Megan Culler Freeman MD, PhD
@mcfreeid.bsky.social
virologist, peds ID doc, musical theatre enthusiast, y’all-er in yinzburgh. Product of UKy, Vandy MSTP, CHP PedSTP. #IDsky #lovevirology mcfreelab.org
Current measles situation… One month into 2026 (left column) we are at 26% of total cases. Cases continue to be overwhelmingly in un- or under- vaccinated children (who are reliant on adults to protect them with vaccination). #IDSky
Measles outbreak at ICE detention center housing families in TX… www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-dil... #IDSky
ICE halts "all movement" at Texas detention facility due to measles infections
The measles cases at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center were detected Friday, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to CBS News.
cbsnews.com
Today is the last day to submit an abstract to ASV 2026! www.asv.org/abstract-sub...
Abstract Submission
asv.org
abc7news.com/post/tubercu... #IDSky
Tuberculosis outbreak at San Francisco high school halts in-person classes
Reminiscent of the COVID-era, some students at Riordan High School in San Francisco may be forced to stay at home for weeks as the school works with health leaders to contain a tuberculosis outbreak w...
abc7news.com
Given the current situation, it’s really important to know that a person can get the MMR vaccine for up to three days *after* exposure. This may help reduce the severity of the infection if not ward it off completely, but only for those in whom it’s not contraindicated. (1/2).
3 unvaccinated children test positive for measles in Snohomish County, WA. Snohomish abuts King County (Seattle) to the north. doh.wa.gov/newsroom/was... #IDSky
Washington confirms its first measles outbreak since 2023
The outbreak includes three children in Snohomish County. Additionally, one individual in Kittitas County has tested positive for measles. DOH urges vaccination as measles surges nationally OLYMPIA – ...
doh.wa.gov
Oh cool! There's tons of evidence showing the newborn RSV shots cut hospitalization by ~80% in the first season. But this shows a major benefit persists in the second year, too.
The NIRSE-GAL study looking at real world impact of nirsevimab in infants in Spain. Of 12 492 eligible infants, 94·4% received immunization. RSV-related LRTI hospitalisations decreased by 85·9% in the 1st season and 55·3% in the 2nd. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... #IDSky
The CDC changed the universal vaccine schedule & no longer recommends Rotavirus Hepatitis A & B Meningitis Influenza RSV I’ve cared for previously healthy kids who died from RSV, influenza and meningitis. We all are going to be caring for a lot more now. In our already overflowing hospitals
Viewpoint: The myth of an over-vaccinated America: The US DOES follow global consensus; Denmark stands out, choosing to protect its children less - which may work in a small, homogenous country with universal healthcare, but not in others. www.cidrap.umn.edu/vaccine-inte... @cidrap.bsky.social
Viewpoint: The myth of an over-vaccinated America: The US DOES follow global consensus
cidrap.umn.edu
I’m starting to think we should do a #medEd series on ‘recognizing vaccine preventable illnesses’. Anyone interested in coorganizing? #idsky #pedsid @pidsociety.bsky.social @febrilepodcast.com @idsainfo.bsky.social
South Carolina now has 156 measles cases, as states see highest activity in 30 years Utah also reported six new cases. www.cidrap.umn.edu/s...
There's a lot of focus right now on a person's right to choose whether to be vaccinated. But the risks falling vaccination rates pose to individuals — especially young babies, the elderly & the immunocompromised — need to be part of that discussion. www.statnews.com/2025/12/23/v...
4 questions to understand the costs of ‘medical freedom’
The choice that one person makes not to vaccinate has real costs — financial and otherwise — for their neighbors.
statnews.com
Last weekend #USDA announced that Wisconsin had detected #H5N1 #birdflu in a dairy cow herd. Today the agency revealed that genetic analysis of virus from the herd shows this event was the result of a new spillover from "wildlife." www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-...
Update: Genetic Sequencing Results for Wisconsin Dairy Herd Detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza | Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Contact: aphispress@usda.gov
aphis.usda.gov
FDA approval 📢🔥 US FDA approved Nuzolvence (zoliflodacin) granules that dissolve in water. This medicine can treat uncomplicated urogenital gonorrhea in adults and children 12 years and older who weigh at least 77 pounds. 2 new oral Abx for gonorrhea #idsky gepotidacin www.fda.gov/news-events/...
