"The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) manages the .gov top-level domain. We verify the identity of everyone who requests a .gov domain and we make sure that their organization meets the criteria for having a .gov domain."
If a URL does not end with .gov, it isn't an official government site.
Whether, and for how long we can trust government websites is a topic for another time. :=(
The news about the fake CDC website, sponsored by Children's Health Defense (CHD), which was sired by federal Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes my blood boil!
This should not only permanently discredit CHD, I believe it's valid grounds for removing RFK JR from office, despite his request to bring down the site. That simple request to stop spreading lies is not enough: he should repudiate CHD, disinformation-based anti-vaxxers, and by way of mea culpa, resign as a penance for ever having spawned CHD in the first place. As we know from the Samoa measles outbreak, these lies can cost the lives of innocents.
We live in a post-truth global culture. People have been lying since time immemorial, but never before has our access to the truth been so radically encumbered by liars who use The Algorithm to gain a viral audience, with dreams of celebrity and wealth. Their messages rely on ignorance, fear and the thrall of conspiratorial phantasms.
Their messages are all variations of: "You are smarter than everyone else because you believe me. Keep following me and tell your friends. Everyone who disagrees with us is wrong and because you are smart, you will believe and do the exact opposite of what our opponents say."
This is an existentially serious situation. A clear remedy eludes me.
I agree. This false information is also a setup to get people's support for the proposed large government funded study of vaccines and autism proposed by Kennedy. J. Bhattacharya, a health economist is the nominee to head the NIH. While he claimed to be convinced that vaccines don't cause autism he "won't rule out more studies on the issue". This is obviously political statement and could lead to approving wasteful and redundant research when the NIH established research has thrown into chaos by DOGE cutbacks.
As far as I know, the Republican members of the committee have approved this candidate, so he will progress to the full Senate approval process.
In her Substack today, the noted professor and historian, Heather Cox Richardson, began with this: " Fifteen years ago today [March 23, 2010], President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, into law. In addition to making healthcare more affordable, the law eliminated lifetime limits on benefits, prohibits discrimination because of pre-existing conditions, and allows young people to stay on their parents’ health insurance policies until they are 26. In 2024, about 24 million people signed up for Obamacare coverage for 2025, while another 21 million adults were covered by the law’s expansion of Medicaid. The ACA has increased the number of Americans covered by health insurance and slowed the rise of health care costs across the board.
Republicans immediately vowed to get rid of the ACA because they object to government regulation of business, provision of a basic social safety net, and promotion of infrastructure. Such a government, Republicans argue, is essentially socialism: it prohibits individuals’ ability to control their businesses without government interference, and it redistributes wealth from the haves to the have-nots through taxes.
This is a modern-day stance, by the way: it was actually Republican president Theodore Roosevelt who first proposed universal healthcare at the beginning of the twentieth century, and Republican president Dwight Eisenhower who first tried to muscle such a program into being with the help of the new department created under him: the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, which in 1979 became the Department of Health and Human Services. Its declared mission was “improving the health, safety, and well-being of America.” In contrast to their forebears, today’s Republicans do not believe the government has such a role to play."
I’m asking all of us to think about practicing RRDI Rapid Response to DisInformation. If someone believes MMR vaccines are linked to autism I ask them if they think autism is on the rise (answer is usually yes), then I ask about vaccination rates (which are on the decline and now 80% in states like Idaho), then I ask them, if autism is rising and vaccination rates are declining, why autism is still rising? We have to interrupt their thinking. Even if it’s only for just a moment. We need to rehearse. You know they do.
So glad I was able to give you a tool to use. We need more folks sharing their tools. We are not used to dealing with so much shallow thinking. We have to help each other prepare. Knowledge is great but if you can’t use what you know quickly when you have the opportunity that opportunity is squandered. We need to help each other.
I’m also wondering about ACIP, and whether we will have recommendations for updated flu and COVID vaccines in the fall. And if not, what happens then? Will the vaccine companies use other guidance to make updated vaccines, or 🤷🏻♀️. What are some realistic scenarios?
Ohh great questions. ACIP is on again— meeting in mid-April. It’s weird though that flu vaccines are not on the federal registrar as a topic consideration. Manufacturers are going forward with flu vaccines based on WHO recommendations for formula. If flu vaccines are not recommended by CDC, then insurance will likely not cover it. I think it’s a likely scenario that vaccines will be available but for full cost. No word on what’s happening with Covid. There’s a little more time for these, given the mRNA platform.
As far as people being convinced that the MMR doesn't cause autism by a study commissioned by RFK Jr. - anyone remember in 2011 when the Koch Brothers commissioned a study, led by a known global-warming skeptic, David Muller, who concluded that yes, global warming IS man-made? Fox News led that night with a story on McDonald's bringing back a particular hamburger. Muller's back today with an op-ed in the WSJ, but he's being branded "a traitor" and meanwhile the Koch Brothers are funding global-warming denial efforts.
