Monday, October 19, 2026

France Riots: They're Not "Peaceful Protests"

Stop pretending the French riots are anything but an attack on civilization

New York Post Editorial Board,  10/18/26:

"France is seeing its worst riots in decades — violence clearly aimed not simply at the ruling party, but at France itself — and the left-liberal establishment is still trying to blame a few bad apples.

"That’s true not just of President Emmanuel Macron, but of global media that claim it’s mainly about student grievances over budget cuts — at least one BBC article actually used the phrase “mostly peaceful protests.”

"This is nonsense: The street mobs haven’t been just (or even mostly) kids for weeks now, and the vandalism began in the first days; it was last month that “protesters” set a teacher on fire.

"Foreign flags (Morocco, Algeria, “Palestine”) came out at the start; the crowds are mostly blacks and Arabs — overwhelmingly from Muslim immigrant communities, in other words.

"And the political statements are obvious: Burning down historic town halls; smashing a statue of Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic.

"Synagogues ransacked and other targeting of Jews. 

"Liberty isn’t leading these people, but a hatred for Western civilization itself.

"Leaders of that civilization who still insist on denial will either find themselves as former leaders, or 'leading' a former civilization."

What Happens When You Get COVID Multiple Times

This is an excellent article. Thankfully, I have managed to remain COVID-free through masking, avoiding crowds, and vaccinations. I'm immunocompromised, so I dread the thought of ever getting COVID.

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How Bad Is Another Case of Covid?

Repeated infections are “a fact of life” at this point, experts say. But they warn there is no such thing as a risk-free case.

By Dani Blum, New York Times, 10-19-26

"Covid has been around long enough that the once wildly unpredictable virus has finally settled into a few recognizable patterns.

"Cases normally rise in the late fall and winter, so repeated infections seem inevitable in the coming months. “Reinfection is more or less a fact of life, with an asterisk,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a senior clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St. Louis who studies Covid. “The asterisk here is that we tend to trivialize this.”

"And people who have already been sick with the virus three, or five or seven times may think they know what’s in store should they test positive again: a cough, an aching throat, full-body fatigue or other common symptoms.

"But repeated Covid infections can take a toll, he and other researchers said.

"Covid infections have generally become milder as the virus has mutated and new variants have circulated. Additionally, scientists suspect that the more times you’ve been exposed to Covid — whether through infections or vaccination — the better your immune system becomes at recognizing and responding to the virus.

"On average, the risk of getting seriously sick from an infection — whether it’s your first or your fifth — has significantly declined, Dr. Al-Aly said.

"But, he added, that does not mean an infection is inconsequential. There’s no such thing as a risk-free case, experts said.

“It doesn’t really mean it’s a nothing burger,” he said. “It doesn’t really mean that people should forgo vaccination or not really care about it. It doesn’t really mean they shouldn’t stay at home when they are sick.”

"The virus remains especially dangerous for people with compromised immune systems, those with underlying conditions like diabetes or heart disease, pregnant women and people over 65.

"With repeated infections, the virus can set off symptoms before enough viral load builds up to turn a rapid test positive. As a result, people who test for Covid too early may have a false negative result. Doctors recommend taking a second test 48 hours later.

"Scientists are split on whether your first bout with Covid predicts how you’ll fare the next time. A pivotal study, published in 2024 in the journal Communications Medicine, examined electronic health records from more than 200,000 people who were first infected between 2020 and 2022, and then infected again before the spring of 2023. The paper found that people who were hospitalized during their first infection were likely to have a bad case of Covid the next time. People with mild first infections tended to have another mild bout, the study found.

"But it’s been challenging to find more recent health record data that examines cases of reinfection with the latest variants of the virus, said Richard Moffitt, a researcher at Emory University, who was an author on the 2024 report.

“How many times have you gotten Covid, and then how many times, of those, does your doctor know about?” he said. “The surveillance as far as how many people getting Covid end up in the medical system has really plummeted.”

"Researchers do know that the severity of a case, as well as the symptoms, can vary from one infection to the next. A person who was asymptomatic during one Covid infection could develop a sore throat and cough the next. Someone who had cold symptoms during a first infection could have an upset stomach as part of another bout.

“Every infection is a chance at something going wrong,” Dr. Moffitt said.

"Doctors tend to be more concerned about the chance that someone will develop long Covid from repeated infections than they are that a person will get very sick in the acute phase of the illness. Covid can cause long-term damage to nearly every part of the body and repeated cases can compound those harms.

"A number of studies have shown that each time someone contracts Covid introduces an opportunity to develop long-term symptoms. Researchers often compare it to Russian roulette: Any infection could be the one that leads to long Covid.

“Every time there’s a wave, there’s another wave that’s going to follow with patients developing new onset long Covid,” said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University.

"Some researchers think that reinfections are part of why the number of people with long Covid has plateaued. Even though some people have recovered from their long-term symptoms, there’s continually a new influx of patients developing the condition, said Dr. Danny Altmann, a professor of immunology at Imperial College London. And if someone already has long Covid and then contracts the virus again, that patient risks experiencing more severe symptoms.

"Doctors said that the possible harms of repeated infections are significant enough that people should take precautions, like getting vaccinated and masking when traveling or in crowded areas.

"At this stage of dealing with the virus, we’re not “helpless,” Dr. Iwasaki said. “There are things that we can do.”

Dani Blum is a health reporter for The Times.

Dr Ruth Report, 10-18-26

Here's the latest amazingly detailed newsletter from Dr Ruth Ann Crystal:

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Dr. Ruth Report, 10/18/26

T cells as a biomarker for persistent viral antigen in Long COVID. COVID in young mice disrupts sperm & affects metabolism in the next generation. Bone-Brain Axis. EBV in Long COVID & in Lupus. 

