Katelyn Jetelina's The Dose Newsletter 3-24-25

Here's Your Local Epidemiologist with The Dose newsletter for 3/24/25:

Shady CDC page, measles, Americans are unhappy, egg prices down, and infant formula

Here’s your national health check-up—including infectious diseases, why parents shouldn’t panic about infant formula, and the state of our collective sanity.

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Something shady is going on

"Over the weekend, a shadow CDC page on vaccines and autism (called the realcdc[.]org) was revealed. It looks exactly like an official CDC page—the same branding, fonts, and style. The difference was that it had false information about MMR vaccines causing autism, including videos of parent testimonials.

Side-by-side comparison of the CDC webpage. Originally reported by InfoEpi

"Here’s the kicker: This shadow site was hosted by Children’s Health Defense (CHD)— a non-profit, anti-vaxx organization started by Secretary Kennedy.

"What they were going to do with this page is unclear, but we can imagine a number of scenarios, including directing Americans toward false information. As the New York Times found, RFK Jr. quickly asked them to take it down. Regardless, this confirms that CHD is backhanded, dishonest, and deceitful. The site is now inactive, but I bet it’s not the last we see of it.

"What does this mean to you? It’s clear now more than ever that we are in an information storm with people’s health at stake. There are a lot of legitimate-looking news websites that are actually just organizations masking as something else. Here are 9 tips from YLE on spotting falsehoods.

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Flu: We’re on the way out (mostly)

"Influenza-like illnesses—cough, fever, runny nose—are packing their bags. While it’s still high in the Northeast and Northwest (probably because it’s still a bit cold), levels are moderate to low across the U.S. overall.

Influenza-like illnesses. Source: ILINet

"One strain of flu—Influenza A—showed its teeth this winter but continues its steep decline. We sometimes see an increase this time of year of another flu strain—Influenza B. This year it has increased slightly but not enough to disrupt the overall downward trend.

Source: Weekly US Influenza Surveillance

"What it means to you: The end of flu season is just around the corner.

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Measles: The comeback tour no one asked for

"Measles continues to be a problem. As of Saturday, the U.S. had 407 measles cases across 19 states, 355 of which are associated with the outbreak in Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Source: YLE

"Lubbock’s Public Health Director warned that the panhandle outbreak could take a year to contain. She’s probably right, but boots on the ground will do everything possible to prevent that. If this outbreak takes more than 12 months to contain, the U.S. will lose its measles elimination status—a title we’ve held for 25 years.

"Another outbreak popped up in Kansas—up to 10 cases in two counties. This may be connected to the Texas outbreak, but there is no confirmation yet.

"In the past week, we’ve also seen sporadic measles cases in the following places from international travel:

• Maryland: 2 at Prince George’s County

• Virginia: 1 at Dulles airport

• California: 1 in Fresno and 2 in Tuolumne County

• Ohio: Ashtabula County

• Washington: King County

"What does this mean to you? You are very well protected if you’re up to date on your MMR vaccine. If you’re in a hot zone, especially with a child under 12 months old, remain vigilant by following updates from your local health department.

"Students at the Yale School of Public Health (where I am an adjunct professor) continue to put together a fantastic SITREP. Below is the latest if you’re looking for more details!

Yale Vmoc Special Report Measles Outbreak Southwest Us 3 22 2025 Ver2

1.17MB ∙ PDF file

Download

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Americans sure are not happy

"In a finding that I don’t think surprises anyone, the U.S. hit its lowest-ever ranking—24th place—in the latest World Happiness Report. The U.K. also hit rock bottom at 23rd. Happiest country? Finland (again). Costa Rica and Mexico made the top 10 for the first time.

"Factors that are foundational to people’s happiness, according to the report:

• GDP per capita

• Perceptions of corruption

• Personal connections and having people to count on

• Eating with others

• Trust

• Believing in others’ kindness

"This report is based on data from last summer—right after Biden dropped out of the presidential race. Given everything that’s unfolded since, a fresh ranking today would likely be fascinating. I know I’m not feeling very happy lately.

