FDA scrutiny and RSV therapy safety challenges

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello discuss the rise in norovirus infections, contamination of infant formula and botulism outbreak, confusion and response to the CDC’s ACIP decision to reverse the recommendation for a birth dose of the hepatis B virus vaccine and how states in the Northwest and Northeast are responding as well as some insurance companies, then deep dives into recent statistics on the measles epidemic, RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, South Carolina’s imposed quarantine of individuals due to their accelerated measles outbreak, neurotropism of H1N1, benefits of the RSV and COVID vaccines, where to find PEMGARDA, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, and contacting your federal government representative to stop the assault on science and biomedical research.

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• Norovirus season! (Wastewater Scan)
• Outbreak Investigation of Infant Botulism: Infant Formula (November 2025) (FDA: Foodborne illnesses)
• Botulism outbreak sickens more than 50 babies and expands to all ByHeart products (AP News)
• CDC advisers drop decades-old universal hepatitis B birth dose recommendation, suggest blood testing after 1 dose (CIDRAP)
• Health and Economic Benefits of Routine Childhood Immunizations in the Era of the Vaccines for Children Program — United States, 1994–2023 (CDC: MMWR)
• Universal Hepatitis B vaccination at birth: safety, effectiveness and public health impact (CIDRAP)
• Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule for Ages 18 years or younger (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• West Coast health experts reject RFK Jr. panel, say hepatitis B vaccines at birth should continue (The Oregonian)
• Statement from the Northeast Public Health Collaborative In Response to ACIP’s Hepatitis B Vote (NJ.Gov Health)
• Governors Denounce ACIP Recommendation on Hepatitis B Vaccination, Reaffirm Commitment to Strong, Evidence-Based Childhood Vaccination Programs (Governors Public Health Alliance)
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield Companies Statement on Vaccines (Blue Cross Blue Shield)
• AHIPStatement on Vaccine Coverage (AHIP)
• Pediatricians reject CDC advisers’ guidance, plan to continue vaccinating all newborns against hepatitis B (CIDRAP)
• Survey: Social media on par with CDC as trusted vaccine source (Healio)
• FDA to investigate whether adult deaths linked to COVID vaccine (Washington Post)
• Exclusive: US FDA launches fresh safety scrutiny of approved RSV therapies for infants (Reuters)
• Marburg Outbreak in Ethiopia: Current Situation (CDC: Marburg Virus Disease)
• Contemporary highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) viruses retain neurotropism in human cerebral organoids (OFID)
• Confirmations of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial and Backyard Flocks (USDA: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service)
• Indiana, cases of New World screwworm in Mexico, rising US flu activity
• (CIDRAP)
• Mexico reports 92 cases of myiasis in humans caused by screwworm (Expreso.press)
• Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan)
• Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)
• Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S. (Johns Hopkins)
• Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)
• Weekly measles and rubella monitoring (Government of Canada)
• Measles (WHO)
• Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health)
• Measles (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
• Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
• Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC)
• Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC)
• Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality (NLM)
• Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts(ISDA: Infectious Diseases Society of America)
• Deaths following vaccination: what does the evidence show (Vaccine)
• Hundreds quarantined as South Carolina measles outbreak accelerates (Washington Post)
• Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• USrespiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• Weekly surveillance report: clift notes (CDC FluView)
• ACIP Recommendations Summary (CDC: Influenza)
• Types of Influenza Viruses (CDC: Influenza (flu))
• Influenza Vaccine Composition for the 2025-2026 U.S. Influenza Season (FDA)
• RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health)
• USrespiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
• RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
• Intensive Care Unit Stay and Mechanical Ventilation Among Adults with Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Related Hospitalization by Age and Comorbidity Status (Infectious Diseases and Therapy)
• Cardiovascular Events 1 Year After Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Adults (JAMA: Open Network)
• Long-Term Illness in Adults Hospitalized for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease, United States, February 2022–September 2023 (CDC: Emerging Infectious Diseases)
• Vaccines for Adults (CDC: Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV))
• Effectiveness of the maternal RSVpreF vaccine against severe disease in infants in Scotland, UK: a national, population-based case–control study and cohort analysis (LANCET: Infectious Diseases)
• Effectiveness of Nirsevimab in Preventing Respiratory Syncytial Virus-related Burden: A Test-negative Case-control Study in Infants With Bronchiolitis in Lombardy Region, Italy (The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal)
• Economic Analysis of Protein Subunit and mRNA RSV Vaccination in Adults aged 50-59 Years (CDC: ACIP)
• Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes After Respiratory Syncytial Virus Prefusion F Protein Vaccination During Pregnancy (Obstetrics & Gynecology)
• Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
• COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
• Respiratory Illnesses Data Channel (CDC: Respiratory Illnesses)
• COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)
• COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
• SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
• Antigenic and Virological Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 Variant BA.3.2, XFG, and NB.1.8.1 (bioRxiV)
• COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination and 4-Year All-Cause Mortality Among Adults Aged 18 to 59 Years in France (JAMA: Open Network)
• Two-year prognosis of mRNA vaccine-related myocarditis compared with historical conventional myocarditis: a population-based cohort study (CMI: Clinical Microbiology and Infection)
• Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda)
• EUAfor the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)
• Infusion center (Prime Fusions)
• CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)
• NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)
• Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
• Help your eligible patients access PAXLOVID with the PAXCESS Patient Support Program (Pfizer Pro)
• UnderstandingCoverageOptions (PAXCESS)
• Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)
• Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV)
• Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society)
• What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC)
• Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC)
• Anticoagulationguidelines (hematology.org)
• Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID)
• Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center)
• The answers: Long COVID Reaching out to US house representative
• Letters read on TWiV 1278
• Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf)
• Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.