By Ruth Ann Crystal MD 

The “summer” COVID wave continues to be high in many areas, but appears to have peaked on a national level. Mike Hoerger estimates that 1 in 57 people in the United States is currently infected with COVID which equates to about 930,000 new COVID infections each day. Levels of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater are rising in the Northeast, have leveled off in the Midwest and West, and are falling in the South (Texas) according to WastewaterSCAN.

Flu season has started very early this year and we are starting to see increases in Influenza A especially in the West.

COVID Variants

One of the premier COVID variant hunters, Ryan Hisner, has noted that PJ.2.1 is spreading rapidly in the Western Hemisphere. He believes that PJ.2.1 is evolving within a chronically infected person.

Epidemiology and virological characteristics of the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant PJ.2.1 | BioRxiV 10/8/26

  • The PJ.2.1 variant of COVID is starting to be seen in more countries. The authors note that PJ.2.1 has increased ability to bind the ACE2 receptor, but that it does not have increased immune evasion to our antibodies at this time.

Acute COVID infections, General COVID info

SARS-CoV-2 seeds IAPP aggregation and β-cell failure | Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy 10/9/26

  • New research demonstrates that both the spike and the nucleocapsid proteins of SARS-CoV-2 bind directly to islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), a protein produced in the pancreas, accelerating its aggregation into amyloid deposits and driving inflammation alongside destruction of insulin-secreting beta cells. This interaction offers a concrete molecular pathway through which COVID infection may initiate or worsen diabetes in some patients.

Pediatrics

Kids with Long COVID co-created their own superhero comic book | The Sick Times 10/5/26

  • Children living with Long COVID collaborated to produce an original superhero comic book called Long Covid Superheroes, centering themes of seeking help, embracing rest, and practicing self compassion alongside compassion for others.

Long Covid Superheroes cover image from the Alchemise Theatre via The Sick Times

Vaccines

Acute infection as a driver of chronic diseases and the unsung benefits of vaccination | Nature Microbiology 10/16/26

  • A Nature Microbiology commentary discusses that acute infections can leave lasting biological imprints, contributing to chronic illness, worsened existing disease, and accelerated aging. The authors argue that “the true value of vaccination should not be measured only by whether it prevents acute illness today, but also by whether it protects the future health of the individual.”

Male and female mice achieve equivalent protection against heterologous SARS-CoV-2 infection through divergent immune mechanisms | bioRxiv 10/3/26

  • Sex differences in immune responses were noted in mice that were reinfected with a second SARS-CoV-2 strain. “Females rely on controlled, rapid myeloid-associated inflammatory responses [through increased IFNγ], while males rely on conventional B- and T-cell-mediated responses.” These sex differences in immune response could have “significant implications for designing mucosal vaccines and immunotherapies.”

COVID and Reproduction

Prepubertal exposure to SARS-CoV-2 single-stranded RNA disrupts spermatogenesis and causes intergenerational effects in mice | Molecular Human Reproduction 10/5/26

  • Prepubertal male mice given synthetic SARS-CoV-2 single-stranded RNA developed testicular inflammation, which impaired the sperm they produced after puberty. Their offspring had lower early body weight and impaired glucose metabolism. The mechanism is unknown, but the authors point to possible epigenetic changes or sperm-borne factors.

Long COVID

Persistently activated virus-specific CD8 T cells indicate antigen-driven immune aberrations in long COVID | BioRxiV 10/16/26

  • In a subset of people with Long COVID (40% of LC patients vs 16% of COVID-recovered controls), CD8 T cells targeting SARS-CoV-2 spike and/or Epstein-Barr virus lytic antigens stay activated. The spike specific T cells show exhaustion and reduced function, suggesting chronic stimulation by persistent viral antigen. Potentially, T cells could serve as biomarkers to identify which Long COVID patients may respond to antiviral treatments.

Unraveling Long COVID: New Discoveries and the Promise of AI | Dr. Jim Heath at ISB Research Roundtable 10/13/26

  • Great talk by Dr. Jim Heath about the latest research on autoantibodies in Long COVID, including EBV-associated reprogramming of B cells that may contribute to autoimmunity. He also introduced “ChatISB, an AI-powered research environment that allows scientists to interrogate large biological datasets using everyday language.”

Beth Dobbin: British Olympic sprinter in bed for 22 hours a day after ME diagnosis | BBC 10/16/26

  • Olympian sprinter Beth Dobbin describes how she is now mostly bedbound after back-to-back infections with COVID and mononucleosis (EBV) in 2021-2022 that led to myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). She wants to bring attention to the millions of people worldwide living with ME without adequate recognition or treatment.

Head and neck manual lymphatic drainage for self-reported neurocognitive symptoms in post-COVID condition: a proof-of-concept cohort study | BMC Preprint 10/9/26

  • In 49 patients with Long COVID, six weeks of head and neck manual lymphatic drainage was followed by improvements in brain fog, concentration, headache, sleep, and fatigue. Life satisfaction, the primary endpoint, did not change. The results prompt researchers to consider whether the brain’s waste clearance mechanisms may play a role in Long COVID neurocognitive symptoms, though the authors emphasize that randomized controlled trials are necessary before any conclusions can be drawn.

Invivyd and the SPEAR Study Group Announce Initiation of “FLINTLOCK” Phase 2 Study of VYD2311, a Monoclonal Antibody for the Potential Treatment of Long COVID or Post-Vaccination Syndrome | Invivyd 10/14/26

  • VYD2311 is an investigational monoclonal antibody (mAb) made by Invivyd that is active against all SARS-CoV-2 variants tested to date. Invivyd announced a new Phase 2 clinical trial with the SPEAR study group which will evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and clinical efficacy of high-dose monoclonal antibody VYD2311 in people with Long COVID or Post-Vaccination Syndrome (PVS). The trial will give a high-dose initial intravenous (IV) infusion of VYD2311 followed by monthly intramuscular (IM) injections of VYD2311 at days 30 and 60.