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Egg prices: Finally, some good news

"The price of an egg dropped significantly last week for an average of $3.27 per dozen.

"Why? Two simultaneous factors:

1. We’re seeing a slowdown in bird flu outbreaks. This is great for the birds and us since it means the virus has less of a chance to mutate.

Source: APHIS, USDA

2. Demand dropped since people didn’t want to pay exorbitant prices for eggs.

"What does it mean to you? Don’t run to the store yet. These are wholesale prices. Prices of eggs on store shelves haven’t changed everywhere yet. Easter could shake things up, though.

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Infant formula report and Operation Stork Speed

"Megan Maisano, the YLE nutrition expert and mom to 5-week-old twins, will take this away…

"Last week, Consumer Reports released their investigation on 41 types of powdered infant formula. Results were mixed:

• Good news: More than half contained low to no levels of contaminants, and none had detectable or harmful levels of cadmium and mercury. This includes the most popular brands, like Enfamil, Similac Advance, and Kirkland ProCare.

• Bad news: Half contained at least one substance with concerning levels (including arsenic, lead, and PFAS).

"This sounds scary, and parents are rightfully concerned if their formula was one of the 10 that landed in the “worst choices” category. So what’s going on?

• Despite being one of the most tightly regulated products in the U.S., infant formula can become contaminated.

• Contaminants can come naturally from heavy metals in soil and water or man-made pollutants like industrial and agricultural byproducts.

• We are exposed to these contaminants daily, as they are found throughout the entire food system (and monitored by the FDA’s Total Diet Study).

• However, exposure can be harmful to growing young children (it is linked to brain development and immune function). The report identifies considerable variation in contamination among formula products, raising questions regarding safety regulations.

"One day after this report was released, the FDA announced Operation Stork Speed, an initiative to enhance the quality, safety, and nutrition of infant formulas, including increased testing for contaminants. While the Biden administration’s similar Closer to Zero effort aims to reduce contaminant exposure in the entire food system, this plan offers a unique focus on infant formula.

"Some thoughts:

• I welcome this as a health expert and a parent. The last FDA review of infant formula was over 25 years ago.

• However, I’ll be curious how the FDA properly tackles this operation, given recent cuts to health agencies and considerable deregulatory actions at the EPA.

• If you’re using infant formula, this isn’t a reason to panic. None of the samples exceeded E.U. limits for formula, except for the presence of BPA in one product. (The U.S. does not have established limits specific to infant formula.) Nevertheless, the report shows there’s room for improvement.

"Dr. Jessica Knurick has a fantastic and detailed article on this topic here.

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Question grab bag

"YLE received many comments and questions after the autism post. (I swear, the comments section of YLE is the best. I learn from it every. single. post.) One common reaction to the CDC autism study was: “Couldn’t this be a good thing? I can imagine a sizable impact for a vaccine-autism study conducted under the aegis of such a noted vaccine skeptic (to say the least) that nonetheless found no evidence of a link.”

"I think this is an interesting point. However, it assumes that yet another study on vaccines and autism is a good faith effort. It is incredibly easy to lie using statistics, and RFK Jr. has a track record of sowing doubt in vaccines. Evidence has mounted up over the past 25 years against a link but still people are unconvinced. This also may have an indirect effect—people assuming there is an open-ended question when there is not.

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Bottom line

"You’re caught up to start your week!

"Love, the YLE team"

Downplaying Hamas

In his opinion column, Daniel Greenfield says that US envoy Witkoff is collaborating with Hamas. 

Like so many others who just can't believe that Hamas is as evil as they really are, Witkoff actually implied that Hamas could remain in Gaza! Despite what they did on October 7!  And he himself is Jewish! If this is true, then he should be replaced ASAP as the envoy, because we don't need more excuse-makers.

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US envoy Witkoff is collaborating with Hamas – opinion
March 23, 2025 - by Daniel Greenfield, Front Page Magazine

"Steven Witkoff, the Trump administration’s official envoy who had past business ties to Qatar, sat down with Tucker Carlson, the former FOX News talking head turned Qatari apologist who had recently featured Qatar’s leader, to talk about how wonderful Qatar is.