One small typo noted: on your map of public health alerts the abbreviation for the state of Kansas is incorrect. It should be "KS." A small thing, but I fear it resonates too easily with the feelings of many Kansans that "they" (scientists and intellectuals) "don't know anything about us" and "think they are better than us." This contributes to the skepticism of many about public health information. As a transplanted Kansan, I hear plenty of disparaging comments from friends and colleagues elsewhere about living in "fly-over country" and as a psychologist I am acutely aware of how such attitudes fuel the polarization we are experiencing in our country. Calling folks by their right name goes a long way toward engaging their interest. Thanks for everything you do.
The far right has been carefully cultivating illiteracy and innumeracy among Americans for decades precisely so they won't ask conduct thought experiments like that one. Sadly, it seems to be working.
One more comment: I worked in pediatrics in the 80s, when one theory about autism was that it was caused by "cold mothers." This was very hurtful to mothers, including a friend of mine who was devoted to her child. I can understand why people might grasp at any explanation that put the blame elsewhere--and especially on the doctors who were blaming THEM. One thing I'll give the conservatives, they are very good at playing to emotions.
One quick Autism question for future consideration re: looking at statistical "increases" in Autism Diagnosis over time. We now see many Adults who as children were never diagnosed with autism now being diagnosed (or claiming to be). Does previous "Children's prevalence data" get modified to include these adults into the proper DOB categories? Or is it just ignored?
I was born pre 1957, and certainly went to school with children who would likely be diagnosed as "Autistic" if diagnostic tools and definitions had been available. TY
Few acronyms can be broadly interpreted! What is 'YLE nutrition'? Thank you for avoiding use of acronyms whenever possible. This newsletter is SO helpful and SO appreciated otherwise!
20250324: YLE wrote about "...news websites that are actually just organizations MASKING as something else." when what she should have written is "...news websites that are actually just organizations MASQUERADING as something else." Please tell me this is a typo and not an Americanism.
re: the fake CDC site.
Government websites always end in .gov. They do not end in .org, .net, .com or anything else.
eg:
https://www.cdc.gov/
For more details:
https://get.gov/domains/eligibility/
"The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) manages the .gov top-level domain. We verify the identity of everyone who requests a .gov domain and we make sure that their organization meets the criteria for having a .gov domain."
If a URL does not end with .gov, it isn't an official government site.
Whether, and for how long we can trust government websites is a topic for another time. :=(
Thanks Dr. Jetelina!
The news about the fake CDC website, sponsored by Children's Health Defense (CHD), which was sired by federal Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes my blood boil!
This should not only permanently discredit CHD, I believe it's valid grounds for removing RFK JR from office, despite his request to bring down the site. That simple request to stop spreading lies is not enough: he should repudiate CHD, disinformation-based anti-vaxxers, and by way of mea culpa, resign as a penance for ever having spawned CHD in the first place. As we know from the Samoa measles outbreak, these lies can cost the lives of innocents.
We live in a post-truth global culture. People have been lying since time immemorial, but never before has our access to the truth been so radically encumbered by liars who use The Algorithm to gain a viral audience, with dreams of celebrity and wealth. Their messages rely on ignorance, fear and the thrall of conspiratorial phantasms.
Their messages are all variations of: "You are smarter than everyone else because you believe me. Keep following me and tell your friends. Everyone who disagrees with us is wrong and because you are smart, you will believe and do the exact opposite of what our opponents say."
This is an existentially serious situation. A clear remedy eludes me.
I agree. This false information is also a setup to get people's support for the proposed large government funded study of vaccines and autism proposed by Kennedy. J. Bhattacharya, a health economist is the nominee to head the NIH. While he claimed to be convinced that vaccines don't cause autism he "won't rule out more studies on the issue". This is obviously political statement and could lead to approving wasteful and redundant research when the NIH established research has thrown into chaos by DOGE cutbacks.
As far as I know, the Republican members of the committee have approved this candidate, so he will progress to the full Senate approval process.
Kennedy ordered the web page taken down after outcry:
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2025-03-24/kennedy-orders-takedown-of-fake-cdc-vaccine-web-page?fbclid=IwY2xjawJO1pZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHexH4VQJWpIcZOOvh8_vYuS10d_P3V6maFmgEs09T2NqeWH0MYVBomIG5A_aem_lsO4d5pN768bpJDBWAvEKw
In her Substack today, the noted professor and historian, Heather Cox Richardson, began with this: " Fifteen years ago today [March 23, 2010], President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, into law. In addition to making healthcare more affordable, the law eliminated lifetime limits on benefits, prohibits discrimination because of pre-existing conditions, and allows young people to stay on their parents’ health insurance policies until they are 26. In 2024, about 24 million people signed up for Obamacare coverage for 2025, while another 21 million adults were covered by the law’s expansion of Medicaid. The ACA has increased the number of Americans covered by health insurance and slowed the rise of health care costs across the board.
Republicans immediately vowed to get rid of the ACA because they object to government regulation of business, provision of a basic social safety net, and promotion of infrastructure. Such a government, Republicans argue, is essentially socialism: it prohibits individuals’ ability to control their businesses without government interference, and it redistributes wealth from the haves to the have-nots through taxes.