FDA Approves Two Oral Therapies to Treat Gonorrhea
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved two new oral medicines to treat a common sexually transmitted infection called gonorrhea.
fda.gov
"About 25% of children who develop chronic hepatitis B will die of their infection." --Dr. Andrew Pavia, pediatric infectious disease specialist, professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Utah, and spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America
A picture is worth a 1000 words. The birth dose of hepatitis B vaccines in the USA eliminated perinatally acquired hepatitis B infection from over 20,000 cases a year before the vaccine was introduced to <20 cases a year. The gaslighting by the current members ACIP is obscene, unethical and cruel.
The #ACIP meets tomorrow to assault on vaccines that protect children. They will be debating the birth dose of the hep B vaccine. I wrote about this previously but we cannot say it enough stopping the birth dose is unethical given the many benefits. bktitanji.substack.com/p/the-hepati...
The Hepatitis B Vaccine: Why the Birth Dose Matters and Why We Must Defend It
Defending science, saving newborn lives, and keeping the world on track to end Hepatitis B
bktitanji.substack.com
CIDRAP’s Vaccine Integrity Project has released a major evidence review: 400+ studies/reports, 40 years of data—and the conclusion is unmistakable. There is no evidence supporting a delay in the hepatitis B birth dose. Full report: www.cidrap.umn.edu/vaccine-inte...
Vaccine Integrity Project - Hepatitis B
cidrap.umn.edu
Excited to be a part of this inaugural class! 🎉 My very first paper was in #JVirology and I’ve been a fan ever since. 🦠
🎉 #JVirology is pleased to announce the selectees for our inaugural New Voices in Virology collection! Chosen from 275+ applicants, these early-career scientists stood out for their creative proposals & strong career trajectories. ➡️ Meet the New Voices: asm.social/2HY
I couldn’t WAIT to get nirsevimab for my baby. He barely noticed when RSV circulated in his class. It was amazing. Starkly different from when my older child had RSV as an infant and nearly needed to go to the hospital.
"In this multicenter case-control investigation, nirsevimab was 80% effective at preventing RSV-associated ICU admission and 83% effective at preventing acute respiratory failure" More good news about RSV prevention - #IDSky + #MedSky. www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes...
“Since 1998, independent researchers have conducted more than 40 high-quality studies involving over 5.6 million people. The conclusion is clear and unambiguous: There’s no link between vaccines and autism." -Dr. Susan Kressly, AAP President on recent changes to the CDC's website
Honored to be selected for @socpedresearch.bsky.social and always looking forward to what my team will do next. 🦠
Congrats to Megan Freeman, Kelsey Schweiberger, and Vikram Raghu for their recent elections to the Society for Pediatric Research! Read more about it on our newsfeed here: www.pediatrics.pitt.edu/news/three-n... @news.upmc.com @pittdeptofmed.bsky.social @socpedresearch.bsky.social
You can never be sorry enough for dropping the “h” at the end of Pittsburgh. That h really classes up the name, you know, makes it sound like the home of a Scottish Laird n’at. Cheers to Raleig for owning this treachery.
Six Pasteur scientists win 2025 L’Oréal-UNESCO Young Talents! 🌟 Yolène: Caribbean plants vs dengue mozzies; Leah: gastruloid biophysics; Marion: cancer immunotherapy; Eulalie: menstruation genetics; Sabrina: fixing hearing nerve; Marie: TB & sarcoid immunity. #WomenInScience
🧪A good perspective. Mothers from the 1950s, who saw how polio affected children's lives would like a word. For every $ spent on the MMR vaccine, the healthcare system saves $13. Now, The direct medical costs of a measles case is $1793. This translates to $~1.79B/yr for Americans.
RFK Jr. says vaccines don’t save lives. He’s wrong
Now RFK Jr. is claiming vaccines don’t actually save lives. Here’s the math to show what he gets wrong.
statnews.com
Job alert ‼️ UChicago Micro is hiring! Open to tenured/tenure track faculty at all levels in any area of microbiology. Come join our amazing and growing department. apply.interfolio.com/174404
We Are Not Going to ‘Solve’ Autism. And That’s OK. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o... A beautiful piece by an anthropologist and father of a daughter with autism. “Good science takes years, not months.”
Opinion | We Are Not Going to ‘Solve’ Autism. And That’s OK.
nytimes.com