“Sheikh Mohammed… is a good man,” Witkoff gushed.

“He certainly is,” Tucker Carlson agreed.

“He’s a special guy. He really is,” Witkoff said.

“In the case of the Qataris, they’re criticized for not being well motivated. It’s preposterous. They are well motivated. They’re good, decent people. What they want is a mediation that’s effective, that gets to a peace goal. And why? Because they’re a small nation and they want to be acknowledged as a peacemaker.”

"Witkoff said of a country that serves as a state sponsor of every Islamic terrorist group from the Taliban to Hamas, and which harbored the mastermind of 9/11.

"Tucker complained that Witkoff was being attacked for working for Qatar by the “news media and social media.” The truth is that the news media praises Witkoff, he’s being condemned on social media.

"Witkoff replied by defending Qatar. “I’ve had a couple of experiences where first I was attacked as being pro-Qatari sympathizer. By the way, Qatar is a mediator here. They’re not a party to the conflict, they’re a mediator. So I am—how could I not collaborate with the mediator? And if I’m not collaborating with the mediator, I’m bound to be ineffective. It’s not even possible that I could do the job. I had to know everything that they knew. So that means collaboration.”

"Qatar is not a mediator. It’s a state sponsor of Hamas and other Islamic terrorist groups. By collaborating with Qatar, Witkoff is by definition collaborating with Hamas.

"Witkoff praised Biden envoy Brett McGurk. According to Witkoff, McGurk told him, “this is where I want to get to, Steve.”

"And that’s what led to the first disastrous deal with Hamas.

"Tucker Carlson then lied that this approach of appeasing Islamic terrorists was “so different from the posture that the last couple of generations of diplomats have taken, which is like, here’s what we want. Shut up and do it. And I just don’t think, leaving aside moral considerations, I don’t think it’s been very effective.”

"In reality, trying to win over terrorists is exactly what Bush, Obama and Biden did. And it never worked.

"Tucker knows it. He’s talked about it back when he wasn’t acting like an employee for the Gulf Muslim oil states.

"Tucker Carlson then lied that Qatar are “often accused, almost universally accused in the US Media of being agents of Iran.”

"In fact the media bends over backward and promotes anything that Qatar and its Al Jazeera media outlet say. There’s virtually no criticism of Qatar in the media here. Tucker knows it.

"He’s propagandizing for Qatar to his conservative audience by making it seem like it’s at odds with the media.

"In reality, the media is in Qatar’s pocket.

“They’re a Muslim nation. In the past, they’ve had some views that are a little bit more radical,” Witkoff claimed. “From an Islamist standpoint than they are today, but it’s moderated quite a bit. There’s no doubt that they’re an ally of the United States. There’s no doubt about that.”

"Tucker agreed with Witkoff at every turn about how wonderfully moderate Qatar is.

"Witkoff told Tucker that he had never spoken to Hamas, but “I think you have to trust the Qataris. If I didn’t trust the Qataris, then that would be really problematic, not meeting with Hamas.”

"After the Qatari propaganda, Witkoff and Tucker turned to Hamas.

"Witkoff then made an argument for the UN’s 15-20 year reconstruction plan for Gaza.

“What’s acceptable to us is they need to demilitarize. Then maybe they could stay there a little bit. Be involved politically. But they can’t be involved militarily. We can’t have a terrorist organization running Gaza because that won’t be acceptable to Israel,” Witkoff said.

"So from a starting point of expelling Hamas and Gazans, we’re now down to Hamas getting to be “politically involved” in running Gaza as long as it goes through some show of disarming.

“You know, what we heard in the beginning of this conflict is Hamas is ideological. They’re prepared to die for a whole variety of reasons,” Witkoff told Tucker. “I don’t think that they are as ideologically locked in. They’re not ideologically intractable. I don’t. I never believe that.”

"The contention that Hamas is not really ideological and is willing to make a deal was a feature of both the Bush and Obama administrations.

“Smart. Smart. That is total. That is smart. But it’s. How hard was it to come to that conclusion?” Tucker cheered.

