TWiV 1314: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin April 17, 2026

In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello are dismayed but not surprised by poll results suggesting most Americans doubt vaccine safety, that the head of the CDC and NIH delayed release of a report on the safety of the COVID-19m vaccine, how Nature works to spread disease without the help of the lab and the about face of the Trump administration to nominate a pro-vaccine candidate for CDC director, before Dr. Griffin then deep dives into the measles outbreak, recent statistics RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, how the influenza vaccine may attenuate stroke and acute cardiac disease following virus infection, PEMGARDA authorized use for certain immunocompromised individuals where to find PEMGARDA, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, how the COVID-19 pandemic was a ‘negative’ for one’s mortality where to go for answers about long COVID-19, potential therapies for the pediatric long COVID population and contacting your federal government representative to stop the assault on science and biomedical research.

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Links for this episode

More Americans doubt vaccine safety than trust it, POLITICO Poll finds (Politico)
Top C.D.C. Official Delays Report on Covid Shot’s Effectiveness (NY Times)
Vampire bats in Mexico may feed on CWD-positive deer, spreading disease and posing species-jump threat (CIDRAP)
Emerging risks at the vampire bat–prion interface: implications for wildlife, livestock, and public health (Journal of Mammalogy)
Nine-Valent Human Papillomavirus Vaccination and Related Cancers in Males (JAMA: Oncology)
Trump Administration Eyes Erica Schwartz to Lead CDC (Wall Street Journal)
Trump to Nominate Doctor Who Has Publicly Supported Vaccines as C.D.C. Director (NY Times)
Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan)
Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)
Big outbreak, bright lights…Measles Dashboard (South Carolina Department of Public Health)
Utah measles outbreak response (Utah Department of Health and Human Services)
Utah Measles Dashboard (Utah Department of Health and Human Services)
Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)
Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S. (Johns Hopkins)
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)
Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
Flu vaccine recommendations: Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee March 12, 2026 Meeting Announcement (FDA)
WHO updates all 3 viral strains to be included in fall flu shots(CIDRAP)
FDA vaccine advisers recommend adding subclade K to fall shots(CIDRAP)
Weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView)
Influenza vaccination attenuates acute myocardial infarction and stroke risk following influenza infection: a register-based, self-controlled case series study, Denmark, 2014 to 2025 (Eurosurveillance)
OPTION 2: XOFLUZA $50 Cash Pay Option(xofluza)
RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health)
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respi...