Long COVID is associated with lipoxygenase-catalyzed metabolism of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids | iScience 10/16/26 (Nov 20, 2026 issue)

  • Harvard researchers studied 106 participants and found that Long COVID involves disrupted fat metabolism and increased lipoxygenase activity, an enzyme pathway that drives inflammation. During acute infection, elevated metabolites from this pathway were linked to developing Long COVID later. Long COVID patients also had lower levels of anti-inflammatory compounds made from polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Oral Fluid Inflammatory Biomarker Profile in Long COVID: Evaluation of Oral Active and Total MMP-8, MMP-9, and TIMP-1 in Relation to BMI and Disease Status | Int J of Infectious Diseases 10/13/26

  • University of Helsinki researchers analyzed oral rinse samples from 115 people with Long COVID and 103 controls. Those with Long COVID had higher salivary levels of the inflammatory proteins MMP8, MMP9, and TIMP1, markers of ongoing inflammation and disrupted tissue remodeling, detectable through a simple, noninvasive rinse.

Higher risk of Long COVID among patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases and immunomodulatory therapy: a retrospective cohort analysis of national US data. | Arthritis & Rheumatology (ACR) 10/14/26

  • NC3 researchers analyzing data from 187,106 patients found that individuals with autoimmune rheumatic diseases faced a 56% greater likelihood of developing Long COVID compared to those without such conditions. Treatment with rituximab or corticosteroids was also independently associated with elevated Long COVID risk in this population, as was Sjögren’s syndrome.

🧠 Long-term prognostic value and clinical correlates of brain [¹⁸F]-FDG PET in patients with post-COVID-19 condition and neurocognitive disorders: a prospective cohort study | Research Square Preprint 10/1/26

  • CHRU Nancy in France tracked 70 Long COVID patients presenting with cognitive symptoms and found measurable reductions in brain glucose metabolism in frontal, parietal, temporal, and cerebellar regions using PET imaging with “metabolic signatures associated with acute disease severity and viral variant”. While the metabolic abnormalities were consistently detectable, they did not reliably forecast which patients would go on to recover from their neurocognitive symptoms over time.

🧠 Cognitive phenotypes and neuropsychological trajectories in post-COVID-19 syndrome: a 12-month follow-up study | Scientific Reports 10/6/26

  • The University of Oviedo tracked 92 Long COVID patients across 12 months and found that memory tended to recover more substantially over time than other cognitive functions. Attention and processing speed showed the greatest persistent impairments, indicating that cognitive recovery in Long COVID follows a selective pattern rather than a uniform one.

Non-fluorescent benzothiadiazole probe with protein-triggered turn-on fluorescence for imaging SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in biological systems | Bio-Organic Chemistry 10/6/26

  • Researchers at the University of Brasília developed a fluorescent probe that activates upon binding to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, enabling direct visualization of spike protein behavior in biological systems. Tracking experiments in cell cultures revealed that spike protein migrated from the outer membrane into lysosomal compartments, and studies in mice detected localized fluorescent signal within brain tissue.

Effectiveness of individualized physical exercise in COVID-19-induced Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome | ScienceDirect 10/6/26

  • Researchers at Karolinska Institutet studied 60 people with COVID-induced POTS and found that a tailored exercise program did not improve quality of life compared to standard care. The exercise intervention was actually associated with reductions in upright time and daily step counts among participants, nearly all of whom had post-exertional malaise.

Mechanisms of accelerated biological aging and premature cardiovascular events in young and middle-aged post-COVID-19 survivors | Ageing Research Reviews 10/7/26 (November 2026)

  • A new review of 110 studies found that Long COVID may accelerate biological aging and increase cardiovascular disease risk particularly among younger adults aged 25–55 . Researchers identified persistent viral RNA and ongoing immune activation as likely contributors to chronic inflammation, vascular injury, and cellular premature aging.

Proteomic Profiling of Post-COVID -19 Sequelae | Molec & Cellular Proteomics 9/28/26

  • A new study examining nearly 2,900 blood proteins across 495 COVID survivors pinpointed 235 proteins associated with 15 lingering symptoms that persisted after initial recovery. Long COVID symptom-specific protein patterns were noted for 6 clusters of Long COVID symptoms. Long COVID appears to operate through at least three distinct biological pathways spanning inflammatory responses, immune system signaling, and metabolic function.

Handgrip strength parameters as predictors of post-COVID syndrome severity and muscle weakness in an observational study | Scientific Reports 10/8/26

  • Munich researchers examined 102 Long COVID patients and found that reduced handgrip strength and slower muscle recovery correlated with impaired blood vessel function. Elevated antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were additionally associated with greater degrees of muscle impairment in the same cohort.

Persistent venular dysfunction despite structural convergence in post-COVID-19 syndrome: a prospective six-month retinal vessel analysis follow-up | Research Square 10/8/26

  • Researchers at the Technical University of Munich followed 82 Long COVID patients over six months and discovered that while the physical structure of their retinal microvasculature normalized, the tiny venous blood vessels still could not dilate properly, regardless of symptom burden. Ongoing vascular dysregulation in the retinal vessels appears to outlast any visible structural recovery.

Sputum and oral microbiota profiles are associated with long COVID severity and phenotype post-hospitalisation: a UK multicentre, prospective cohort study | European Respiratory Journal 10/11/26

  • In patients hospitalized for severe COVID infection in 2020 and 2021, patients with impaired lung function and with neurocognitive symptoms had distinct oral microbiota profiles. Gastrointestinal symptoms months after COVID infection were associated with a distinct sputum microbiota profile.

Measles

CDC Measles update

  • As of October 15, 2026, the CDC reports 4,410 confirmed measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026. While the CDC reports that there have been 2 measles deaths in 2026, Pennsylvania just reported its 6th measles death this year.

Pennsylvania reports its 6th measles death, in a Franklin County resident | CIDRAP 10/12/26

US measles cases grow by 8% in 1 week for a total of 4,410 cases | CIDRAP 10/16/26

  • “The true number of measles cases is likely to be substantially larger, according to public health experts. Pennsylvania has reported six measles deaths, a much higher number than experts would predict based on the 1,260 cases in that state.