"The rest of the conversation essentially had Tucker Carlson channeling the Saudi line, claiming that “looming over all of these countries and their remarkable success both economically and socially, there’s like great countries, in my opinion is the conflict in Gaza. And not just Gaza, but the idea that, wow, this could all blow up tomorrow because we don’t know what the Israeli plan is.”

"During the conversation, Tucker repeatedly demonstrated that he knew nothing about the region except whatever the Saudis and whoever else in the Gulf oil states was feeding him, leading him to say at one point that, Turkey’s “Erdogan is seen by some in his country as a tool of Israel.”

"In reality, Erdogan recently threatened war against Israel and praised Hamas.

"Tucker claimed “that the conflict in Gaza, which is of course streamed in everyone’s iPhone, a lot of people killed in Gaza, a lot of kids. And that’s inflaming the populations of some of these countries again, specifically Egypt and Jordan.”

"Tucker complained to Witkoff that the ‘two-state solution’ has become controversial.

"Witkoff said that “the Israelis going in is in some respects unfortunate and in some respects falls into the “had to be” bucket. It kind of had to be. Hamas was not responding. And their responses were unreasonable.”

"Then Witkoff recycled most of the Bush/Obama calls for “real elections in Gaza”.

"That’s how Hamas took over Gaza in the first place.

"One of Tucker’s parting remarks to Witkoff was, “I hope for our sake you wind up in Tehran.”

Dr Ruth's COVID & Health News 3/23/25

Here is the latest incredibly information-packed newsletter by Dr. Ruth Ann Crystal:

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COVID & Health News 3/23/25 

"As the weather gets warmer and people are starting to spend more time outdoors, respiratory illnesses like COVID and the Flu are decreasing.

Respiratory Viruses

"Overall, respiratory illness activity has decreased to LOW levels across the United States. Emergency department visits for COVID, Flu and RSV are decreasing, but wastewater levels for Influenza are still MODERATE nationally and Influenza B remains very high in the Northeast. Of note, the Northeast and Midwest continue to have high levels of Norovirus which causes the stomach flu.

From: https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data/index.html

Regional levels of various viruses in wastewater:

From: Wastewater SCAN: https://data.wastewaterscan.org/

"Regarding COVID, 1 in 128 people is actively infectious now with SARS-CoV-2 nationally. According to Mike Hoerger, there are higher rates of COVID in the South including Oklahoma and in Washington DC. He expects that we will have between 300,000 to 500,000 daily COVID infections in America over the next few weeks. Variant data will update next Friday, but last week LP.8.1 was 47% and XEC 26% of COVID cases in the U.S.

"Friday, the CDC reported SARS-CoV-2 wastewater levels as MODERATE nationally because the South is in the HIGH range again. SARS-CoV-2 levels are LOW for most of the Bay Area now. In Santa Clara County, COVID levels and Flu A have decreased, but Influenza B levels are still high. 

 

California and the Pandemic

"The Mercury News came out with some interesting statistics regarding the long term effects of the pandemic on California. Monthly deaths in California from all causes remains higher than pre-pandemic averages. UC Berkeley Professor John Swartzberg commented that “COVID caused a lot of premature deaths from heart attacks. Also the disruption had effects on the populace that were deleterious to its health: increased alcohol consumption, decreased activity, depression.”

"The California unemployment rate spiked to 16% in 2020 and then returned to pre-pandemic levels around 4% after two years. BART ridership is about 40% of what it was pre-pandemic as more people work from home. Bay Bridge use, however, is back to about 90% of pre-pandemic numbers.

"Testing for school achievement in California went from 51% of the expected standard for the English language pre-pandemic which was already low, to an even lower 47% of expected standards now. Math scores which were at 40% of expected standard pre-pandemic are now at only 35.5% of expected standards for math in California schools overall.

