Gee, it's a mystery! If you're an idiot.
As tuberculosis cases rise in the US and worldwide, health officials puzzle over the resurgence of a disease once in decline
https://www.alternet.org/tuberculosis-2671337939/
#JaredWesley: "Social norms have shifted ... in favour of collective #responsibility over individual #autonomy. #DEI policies, environmental #regulations, and #publichealth measures have introduced new expectations in workplaces, schools, and elsewhere. Vocal minorities have resisted...
"The Wild West notion that one should be free to speak and act without external constraints is now met with counterarguments about the responsibilities that come with that #freedom."
#covid #CovidTests #CovidTesting #PublicHealth
'The government recently shut down the program that would mail four free COVID tests to anyone who requested them, but a lesser-known program for community groups is still running. If you have a plan to distribute tests for free, you can request them by the hundreds. '
https://lifehacker.com/health/how-to-get-free-covid-tests-in-bulk-for-your-community?utm_medium=RSS
This #LongCovidAwarenessDay I’m reflecting on how many people have been let down by governments, public health & medical establishments
How Covid has been downplayed, airborne spread ignored & vaxx and relax strategies pushed for the sake of capitalism
How many have Long Covid because of this?
Those of us who were disabled before the pandemic could see this wave of chronic illness coming - and many of us have been screaming from the top of our lungs the last 5 years.
Begging people not to take their health for granted & to wear a mask and protect themselves.
Warning them that there are no do-overs once you become chronically ill. Unfortunately very few people are listening - and many won’t understand the true devastation of #LongCovid until it directly impacts them. At which point it’ll be too late.
Despite seeing these waves of disability as an inevitable consequence of “let er rip” Covid strategy - one thing I did not see coming was how many people would willingly embrace not only ableism - but full on eugenics.
People in my own life who were previously kind & supportive have become cruel and angry. The masks have been ripped off. They don’t hesitate to tell me that they blame me for the restrictions placed on them in the early days of Covid.
That they will never again allow their freedoms to be infringed on in the name of protecting the vulnerable. One even went as far as to say “you’ve been sick for years - just die already.”
People who say these things don’t understand what disabled ppl understand all too well - your health is not a permanent state.
Everyone will become disabled eventually - some earlier than others. Many who think they’re invulnerable are already vulnerable and don’t even know it
Yet rather than adapting behaviour and pushing for a new normal that makes the world safe for everyone - most temporarily abled people have instead doubled down on hateful eugenics talking points and want us to stay home forever (or worse - die). It needs to stop.
Covid is airborne and we all share the air. “You do you” individualism is quite literally killing people. We need to start caring about the air we share as this will lead to a healthier society for everyone.
Until then we need to mask up. It’s easy, incredibly effective & it might save someone’s life. At the very least you will know you didn’t contribute to another person’s suffering - and you will be drastically reducing your own odds of getting Long Covid. It’s worth it.
https://www.disabledginger.com/p/i-dont-know-anyone-with-long-covid
"Instead, experts from within the FDA, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Defense gathered Thursday to go over surveillance data from the US and around the world about flu viruses that are currently circulating.
The FDA is recommending that flu vaccines for the 2025-26 season be trivalent, protecting against two strains of influenza A and one of influenza B."
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/13/health/fda-flu-vaccine-recommendations/index.html
On this Long COVID Awareness Day, my thoughts go out to the millions who have been directly affected, or care for someone who has.
Hope you all have someone to lean on in these particularly difficult times, something that still brings you joy.
Hang in there, we're all in this together! 
I get confused about extra infections diseases and I am very grateful to epidemiologists, or doctors who are interested in epidemiology who can explain multiple ways of how, for example measles vaccine works, who needs them and more interesting information if I want more. Here's a very helpful post by Dr Katelyn Jetelina, Your Local Epidemiologist about MMR, boosters, etc.
#measles #vaccines #publichealth #boosters
https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/10-faqs-on-mmr-and-measles-protection?r=ct3l&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
I’m going on my very first cruise in a week to celebrate my 40th birthday. I’m quite anxious because I don’t know what to expect, I want to try this experience, especially since my brother wants to share it with me, but I have a lot of conflicted feelings re: borders, movement of people, the environment, etc., etc. etc. I’m also a little afraid of getting sick so I got my latest Covid vaccination just today. Hope I am doing my part to keep society well ha ha ha. #science #publichealth
Paul Ehrlich, born OTD in 1854, was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1908 for his work in #immunology https://toilet-guru.com/blog/49.html?s=mb #PublicHealth #history
"Still, 'the majority of use is not necessary to improve or maintain health,' and due to only light regulations, supplement makers may make claims about their benefits without sufficient evidence, Cohen said. 'No supplement needs to get tested or vetted by the FDA before it’s sold.'"
Measles is unlike other viruses: What to know about long-term complications.
From NBC News: "The virus targets certain types of immune cells in the body, destroying them in the process."
Did Trump allow 500K Americans to die for political gain?
When data showed COVID killed more Black & Hispanic people, the strategy shifted overnight.
Watch this shocking analysis of how racism may have shaped pandemic policies. https://youtu.be/OPGLXTaQ3K0
But he would have made such an excellent and selfless public servant.
_______________________
“It is a shock, but, you know, in some ways, it’s relief,” Dr. Weldon said. “Government jobs demand a lot of you, and if God doesn’t want me in it, I’m fine with that.”
“I’m going to get on an airplane at 11 o’clock and I’m going to go home and I’m going to see patients on Monday,” Dr. Weldon said. “I’ll make much more money staying in my medical practice.”
#CDC #PublicHealth #RFKjr #USPol #GiftArticle
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/health/cdc-weldon-confirmation-hearing.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3k4.Yf_k.YN3Q_upVvyVh&smid=url-share
"The cuts in those two divisions mean there will be far fewer staff members to finish the 12,000 pending federal investigations into allegations of civil rights violations at schools — roughly half of which involve disability issues — and fewer employees to review and distribute government-funded research into effective ways to educate children with autism or severe intellectual disabilities."
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/education-department-layoffs-students-disabilities-rcna196114
COVID's legacy: Public health's diminished power
COVID-19 put public health officials on the front lines against a once-in-a-lifetime threat. It's left them with less power and resources to respond to future emergencies.
#COVID #publichealth
https://www.axios.com/2025/03/10/covid-19-legacy-public-health-reduced-power
I don't think Americans are going to eat their way to good health with beef tallow french fries. I could be wrong.
"He asked three local churches if he could set up a mobile testing site on their property. They all refused...His team did create a drive-up testing site at a county events building next to the city park, and not far from the Masonic lodge. But he said that it gets very few visitors—about two or three a day. As a result, no one really knows the outbreak’s total size."
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/03/texas-measles-outbreak-death-family/681985/
German spy agency believed CoVid-19 likely started in a laboratory in Wuhan.
The widely accepted theory is that Covid-19 emerged in bats and then jumped to humans, most likely through another animal, or "intermediary host."
As time worn on, scientists have not found a virus in either bats or another animal that matches the genetic make-up of Covid-19, leading some to doubt the theory.
#Pandemic #CoVid19 #Asian #Health #Virus #PublicHealth #SARSCov2
Do hold your breath: administration unveils sweeping environment rollbacks.
https://phys.org/news/2025-03-trump-administration-unveils-environment-rollbacks.html
#EPA #pollution #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #USpol #USpolitics #PublicHealth #AirQuality