  • “That’s because the expected mortality rate from measles ranges from one to three deaths per 1,000 infections. Based on those historic rates, infectious disease specialists say the true number of measles infections in Pennsylvania could be 6,000 or more.”

Pennsylvania Department of Health Measles Dashboard:

  • 1260 measles cases, 121 in the last 7 days, 5 deaths according to the website.

Johns Hopkins US Measles Tracker

H5N1 Bird Flu

Necropsy Provides New Information About Beloved Bald Eagle Known as Jackie | CDFW News 10/14/26

  • A new report from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife shows that Jackie, one of the famous Big Bear bald eagles, died of complications from the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or bird flu.

Dengue Fever in Florida

‘I ached so much’: Man shares bout with dengue fever contracted during Florida’s outbreak | CIDRAP 10/15/26

  • Dengue fever is known as “breakbone fever“ because of the pain it causes. This year in Florida, there have been more than 320 locally transmitted cases of Dengue which is unusual. Dengue is spread by mosquitoes.

Ebola

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): As of October 12, there have now been 9,144 confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC, with 4,410 deaths. The case fatality rate is 48.2% and contact tracing is at 77.6% according to the DRC Minister of Health.

Kenya Ministry of Health Oct 17, 2026: The Kenya Ministry of Health has confirmed four new Ebola cases, bringing the total to seven, including one death. All new cases were already in quarantine, and there is no evidence of community transmission.

Government Health News

Hepatitis B vaccine study condemned as unethical wins approval from Danish university | CIDRAP 10/8/26

  • The University of Southern Denmark has approved a controversial US CDC-funded ($1.6 million) study to be completed in Guinea-Bissau that would give life-saving Hepatitis B vaccines to only half of enrolled babies. Health groups and political leaders have condemned the design as unethical.

US health secretary Kennedy launches new push on vaccine injuries | Reuters 10/8/26

Feds sold lab equipment that exposed US to ‘severe bioterrorism threat,’ report says | CIDRAP 10/8/26

  • A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report warns that HHS and USDA sold 1,316 pieces of surplus lab equipment from 2022 to 2025, including nine export-controlled items, without assessing biosecurity risks. Undercover investigators using fake identities bought four risky items. Agencies have agreed to fix their policies.

Other news

Personalized neoantigen-targeting cancer vaccines in Ovarian Cancer: a phase 1 trial | Nature Medicine 10/14/26

@EricTopol: “The personalized neoantigen vaccines to treat cancer, already shown to work in malignant melanoma, and in trials of pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma, renal cell cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer.....now ovarian cancer. Results from a Phase 1 trial.”

Connecting Our Immune System and Healthspan | Eric Topol MD 10/11/26

  • CD8+ effector-memory T cells can be rich in either K granules which lead to healthy aging or B granules which are associated with disease and increased mortality. Eric Topol reviews an important new paper on how the immune system ages.

Eric and Wendy Schmidt announce global public health nonprofit to improve systems that monitor, identify, respond to health threats | Eurekalert 10/8/26

  • Expanding the mission of the Schmidt Initiative for Long Covid (SILC) beyond a single disease, Eric and Wendy Schmidt announced Schmidt Global Health, a nonprofit aimed at improving public health by strengthening the systems and advancing the technology used to monitor, identify and respond to emerging disease threats worldwide.

US maternity wards face wave of closures as Medicaid cuts kick in | Guardian 10/11/26

  • Hospitals across the United States are closing maternity wards as federal Medicaid cuts take effect, the Guardian reports. Medicaid pays for more than 40% of US births, so lost funding hits obstetric units first, leaving rural and low income families with longer drives for care.

Tibial bone compression promotes recovery after brain injury through osteocyte PIEZO1 | Nature Neuroscience 9/21/26

  • Mechanical compression of the tibia bone improved survival and motor and cognitive recovery after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and stroke in mice, and after TBI in pigs. Osteocyte bone cells sensed the force through PIEZO1 and released neuroprotective factors, including HSP70 and IL-1R2, pointing to a bone-brain axis.

  • UCSF researchers compared plasma from 695 Lupus patients and 301 healthy controls. Machine learning found a reproducible autoreactivity signature that separated the two groups. The most common shared target, a YTHDF2 peptide, was found in the plasma of approximately 25% of patients and resembles the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) BZLF1 protein. Antibodies were found to bind the viral peptide more tightly, supporting the hypothesis that EBV may trigger Lupus autoimmunity through molecular mimicry.

The association between PFAS exposure, menstrual cycle parameters, and reproductive hormones in adolescent girls | JCEM Sept 2026

  • “Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals”, are widespread. Certain PFAS exposures have been associated with reproductive abnormalities in women, but limited data exist in adolescents. [In a new study], PFAS were widely detected in healthy girls. PFBS was positively associated with estrone-3-glucuronide (E1G) levels, suggesting potential ovarian effects.”

Real-world, digital-first delivery of GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy in women | Nature Medicine 9/16/26

  • “A real world digital GLP-1 structured treatment program achieved marked weight loss, high retention, metabolic improvement, and no serious adverse events in over 8,000 women. Suggests scalability with minimal need for clinician support.” -@EricTopol

The human gut microbiome primes fever after vaccination | Science 10/8/26

  • A Science study of 171 healthy adults found that gut microbes making more flagellin, a bacterial protein that fuels inflammation, were linked to fever after mRNA COVID vaccination. People who ate more plant foods tended to have less fever. Stronger fevers did not mean stronger antibody responses.

Animals crossing: the simple solution to stop roadkill in the Amazon | Guardian 10/9/26

  • Brazilian biologist Fernanda Abra came up with a simple solution to prevent animals from being killed on roads in the Amazon region. She installed rope bridges that have allowed over 15,000 safe animal crossings. Six primate species use them, including threatened marmosets and the critically endangered Alta Floresta titi monkey.