From: https://buff.ly/DAV83cx

COVID and Pregnancy

"A group from the University of Michigan presented a case of SARS-CoV-2 placentitis with a review of the literature. Placentitis happens when SARS-CoV-2 infects the placenta's syncytiotrophoblasts, disrupting placental function and leading to fetal complications including stillbirth, spontaneous abortion, and preterm delivery, even in asymptomatic COVID infections. Diagnosis relies on identifying a specific pattern of placental damage—chronic histiocytic intervillositis, perivillous fibrin deposition, and trophoblast necrosis—while immunohistochemistry and RNA in situ hybridization confirm the presence of the virus.

Pediatrics

"A newsletter written by children and young adults with Long COVID called The Long Covid Chronic-ill just posted its first issue.

"Families in Britain are struggling financially and emotionally as they try to support their children suffering from Long COVID, which has left many children bedridden and unable to attend school. With limited public healthcare options, parents are forced to quit jobs, go into debt, and seek costly private treatments. "My savings have long gone. I'm maxed out on my overdraft and have debts," said mother Louise.

Long COVID

"A study from January 2025 shows that "Long COVID could be costing the U.S. between $2 billion and $6.5 billion annually. The authors concluded "The current health and economic burden of long COVID may already exceed that of a number of other chronic diseases and will continue to grow each year as COVID-19 cases increase. This could be a significant drain on businesses, third-party payers, the healthcare system, and society."

"By analyzing NHS England survey data, a group from the University of Southampton found that about one in ten (9.1%) of people in England are unsure if they have Long Covid, while 4.8% report certainty about having the condition, with higher rates among socially disadvantaged groups. Researchers highlight the need for increased awareness, diagnosis, and support, as Long Covid continues to impact individuals, families, and society, contributing to existing health inequalities.

"In a proof-of-concept study, people with cognitive impairment in Long COVID were found to have asymmetrical glymphatic dysfunction in the left hemisphere of the brain which also correlated with disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). A group from Thomas Jefferson University used special MRI techniques to assess perivascular spaces in the brain of 14 individuals with Long COVID compared to 10 healthy controls. A significant reduction in the DTI-ALPS index—a measure of glymphatic function—in the left hemisphere of Long COVID patients was found, indicating impaired waste clearance in the brain. Additionally, there was a strong inverse correlation between BBB permeability and glymphatic function, suggesting that both factors may contribute to neurocognitive impairment in Long COVID patients.

The left hemisphere is more affected. From: https://bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-025-04133-4/figures/4

"Research suggests that Long COVID may affect the brain's auditory processing, leading to slower nerve signal transmission in the midbrain, similar to what is seen in aging. People with Long COVID also experience more tinnitus, anxiety, depression, and cognitive fatigue than healthy individuals. A new study from Dartmouth shows that auditory tests, like the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) that measure the brain’s response to sound, could serve as objective measures to help assess cognitive fatigue in Long COVID patients.

 

"Visuoconstructive deficit (VCD) is a cognitive impairment that affects a person's ability to perceive, organize, and accurately reproduce visual information. It impacts tasks requiring spatial processing and motor coordination, such as drawing, copying geometric figures, assembling objects, or navigating spaces. VCD is often associated with neurological conditions like stroke, traumatic brain injury, dementia, and, as recent studies suggest, Long COVID, where it may be linked to neuroinflammation and structural brain changes.

"A new study explores Vitamin B12 as an epidrug to regulate inflammatory biomarkers in Long COVID patients with persistent visuoconstructive deficit (VCD). Researchers found that individuals with VCD had elevated CCL11, a chemokine linked to neurodegeneration, but supplementation with Vitamin B12 normalized its expression and increased neuroprotective HGF levels. These findings suggest that Vitamin B12 may help mitigate neuroinflammation in Long COVID by modulating gene expression through methylation, offering a potential therapeutic approach for cognitive impairment.

Graphical abstract

From: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-86637-0

"An excellent review of 29 studies (through January 2024) explores the omics-based landscape of Long COVID, analyzing genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and metagenomics to understand the underlying pathophysiology and identify biomarkers and treatment targets. The review shows that Long COVID affects multiple organ systems, with key findings including mitochondrial dysfunction, immune dysregulation, blood–brain barrier disruption, coagulopathy, and microbiome disturbances. Despite the heterogeneity of studies, the review highlights the need for integrated, longitudinal research to develop precision medicine approaches for diagnosing and treating Long COVID.