This is a modern-day stance, by the way: it was actually Republican president Theodore Roosevelt who first proposed universal healthcare at the beginning of the twentieth century, and Republican president Dwight Eisenhower who first tried to muscle such a program into being with the help of the new department created under him: the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, which in 1979 became the Department of Health and Human Services. Its declared mission was “improving the health, safety, and well-being of America.” In contrast to their forebears, today’s Republicans do not believe the government has such a role to play."
I’m asking all of us to think about practicing RRDI Rapid Response to DisInformation. If someone believes MMR vaccines are linked to autism I ask them if they think autism is on the rise (answer is usually yes), then I ask about vaccination rates (which are on the decline and now 80% in states like Idaho), then I ask them, if autism is rising and vaccination rates are declining, why autism is still rising? We have to interrupt their thinking. Even if it’s only for just a moment. We need to rehearse. You know they do.
That's a great approach. Thank you for sharing! I'll start using it right away--I work in public health and have daily conversations about vaccines.
So glad I was able to give you a tool to use. We need more folks sharing their tools. We are not used to dealing with so much shallow thinking. We have to help each other prepare. Knowledge is great but if you can’t use what you know quickly when you have the opportunity that opportunity is squandered. We need to help each other.
I’m also wondering about ACIP, and whether we will have recommendations for updated flu and COVID vaccines in the fall. And if not, what happens then? Will the vaccine companies use other guidance to make updated vaccines, or 🤷🏻♀️. What are some realistic scenarios?
Ohh great questions. ACIP is on again— meeting in mid-April. It’s weird though that flu vaccines are not on the federal registrar as a topic consideration. Manufacturers are going forward with flu vaccines based on WHO recommendations for formula. If flu vaccines are not recommended by CDC, then insurance will likely not cover it. I think it’s a likely scenario that vaccines will be available but for full cost. No word on what’s happening with Covid. There’s a little more time for these, given the mRNA platform.
But too late for Novavax?
As far as people being convinced that the MMR doesn't cause autism by a study commissioned by RFK Jr. - anyone remember in 2011 when the Koch Brothers commissioned a study, led by a known global-warming skeptic, David Muller, who concluded that yes, global warming IS man-made? Fox News led that night with a story on McDonald's bringing back a particular hamburger. Muller's back today with an op-ed in the WSJ, but he's being branded "a traitor" and meanwhile the Koch Brothers are funding global-warming denial efforts.
One small typo noted: on your map of public health alerts the abbreviation for the state of Kansas is incorrect. It should be "KS." A small thing, but I fear it resonates too easily with the feelings of many Kansans that "they" (scientists and intellectuals) "don't know anything about us" and "think they are better than us." This contributes to the skepticism of many about public health information. As a transplanted Kansan, I hear plenty of disparaging comments from friends and colleagues elsewhere about living in "fly-over country" and as a psychologist I am acutely aware of how such attitudes fuel the polarization we are experiencing in our country. Calling folks by their right name goes a long way toward engaging their interest. Thanks for everything you do.
Thanks as always, very helpful.
And not even a mention of Covid levels ... which I'm taking as a good sign for those still vulnerable (e.g. immunocompromised).
You and your readers might like this about vaccine risks… https://medium.com/@chuck.connell.3/how-to-think-about-vaccine-safety-1bf97b10bbb8
The far right has been carefully cultivating illiteracy and innumeracy among Americans for decades precisely so they won't ask conduct thought experiments like that one. Sadly, it seems to be working.
ACIP is meeting in 2 weeks--what do you expect?
Moderna/Pfizer are making new Covid vaccines and hope for FDA approval, but CDC approval is questionable
Any news on novavax?
One more comment: I worked in pediatrics in the 80s, when one theory about autism was that it was caused by "cold mothers." This was very hurtful to mothers, including a friend of mine who was devoted to her child. I can understand why people might grasp at any explanation that put the blame elsewhere--and especially on the doctors who were blaming THEM. One thing I'll give the conservatives, they are very good at playing to emotions.
One quick Autism question for future consideration re: looking at statistical "increases" in Autism Diagnosis over time. We now see many Adults who as children were never diagnosed with autism now being diagnosed (or claiming to be). Does previous "Children's prevalence data" get modified to include these adults into the proper DOB categories? Or is it just ignored?
I was born pre 1957, and certainly went to school with children who would likely be diagnosed as "Autistic" if diagnostic tools and definitions had been available. TY
There was a measles case in northern New Mexico that we were warned about. They cannot yet see the link to the cases on our eastern edge of NM.
And also a case in Tennessee wasn’t noted.
https://www.tn.gov/health/news/2025/3/21/tennessee-department-of-health-confirms-1st-measles-case-in-the-state-.html
Few acronyms can be broadly interpreted! What is 'YLE nutrition'? Thank you for avoiding use of acronyms whenever possible. This newsletter is SO helpful and SO appreciated otherwise!
Forgive that. Duh! I'm a recent subscriber and the reference to Your Local Epidemiologist flew right over my head. Need caffeine, I think.
20250324: YLE wrote about "...news websites that are actually just organizations MASKING as something else." when what she should have written is "...news websites that are actually just organizations MASQUERADING as something else." Please tell me this is a typo and not an Americanism.
I get your point and hers. :-)