Biologist Fernanda Abra, the founder of Reconectam, with one of the canopy bridges. Photograph: Reconecta

MIT trailblazer who helped shape Apollo 11 legacy dies at 90 | Mass Live 10/8/26

  • “Margaret Hamilton, a pioneering computer scientist who helped establish the field of software engineering and led the MIT team that developed the onboard flight software for NASA’s Apollo moon missions” died on September 30 at age 90.

Computer scientist Margaret Hamilton poses with the Apollo guidance software she and her team developed at MIT.
Photo credit: MIT museum

Have a great week,

Ruth Ann Crystal MD

Sunday, October 18, 2026

Vaccines: Good For Your Heart?

This is an excellent article about how vaccines may help your heart. Maybe this information will inspire people to get vaccinated.

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These 4 routine vaccines may also help protect your heart

Vaccines for flu, covid and other viral infections could lower your risk of cardiovascular complications, especially if you have heart disease, research suggests.

October 18, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. EDT

By

When you get vaccinated against infections like the flu or covid, you’re probably thinking about lowering your chances of getting sick. But research suggests certain routine vaccines may have another health benefit: protecting your heart.

“We’re beginning to understand the large number of problems these viruses can cause beyond, say, a cough and fever,” said Paul Heidenreich, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford Medicine.

A study published in August in Nature Medicine adds to the evidence for vaccination’s potential heart-health benefits. Researchers compared adults 60 and older who received the newer shingles vaccine with those who received the older version. People who got the newer shot had lower rates of ischemic heart disease and heart failure during the seven years after vaccination, researchers found

Although the study can’t prove the shot caused those differences, the groups were essentially the same except for vaccine type. (Earlier research found that people who received the older version also had fewer cardiovascular problems than unvaccinated people.) 

These findings support recent recommendations from the European Society of Cardiology and the American College of Cardiology: Both groups published statements emphasizing the key role of adult immunizations, including the shingles vaccine, in protecting cardiovascular health. That’s especially important for people with heart disease, who face a higher risk of hospitalization and death from certain infections — so reducing their chances of developing a severe case or possibly avoiding infection altogether can help prevent those outcomes.

Certain viral infections can put extra strain on your heart as your body fights them off, explained Noreen Nazir, a cardiologist and co-author of the recent American College of Cardiology (ACC) guidance.

And while some of the clearest cardiovascular benefits of vaccination are seen in people who already have heart disease, “there’s potential benefit even to those who don’t yet have heart problems,” said Heidenreich, who also co-wrote the ACC guidance

Here are four adult immunizations that may help protect your heart — and what to know about each.

Shingles vaccine

About 1 in 3 adults in the United States will develop shingles, and the older you get, the greater your risk. It’s caused by a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Shingles typically produces a painful, itchy rash and can sometimes lead to complications like long-term nerve pain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends two doses of a vaccine called Shingrix for people 50 and older, as well as adults 19 and older with weakened immune systems due to disease or medical treatment. This recombinant vaccine uses a lab-made protein from the virus rather than the live, weakened virus used in Zostavax, the older shot it was compared with in the Nature Medicine study.

Previous research has also suggested shingles vaccination might have cardiovascular benefits. A 2025 study of adults 50 and older identified an association between two doses of Shingrix and lower risk of stroke and heart attack. But the Nature Medicine study “is a really great addition to the literature,” said Nazir. The shingles vaccine’s potential heart benefits haven’t been studied as extensively as those of other vaccines, she added

Although it’s not fully understood how, exactly, the shingles vaccine may protect the heart, one possible mechanism is that shingles causes an inflammatory response, explained Eduardo Sanchez, chief medical officer for prevention for the American Heart Association.

That inflammation can rupture plaque, a fatty buildup in arteries that carry blood to the heart or brain, he explained, “leading to heart attacks or strokes.”

Annual flu shot

It’s easy to think of the flu as just another seasonal illness, but it can cause serious complications, including pneumonia. While an annual flu shot is recommended for nearly everyone 6 months and older, the vaccine is especially critical for adults 65 and older, a group at higher risk of complications. (That’s why the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends a high-dose, recombinant or adjuvanted flu vaccine for this age group.)

A yearly flu shot is also essential if you have heart disease or a history of stroke, regardless of your age. If you end up hospitalized and have an underlying high-risk condition like these, “you are much more likely to have a cardiovascular event,” said William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and co-author on the ACC paper

In one study, influenza infection was associated with a sixfold increase in heart attack hospitalizations during the week after a positive flu test. Findings of another 2024 study suggested that influenza accounted for about 3 percent of all deaths and 5 percent of hospitalizations for flu or pneumonia among people with heart failure in Denmark.

Covid shot

Official guidance on who should get a covid booster this year has been confusing. But the Food and Drug Administration has approved the updated covid vaccines, which are designed to better match versions of the virus currently spreading, for adults 65 and older and younger people with at least one underlying health condition that puts them at greater risk for  complications.

That includes people with heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathies. Covid boosters for this group are critical, since “we know covid-19 can definitely cause heart damage,” said Heidenreich. Having these conditions also makes you more likely to become seriously ill from covid.

During the covid-19 pandemic, people with heart disease were three times as likely to develop severe infection. Covid has been associated with greater risk of heart attack, stroke, cardiac arrhythmias and pericarditis, inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart 

Covid infection may also lead to long-term cardiovascular complications. A 2025 study published in the European Heart Journal found that having covid was associated with early vascular aging, when the arteries become stiffer and less elastic.

“There’s the thought that the virus might actually affect the heart muscle itself,” explained Sanchez. “So one, it’s triggering an inflammatory response, and then in some instances having a direct effect on the heart muscle."

RSV vaccine

Respiratory syncytial virus, RSV for short, is often thought of as primarily affecting babies and young children. But RSV infection can be serious for older adults, especially those who are frail.

The CDC recommends a single dose for adults 50 to 74 at increased risk of severe RSV illness and for everyone 75 and older. People who have already received an RSV vaccine shouldn’t get another dose at this time.