Figure 2:

Omics layers included in this systematic review include the totality of biomolecules that they measure in a biological sample.

From: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/all.16526

Figure 4: Treatable traits in Long COVID stratified by phenotype.

From: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/all.16526

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"A study from Italy found that women with endometriosis or adenomyosis are significantly more likely to experience Long COVID compared to those without these conditions. Patients with endometriosis or adenomyosis had higher rates of persistent symptoms like chest pain and loss of taste beyond 12 weeks. The findings suggest that pre-existing immune dysregulation and inflammation in endometriosis and adenomyosis may contribute to prolonged symptoms after acute COVID infection. Further research is needed to explore the connection between chronic inflammatory diseases and Long COVID.

"Another study examined the prevalence and impact of Long COVID nearly two years after initial infection in a Michigan-based cohort. Among 1,547 respondents, 24% reported ongoing Long COVID symptoms, which were strongly associated with increased disability in cognition, mobility, independent living, self-care, vision, and hearing. The findings highlight the significant and lasting burden of Long COVID.

“Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) was initially developed to manage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but clinicians around the world have used it to help patients who experience persistent respiratory symptoms after COVID-19 infections, including shortness of breath and exercise intolerance.” A meta-analysis of 37 randomized controlled trials, including 22 trials of patients hospitalized with COVID, shows that pulmonary rehabilitation can improve lung function in Long COVID after 4 to 8 weeks of therapy.

H5N1

"H5N1 and H7N9 are both highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses. This week it was reported that chickens on a Mississippi farm became sick with the H7N9 strain of bird flu. People who get H7N9 Avian flu can become very sick, although mortality from H7N9 may be lower than for the H5N1 Bird flu strain. H7N9 can spread from human-to-human and tends to spread quickly which increases the risk of it mutating. For now, the affected birds were culled and the situation is being monitored.

"A study from Cornell University found that the H5N1 bird flu virus can remain infectious in raw milk cheese for months, raising public health concerns. While pasteurization effectively inactivates the virus, the traditional 60-day aging process for raw milk cheese does not eliminate the risk, highlighting the need for stricter surveillance and caution when consuming unpasteurized dairy products.

"The CDC confirmed the first known human case of H5N1 avian flu in the U.S. involving the D1.3 genotype in an Ohio poultry worker, though genetic analysis did not reveal markers for increased mammalian adaptation or antiviral resistance. Meanwhile, serology testing ruled out human-to-human transmission in a San Francisco child’s H5N1 case, reinforcing that no such spread has been detected in the United States. In response to ongoing outbreaks, the USDA announced up to $100 million in funding for avian flu research, including vaccine development, while confirming new poultry infections in four states.

Measles

"As of Friday March 21, the CDC reported 378 Measles cases in America in 2025 with 95% of cases seen in unvaccinated people. Hospitalization was needed for 17% (64 of 378) of cases for complications such as Measles pneumonia and there have been 2 deaths in 2025 related to Measles.

"As of 3/21/25, Texas reported 309 Measles cases, 40 hospitalized, and one fatality in an unvaccinated school-aged child. Sadly, anti-vaccine activists have exploited the tragic death of a 6-year-old from measles, reframing it as evidence against vaccines rather than a warning about the dangers of the disease.

"Quoted from NBC News:

“The child’s grieving parents have given just one on-camera interview, to Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine nonprofit group founded and led until recently by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now the health and human services secretary. In a video that aired online Monday, the young parents stifled sobs, recalling how their unvaccinated daughter got sick from measles, then pneumonia, how she was hospitalized and put on a ventilator, and how she died.

“Don’t do the shots,” the girl’s mother said. Measles, she added, is “not as bad as they’re making it out to be.” She noted that her four other children all recovered after having received alternative treatments from an anti-vaccine doctor, including cod liver oil, a source of vitamin A, and budesonide, an inhaled steroid usually used for asthma.

“Also, the measles are good for the body,” the girl’s father said.”

