TWiV 1198: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

Mar 8, 2025

Join Dr. Daniel Griffin, a physician specializing in infectious diseases, as he shares crucial insights into current health crises. He discusses the devastating impact of reduced US foreign aid on the Ebola outbreak in Uganda. The conversation also delves into the alarming resurgence of measles in the US, sparked by misinformation and vaccination hesitancy. Dr. Griffin examines the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, and highlights innovative wastewater testing for tracking viral trends. Plus, he offers guidance on long COVID interventions!

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ANECDOTE

Ebola in Uganda

A 4-year-old in Kampala, Uganda died from the Sudan Ebola virus.
His mother and younger sibling also died, and a new cluster of cases emerged in other districts.

INSIGHT

Impact of US Foreign Aid Cuts

The Trump administration cancelled USAID contracts supporting Ebola outbreak management in Uganda.
This halted airport screening and other preventative measures, raising concerns.

ADVICE

Measles Vaccine Advice

Get the measles vaccine; it is a safe and effective way to prevent measles.
Do not rely on misinformation spread for personal profit.

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In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin with Vincent Racaniello deliberate the effect of the absence of US foreign aid on the Ebola outbreak in Uganda and death of two children, continued use of nOPV2 in Gaza and the utter failure of type 2 poliovirus removal from the oral poliovirus vaccine, growing measles outbreak in the US including the death of a second child, measles infection parties, the use of fat soluble vitamin A and fish liver oil as anti-viral therapies as well as the history and proven safety of the measles vaccine before Dr. Griffin reviews recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the WasterwaterScan dashboard, where to find PEMGARDA, what happens when antiviral therapy is delayed, provides information for Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s long COVID treatment center, and where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, long COVID interventions.

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Links for this episode

African region: outbreaks and other emergencies(WHO Bitstream)
US withdrawal……death of 4 year old children from Ebola (CIDRAP)
Science and health writer Apoorva Mandavilli (NY Times)
US foreign aid pullback……death of 4 year old in Uganda (NY Times)
Another Ebola death reported in Kampala (Monitor)
African region: outbreaks and other emergencies(WHO Bitstream)
More than 600,000 doses of nOPV2 in Gaza last week (GPEI)
Utter failure of the global withdrawal of the Sabin oral poliovirus type 2 vaccine 2016 (Science)
Measles 159 in Texas…. (Texas Health and Human Services)
Second child dies in the growing measles outbreak (Washington Post)
2025 Measles outbreak guidance (New Mexico Health)
Lea county resident tests positive for measles after death (New Mexico Health)
Robert F Kennedy Jr article series (The Guardian)
Kennedy Jr backtracks and says US measles outbreak is now a ‘top priority’ for health department (The Guardian)
RFK Jr. Says Ending Measles Outbreak Is Priority (Wall Street Journal)
RFK Jr. Sparks Anti-Vaxxer Anger: ‘No Different Than Fauci’ (Newsweek)
Amid West Texas measles outbreak, vaccine resistance hardens (Washington Post)
How to protect your children during a measles outbreak (healthychildren.org)
Measles vaccination protects against virus infection and other infections (Science)
MEASLES (WHO)
C.D.C. Sends ‘Disease Detectives’ to Texas for Measles Outbreak(NY Times)
Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical, virologic and immunologic fffects of vaccine in institutionalized children(NEJM)
Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical and antigenic effects of vaccine in institutionalized children (NEJM)
Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — administration of vaccine by several routes (NEJM)
Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical, antigenic and prophylactic effects of vaccine in institutionalized and home-dwelling children(NEJM)
Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical, antigenic and prophylactic effects of vaccine in institutionalized children(NEJM)
Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — clinical, antigenic and prophylactic effects of vaccine in home-dwelling children (NEJM)
Studies on an attenuated measles-virus vaccine — general summary and evaluation of the results of vaccination(NEJM)
Cooperative measles vaccine field trial (Pediatrics)
A collaborative study of measles vaccines in five united states communities (American Journal of Public Health)
A field trial of inactivated measles virus vaccine in young school children(JAMA Network)
Prevention of natural and experimental measles with the vaccine(JAMA Network)
A field trial in young school children(JAMA Network)
Measles vaccination before the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (American Journal of Public Health)
The status of measles vaccines (Journal of the National Medical Association)
Measles, mumps, and rubella (mmr) vaccination: what everyone should know (CDC Vaccines & Immunizations)
Clinical review memo- measles, mumps, rubella (FDA)
History of the measles vaccine (WHO)
Vitamin A and the measles (Yahoo! News)
As measles spreads, Kennedy embraces remedies like cod liver oil (NY Times)
Parents are holding ‘measles parties’ in the U.S., alarming healthexperts(Global News)
Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
Weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView)
RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
Weekly US influenza surveillance report (CDC FluView)
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)
COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
Interim estimates of 2024–2025 covid-19 vaccine effectiveness among adults aged ≥18 years — vision and ivy networks, September 2024–January 2025 (CDC MMWR)
Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda)
EUA for the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)
Fusion center (Prime Fusions)
CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)
NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)
Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
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)
When your healthcare provider is infected/exposed with SARS-CoV-2 (CDC)
Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC)
Steroids, dexamethasone at the right time (OFID)
Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org)
Effect of early and delayed treatment with remdesivir on mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (OFID)
Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID)
Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center) The answers: Long COVID
Letters read on TWiV 1198
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.