As with covid and the flu, people with underlying conditions such as heart disease are more likely to experience serious complications from RSV. That’s partly because the infection can worsen existing conditions, including heart failure. One study spanning five RSV seasons found that nearly a quarter of adults 50 and older who were hospitalized with RSV infection experienced an acute cardiac event, often heart failure. Those who did had nearly twice the risk of severe outcomes compared with those who didn’t.

RSV’s effects on cardiovascular health may linger after the illness has passed, as they can with covid and the flu, Schaffner added. “There continues to be a high risk of cardiovascular events even after you recover from these viral infections,” he said.

A common complaint, experts said, is “Well, I got the vaccine, but I still got sick.” Though the shingles vaccine is more than 90 percent effective at preventing shingles in adults 50 and older with healthy immune systems, vaccines for covid, the flu and RSV work best at preventing serious disease, noted Schaffner.

This means you may still develop one of these infections, but it may be a milder case with a lower risk of developing complications, including cardiovascular events. “The vaccine likely helped keep you out of the hospital,” said Schaffner

Paris: City of Light -- and Fires, Looting, & Rioting

Sickening scenes of inexcusable rioting, looting, and destruction in France that makes it look like a war zone.  I can't believe the French people would destroy a historic church or vandalize the statue of Marianne, which is the representation of their country, just to make a point.  But then again, not all of the rioters were born and raised in France, and there were a lot of "Palestinian" flags in the throngs.  Sound familiar?

It looks like they are definitely globalizing the intifada in Europe.

Vote Republican, or we may see a repeat of what's happening in France, in our own country, including the destruction of our synagogues.

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Ynet News:

'A clear warning sign': Paris synagogue vandalized as violent riots sweep France

'When chaos and violence take over the streets, synagogues are the first to suffer': Footage shows overturned tables and extensive damage at a synagogue in Paris' 19th district as mass protests over living costs erupted into violence across France 

"The riots in France have also reached Jewish religious sites, with rioters vandalizing a synagogue in Paris' 19th arrondissement, or district. Footage released Sunday by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) showed extensive damage inside the synagogue, including overturned tables and equipment scattered throughout the building.

"When chaos and violence take over the streets, synagogues are the first to suffer," said Sacha Roytman, CEO of CAM. "The desecration of the synagogue in Paris is a clear warning sign: What begins against Jews never stops there."

"French authorities are continuing to assess the destruction across cities nationwide following a day of widespread violence in which crowds of masked rioters attacked police officers and innocent bystanders, set fire to dozens of government buildings and looted hundreds of stores.

"The violence erupted following mass demonstrations Saturday against the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services, which drew hundreds of thousands of protesters. Right-wing figures in France and abroad are now blaming not only the far left, which they accuse of fueling the unrest, allegedly as a show of force ahead of next year's presidential election, but also immigrants and their descendants, many of whom took part in the riots.

"In Paris alone, hundreds of stores were reportedly looted. Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said that "entire streets were systematically destroyed." The French newspaper Le Parisien described scenes of widespread destruction in several parts of the capital, reporting that in the Les Halles area of the 1st arrondissement, rioters "spared no store."

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Steve Moore on The Disaster of "Medicare for All"

I loathe the Democrats and Democratic Socialists equally these days, and I really hate the idea of "Medicare for All", which Bernie Sanders has been obsessed with for decades.

I pay for my monthly Medicare premiums, and I'd much rather have the health care plan I want than be forced to sign up for "free" substandard socialized medicine, which they want.

This is just one of the reasons I was happy to participate in early voting today by voting Republican, and I can only hope that these delusional DSA candidates never get to put their destructive ideas into action.

Here's what the reliable Steve Moore has to say:

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Medicare for Nobody

Stephen Moore, 8:30 AM · October 17, 2026

        "Political pros will remember that a dozen or so years ago, the Democrats produced a famous (or infamous) TV ad showing a man wheeling an elderly lady in a wheelchair up a path to an overlook on a mountain. At the end of the ad, the man pushes the woman out of her chair and off the cliff.

      "The person pushing the wheelchair was a lookalike of Paul Ryan, the then-Republican speaker of the House. The idea of the ad was that congressional Republicans had a secret plan to take away Medicare from elderly Americans dependent on the program.

        "There was never any such doomsday plan, just a series of common-sense steps to control program costs.

        "But ironically enough, now there really is a plan to bankrupt Medicare and put millions of American senior citizens at risk of losing their health coverage.

        "It's called Medicare for All, and the idea of the scheme is to offer free health care for everyone in the country.

        "The bill to create Medicare for All has a multitrillion-dollar price tag. Medicare is already scheduled to run out of funds in about seven years; this Medicare for All plan ensures the program runs out of money in two to three years. Wonderful news.

        "Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is the lead sponsor of the Medicare for All bill, and he already has 18 cosponsors.

        "Meanwhile, most of the democratic socialists who have seemingly taken command of the Democratic Party in the last few months are almost all fully on board this train that is picking up momentum on the campaign trails.

        "Free health care! Who could be against that?

        "Well, seniors, for one. The folks on Medicare are dependent on the coverage,

        "And they paid dutifully for many years into the trust fund via the 3.8% payroll tax when they were working.

        "We would expect that Democrats would be sprinting away from Medicare for All at full speed. Instead, many are hopping on this train.

        "It is by far the most expensive feature of the democratic socialist policy agenda. The Trump White House puts the price tag at well over $50 trillion. In other words, Democrats are providing more health benefits and more free stuff to buy votes.

        "But the financial reality is no secret to seniors. They strongly oppose expanding their gold-plated coverage plan to people who are young or unemployed and haven't paid for any of the benefits.

        "I call the Democratic scheme the "throw grandma from the train" scenario.

        "The program will run out of money. Medicare coverage will be severely trimmed. The plan will eventually blow up.