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Other news

mRNA Vaccines

"Less than two years ago, Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman were awarded the Nobel Prize for mRNA vaccines against COVID-19. This week, “NIH acting Director Matthew Memoli sent an email across the NIH instructing that any grants, contracts, or collaborations involving mRNA vaccines be reported up the chain to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s office and the White House. Memoli sent a similar message ahead of the agency canceling other research, including studies on vaccine hesitancy.” As Eric Topol posted, this is a threat to “one of the most important advances in biotechnology of our time [mRNA vaccines], already being used to successfully treat refractory cancers, enable genome editing, develop vaccines for infectious diseases for which there are none, treat autoimmune diseases, and more.”

"Katelyn Jetelina and Andrea Tamayo wrote an excellent article this week entitled, “Vaccines don’t cause Autism. So what does?” They reviewed "over 25 epidemiological studies, including a fantastic 2019 analysis of more than 600,000 children in Denmark" proving that vaccines do not cause autism. They said that the autism community is unhappy about being used as a reason to avoid vaccination and that wasting money on another vaccine study takes away research money that could be used to discover the true causes of autism.

"In a placebo controlled trial in JAMA, children between 28 days and 4 years of age with a fever (≥38.5 °C) and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) were given daily single dose of 0.5 mL probiotic mixture containing Bifidobacterium breve M-16V, Bifidobacterium lactis HN019, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 for 14 days. Young children who received the probiotics had 2 days less of fever than those on placebo.

"Lean Cuisine and Stouffer's recalled the following meals with expiration dates between September 2025 and April 2026 for 'wood-like material' linked to choking:

• Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli,

• Lean Cuisine Spinach Artichoke Ravioli,

• Lean Cuisine Lemon Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry

• Stouffer’s Party Size Chicken Lasagna.

"A group from France used hybridoma technology to improve the process of making monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). By using a method called fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to select the best ASCs from immunized mice, researchers increased the success rate of cell fusion to 100% and produced more effective antibodies, making the process faster and more efficient for medical treatments and research.

"There was a really interesting, albeit long, article in the Washington Post about Heather Stone, an FDA worker who started CURE ID to help doctors find new treatments and cures for rare diseases. The information posted on CURE ID helped to save the life of a little girl who had an unusual amoeba infection called Balamuthia. CURE ID is also documenting possible treatments for Long COVID.

"Obeldesivir is an oral form of the antiviral medication Remdesivir. A new study shows that giving oral Obeldesivir (ODV) to non-human primates gave 100% protection to rhesus macaques and 80% to cynomolgus macaques against a lethal dose of Ebola when given 24 hours after exposure. ODV may potentially be used in the future as “an oral postexposure prophylaxis with broad spectrum activity across filoviruses” such as Ebola and the Marburg virus.

"96 year old Bill Tallyn rides his bike every day around his RV park delivering treats to over 50 dogs and cats. His human neighbors and his canine and feline neighbors all love Bill.

From: https://www.abc15.com/news/uplifting-arizona/watch-mesa-man-delivers-smiles-and-wagging-tails-one-treat-at-a-time

"I’ll be taking next week off from the newsletter.

"Have a great week,

Ruth Ann Crystal MD"

Another Case of Trump Derangement Syndrome

As if destroying Teslas by committing arson fires, and SWAT-ting conservatives in the middle of the night, aren't enough, here's another case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, but this one is unintentionally funny.

I doubt anyone cares that this pianist is cancelling his tour any more than anyone cares that Rosie O'Donnell moved to Ireland due to TDS.  Also, deporting illegal aliens who are gang members, rapists, thieves, and murderers has absolutely no comparison to committing genocide by sending Jews off to die in the concentration camps in Nazi Germany.

So I agree: shut up and play; or just go away.

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Breaking: Major pianist boycotts Trump’s US 

The Hungarian Andras Schiff has announced he will not play in then US during Donald Trump’s presidency. 

