... (Also, gosh, Michigan is having a rough time of things.) thehill.com/policy/healt...
Superbug confirmed in 23 states: Where is the deadly fungus spreading in 2026?
The drug-resistant and deadly fungus Candida auris has proven hard to stamp out in 2026. Despite efforts to contain its spread, the fungus is once again on the move, new data from the Centers for D…
thehill.com
Gift 🎁 link: ovarian cancer Removing the fallopian tubes can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer by 80% - wow. (And the 20% of ovarian cancer that doesn't start there is less deadly.) Informative piece: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/h...
Most ‘Ovarian Cancer’ Isn’t. And That Fact Can Save Lives. (Gift Article)
The vast majority of cases begin in the fallopian tubes — and removing them can reduce the risk by nearly 80 percent.
nytimes.com
The long version is not more pleasant: www.politico.com/news/2026/08...
RFK Jr. tells CNN host that constitutional rights take priority over public health
In a heated interview with Dana Bash, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attacked Anthony Fauci and the media.
politico.com
J. Offir, PhD@joffirphd.bsky.social · 3d agoOh my holy f**. Apologies for my language, but, I mean, *really.* Kennedy is *definitely* like a character in the Stephen King story where the whole world breaths in a chemical that makes them completely senile, & then everything just ends.
Lol. "After a spate of bad polls earlier this summer,...Trump simply declared that they were not true. “MY REAL POLL NUMBERS ARE THE HIGHEST THEY HAVE EVER BEEN,” he wrote on social media, using capital letters as if they would shout away any contrary data." 🎁 link www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/u...
Trump’s Polling Numbers Hit a New Low. Don’t Expect Him to Change Course. (Gift Article)
Barely a third of Americans approve of Mr. Trump’s handling of the job, putting him at historic depths for a second-term president at this stage of his tenure.
nytimes.com
Gift 🎁 link, because it's an interesting essay. (One note: the reason Henry VIII couldn't consumate his marriage to Anne of Cleves was not b/c Holbein's portrait was overly flattering. It was accurate, but he was an impotent narcissist & she'd hurt his feelings.) www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/o...
Opinion | All This Staring at Our Faces Is Messing With Our Heads (Gift Article)
Staring at ourselves on screens, on video and on social media is taking us to a dark place.
nytimes.com
"[Rand] Paul and other Republicans say newly obtained records have raised fresh questions about Fauci's conduct." Except they don't. The GOP wants to prosecute him & "hold Fauci accountable for students' learning loss, workers' lost jobs and other... 1/2 www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
The intense pressure facing Fauci, as GOP lawmakers push for his jailing
The 85-year-old doctor, once the head of the government’s covid response, now faces mounting congressional threats and legal risks.
washingtonpost.com
Oh my holy f**. Apologies for my language, but, I mean, *really.* Kennedy is *definitely* like a character in the Stephen King story where the whole world breaths in a chemical that makes them completely senile, & then everything just ends.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 3d agoBASH: How do you prepare for next pandemic? RFK Jr: We did almost everything wrong B: But what about now? K: We need to protect our rights B: ? K: During covid we dismantled our rights B: But I'm asking what *to* do K: You were part of the problem B: You want to sit here and attack me?
Two drivers of risk behavior during the cyclosporiasis outbreak:
J. Offir, PhD@joffirphd.bsky.social · 3d ago4/ a lot of the arguments reported by Taco Bell were fueled by the fact that both the threat & the timeline are full of ambiguity. If people had been told "Don't eat lettuce for two weeks," many more people would likely have complied. But two facts: 🔹️that you could stop eating lettuce yet still...
Interesting thread on risk assessment. 🥬
J. Offir, PhD@joffirphd.bsky.social · 3d agoPsych 🧵: Risk assessment: Folks are scarfing down Taco Bell. Regardless of how safe/unsafe eating at Taco Bell might be rn, people don't seem to be making their risk assessments in ways that make great sense. (This is par for the course, for humans). 1/19 www.washingtonpost.com/food/2026/07...