        "You might even say that now Dem congressional leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries are the ones with plans to parade seniors up that hill only to toss them off.

       "What's further infuriating is, the Sanders Medicare for All scheme would make even illegal immigrants eligible for free health care. The law as written would apply to any "resident" of the U.S. -- which will only further encourage illegal entries.

        "Obviously, all these expansions will put Medicare into a financial freefall.

        "Medicare for All will morph into Medicare for Nobody. Seniors need to make it clear that the plan that Bernie envisions will lead to rationing of heath care along with worsening coverage and medical outcomes.

        "What a deal."

        Stephen Moore is a former Trump senior economic adviser and the cofounder of Unleash Prosperity, which advocates for education freedom for all children.

Friday, October 16, 2026

A Kind Word for Katie Zacharia

I just saw a headline that read, "Katie Zacharia 'transitioning out' of press secretary role, sources tell ABC News", and I thought that someone should finally put in a kind word for her after all the abuse she has received.

In the three very long-term jobs I held, I was always trained for at least two weeks by either the person who was leaving, or by another co-worker.  Without that training, I would have felt  completely lost. And my jobs, although important ones,  were not nearly as crucial as that of a White House Press Secretary.

I thought that Karoline Leavitt should have stayed on as Press Secretary until she had trained Katie in the basics of the position -- at least two weeks. You can just plunk someone down in a role like that and immediately expect her to be flawless and knowledgeable about everything, as they did with her.

And to add to the stress, she was subjected to vicious social media posts, late-night jokes, and newspaper articles. You can be sure that the nasty people writing these things must have gotten some training for their own jobs -- if they even have jobs, that is.

Whatever happened to giving a new employee a chance, instead of attacking him after one day? 

I already feel sorry for the next candidate for the job, unless it's someone extremely tough like Stephen Miller.

"Oct.7 Is Still Testing Us"

This is Matthew Continetti's excellent 10/9/26 column in the Wall Street Journal's Free Expression.

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Oct. 7 Is Still Testing Us

And many continue to fail. 

"Anniversaries clarify. Three years after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, we see that Hamas didn’t simply intend to kill 1,200 men, women and children; wound another 1,500; and seize 251 hostages, holding some of them underground for 843 days. Nor did Hamas only seek to destroy the Jewish state in a war that brought additional deaths, including some 70,000 Palestinians.

"No, Hamas’s greater ambition was to challenge the very premises of Western civilization—our collective ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, truth from falsehood.

"Oct. 7 was a moral test. All too many have failed it.

"True, Western governments condemned Hamas’s atrocities and pledged support for Israel. Yet within hours of the attacks, pro-Hamas voices on social media began celebrating or rationalizing the pogrom. Pro-Hamas protesters marched in Western cities.

"The flags of the Palestinian Authority and of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia, could be seen amid pro-Hamas crowds from Times Square to Trafalgar Square. Pro-Hamas activists occupied campuses and harassed Jewish students. Antisemitic hate crimes spiked in places where Jews had long enjoyed freedom and safety.

"The divergence was astonishing. As Israel responded with purpose, resolution and force, Western societies began buckling under domestic and international pressures to reward evil and punish self-defense. Between 2023 and 2025, Israel destroyed Hamas’s leadership, tunnel networks and supply lines; blew up Hezbollah; and set the conditions for the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime. At every point, Western governments condemned Israel’s tactics, pleaded with Israel to end combat and stepped up calls for a Palestinian state.

"The IDF was defeating terrorism on the battlefield, yet Israel was disarmed before the global propaganda campaign to delegitimize its actions and even its existence. Not even the U.S., Israel’s closest and most important ally, could resist the assault.

"President Biden was known as a supporter of Israel. He traveled to Israel not long after Oct. 7 and helped protect Israel from Iranian attack in spring 2024. But Mr. Biden wavered as the war went on. His administration slow-walked supplies. His vice president warned the IDF against entering the city of Rafah because, she said, she had “studied the maps.” Mr. Biden sanctioned Israeli settlers—while allowing terror-sponsoring Iran to sell oil.

"Mr. Biden’s actions were meant to appease the anti-Israel forces roiling the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. All he did was whet their appetites. What was once a fringe cause of the global left—stopping aid to Israel and “freeing” Palestine from Jewish sovereignty—became a defining issue for the Democratic mainstream.

"Democrats’ responsiveness to the academy and to mainstream media, particularly social media from which young voters receive news, guaranteed that the party would try to cater to what it saw and heard online. For many in Gen Z, Palestine turned into a generational cause, the next big social movement now that same-sex marriage, trans rights, climate change and BLM have fizzled out.

"No one stopped to consider that this movement was based on lies. Take your pick. There’s the falsehood that Israel “occupied” Gaza, where no Israeli had set foot voluntarily since 2005. There’s the calumny that Israel is an apartheid state, when Israel is the only pluralistic democracy in the Middle East. There’s the media storyline, complete with doctored photographs, that Israel starved Gazans of food, while video evidence clearly showed Hamas raiding aid convoys for its own nefarious ends.

"Then there’s the despicable lie that Israel is committing a Palestinian genocide. It’s the grossest moral inversion yet, whereby the onetime victims of 20th-century Nazis, and the intended victims of 21st-century Islamists, are transformed into alleged perpetrators of the same crime planned against them. Only the most ignorant, blinkered or malicious mind could liken Israelis to Nazis while conveniently overlooking Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who share both the Nazis’ goals and their tactics.

"Frazzled brains and topsy-turvy consciences are everywhere at the United Nations, the center of anti-Israel activity since the General Assembly adopted the “Zionism is Racism” resolution in 1975. Yet the toxic ideas, attitudes and arguments that once were cabined within Turtle Bay have spilled out across the Western world, seeping into left-wing politics and deeper into the Democratic Party.

"When President Trump took office in 2025, Israel won renewed support from its most powerful ally. Mr. Trump’s inauguration set into motion a series of events, including the June 2025 attacks on the Iranian nuclear program in Operation Rising Lion and Operation Midnight Hammer, that culminated last October in an Israel-Hamas cease-fire and the release of all living and dead hostages.

"Paradoxically, however, Mr. Trump’s and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pummeling of Iran and its proxies strengthened anti-Israel opinion inside the Democratic Party. Within weeks of the hostage deal, New York City elected a mayor who sounded more like a U.N. secretary-general than a machine pol. Zohran Mamdani repeated all the slanders against Israel, pledged to arrest Mr. Netanyahu and recently released a strategy to combat antisemitism that neither defines the ideology it purports to fight nor recognizes the connection between anti-Zionism and anti-Jewish hate. Mr. Mamdani’s social media post marking the Oct. 7 anniversary devoted one paragraph to Israel’s losses—and three paragraphs to accusing Israel of every crime in the book.

"Mr. Mamdani spawned a crop of anti-Israel Democratic House candidates who will almost certainly win in their deep-blue districts next month. His ideological cousin is Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, who refuses to affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, gave a mealy-mouthed response after a Muslim man attempted to drive a car into a synagogue preschool and wouldn’t condemn the IRGC while speaking to a Persian-American student. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter says Mr. El-Sayed’s race is a tossup.

"A tossup—what an apt yet bleak description of today’s moral stakes, of the present situation wherein so many Americans can’t distinguish between what is real and what is fake, what is good and what is bad, what is justified and what is lawless. Three years after Oct. 7, Israelis can spot the difference between friends and enemies and act appropriately. Many in the West can’t.

"That must change. Every day since Oct. 7 brings a fresh assessment of our ability to see plainly and to choose the right side. Be sharp. This exam isn’t over."

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Matthew Continetti is a columnist for Free Expression and Wall Street Journal Opinion. He is the director of domestic policy studies and inaugural Patrick and Charlene Neal Chair in American Prosperity at the American Enterprise Institute.

Thursday, October 15, 2026

If Violence Against Israelis & Jews Ramps Up, Blame Obama

The incredible nerve of this man, slandering Israel while speaking in Israel-hating Ireland! 

The Jews didn't "excessively take" anything. They built Israel from nothing. They worked that land like the pioneers they were so they could live there in peace. There is where many Holocaust survivors went after WW2, when there was no other safe place for them.

Obama did the same thing Mamdani did: Yes, the Jews were oppressed and killed, BUT -- and there is always a "but" -- they did a terrible thing to Palestinians.

The Jews weren't just "oppressed, discriminated against, and killed".  Throughout our history, they were attacked and killed. And they were systematically exterminated by the Nazis as the Final Solution, in the Holocaust. THAT was genocide.

And since there, they still haven't been safe, surrounded by enemies who want to kill them and obliterate Israel.

His rhetoric, and that of other antisemites, will undoubtedly inspire the usual groups to march and call for more violence against Israel and Jews. That blood is on their hands.

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Obama accuses Jews of ‘excessively’ taking land from Palestinians

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News, October 15, 2026

"Former President Barack Obama has sparked criticism after accusing Jews who fled persecution in Europe of taking land from Palestinians during the establishment of Israel, prompting allegations that he distorted the Jewish state’s history and disregarded the Jewish people’s ancient connection to the Land of Israel.

"Speaking Tuesday evening at the O2 arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Obama acknowledged the centuries of persecution experienced by Jews before arguing that their search for refuge had resulted in “injustice” against Palestinians.

“The fact is that the Jewish people, for millennia, were oppressed, discriminated against, killed,” Obama said.

“What is also undeniable is that they took land off people and they were excessive,” Obama continued, adding that Palestinians were understandably aggrieved.

"The former president added that, in his opinion, Israel will have “ceded moral ground” if it refuses to make concessions and relies only on military solutions to confront strategic threats.

"The comments came during a public conversation with journalist and author Susan McKay, part of a three-city speaking tour that also includes Glasgow and Manchester.

"Obama’s remarks drew criticism from Jewish advocacy organizations and conservative commentators, who accused the former president of presenting Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel primarily as a consequence of European persecution while overlooking thousands of years of Jewish history in the region.

"Media watchdog HonestReporting challenged Obama’s characterization, pointing to the Jewish people’s historical connection to the territory and the continuous Jewish presence there.

“Israel’s legitimacy did not begin with European persecution,” the organization wrote on X. “Neither did Jewish history.”

"The Daily Wire also criticized Obama’s account, arguing that it overlooked the historical and religious ties between Jews and the Land of Israel and the circumstances surrounding the establishment of the modern Jewish state.

"Critics additionally pointed to the extensive purchases of land by Jewish individuals and organizations during the decades preceding Israel’s independence in 1948, including transactions with Arab landowners under Ottoman and British rule.

"Jewish immigration and land acquisition during that period included legally purchased property, while the 1948 Arab-Israeli war also resulted in the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs. The competing historical narratives surrounding those events remain central to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"During his Belfast appearance, Obama also criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, arguing that Israel’s military and technological superiority did not give it unlimited freedom to pursue its objectives without considering Palestinian interests.

"The former president warned that a policy based on superior military strength, territorial control and an unwillingness to make concessions could provide temporary security while undermining Israel’s moral standing.

“You have ceded moral ground,” Obama said of such an approach, adding that he believed the current Israeli government had adopted that position.

“I would say the current Israeli government appears to have taken that. It is incumbent on them to recognize that seven million Palestinians are not going anywhere.”

“Are you just going to be behind walls and wipe out everybody around you, or are you going to find some just way of defending yourself while still acting in an ethical, moral way?” he asked.

"At the same time, he argued that Palestinians would have to abandon the expectation that Israel could be defeated militarily and instead pursue their objectives through political pressure, moral appeals and nonviolent strategies.

"Palestinians could not “outkill, out-weaponize the Israelis,” Obama said.

"He criticized Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, arguing that the massacre was extraordinarily unlikely to produce meaningful political progress for Palestinians."