Here’s the full text of his statement:

"Dear Friends, Colleagues and Music Lovers,

Due to the recent and unprecedented political changes in the United States, I feel morally obligated to withdraw from all engagements in the U.S. for the 2025-2026 season. This is not an easy decision to make. Since the 1970’s the U.S. has been very important in my life, including the many years I lived in New York City. There have been hundreds of concerts and wonderful experiences with excellent orchestras and musicians. Some of my closest friends live in the States. I have a great deal for which to be thankful.

Some people might say, “just shut up and play.” I cannot, in good conscience, do that. We do not live in an ivory tower where the arts are untouched by society. Arts and politics, arts and society are inseparable. Therefore, as artists, we must react to the horrors and injustices of this world. Have we learned nothing from the course of history — as recently as Europe in the 1930s? Perhaps not.

The American people have spoken – and we have heard them. Yes, indeed, there is a “new sheriff in town.” Which has made it a very different “town” — one that some of us no longer wish to visit. It is no longer obligatory.

Thank you for your friendship and continued support. Let’s not give up hope for better times."

George Foreman RIP

I never cared for Muhammed Ali, who was too obnoxious and controversial for my taste, but I loved George Foreman.  Just seeing him on TV selling his George Foreman Grills, or just seeing his name, made me smile because he was so likable. He was a great boxer -- how could you not root for someone who became heavyweight boxer of the world at the age of 45? -- plus a minister and a father, all of whose boys he named George.

Here's a nice 3/21/25 tribute from ESPN:

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Two-time heavyweight champion George Foreman dies at age 76 

"Big" George Foreman, one of the most influential and recognizable boxers of all time, died Friday, his family announced on his social media account. He was 76.

"Foreman, who won an Olympic gold medal in 1968, was a two-time heavyweight champion and Hall of Fame boxer.

"He is perhaps best known for the historic Rumble in the Jungle bout with Muhammad Ali in 1974 in Zaire, a fight Foreman lost in an upset via eighth-round knockout. It's arguably the most famous fight of all time, and the "When We Were Kings" film that chronicled the fight won an Oscar for best documentary feature.

"Foreman made history yet again later in his career. He fought five more times after he lost the heavyweight championship to Ali at age 25, including a fifth-round TKO victory over Joe Frazier (whom he stopped in two rounds to first win the title) and a fifth-round knockout of Ron Lyle in a classic slugfest.

"After that fifth fight at 28, Foreman shockingly announced his retirement and began a career as an ordained minister in his native Texas.

"Foreman was retired for 10 years. He returned to boxing in 1987 at age 38 and mounted arguably the most impressive sports comeback ever.

"At first, Foreman padded his record with easy wins. One of them was a second-round knockout of Gerry Cooney. But in 1991, Foreman proved this comeback was for real when he pushed the great Evander Holyfield to the brink in a classic heavyweight title fight at age 42. Though he was unsuccessful in his bid to become a two-time heavyweight champion, Foreman was undeterred.

"Five fights later, after a loss to Tommy Morrison, Foreman accomplished the unthinkable.

"Down on the scorecards in another title fight, Foreman landed a two-punch combination that laid Michael Moorer down for the count of 10 in 1994. At 45 years, 299 days old, Foreman was once again the heavyweight champion of the world, the oldest man to hold boxing's greatest prize (and also the oldest champion ever, a record that stood for 20 years).

"It happened," Jim Lampley called on the HBO broadcast. "It happened!"

"Foreman went on to have a successful career alongside Lampley as an HBO boxing analyst. But his greatest success outside the ring was yet to come.

"The same year that Foreman defeated Moorer, he launched his eponymous grill, which went on to sell more than 100 million units worldwide. In 1999, he sold the commercial rights to the George Foreman grill for $138 million.

"Foreman's final fight came in November 1997, a majority decision loss to Shannon Briggs.

"He held his role with HBO as a ringside analyst for 12 years, ending in 2004.

"The Ring named Foreman the ninth-greatest puncher of all time and, in 2002, one of the 25 best boxers of the past 80 years.

"In a statement, Top Rank called Foreman "one of the biggest punchers and personalities the sport has ever seen."

"George was a great friend to not only myself but to my entire family," Top Rank chairman Bob Arum said. "We've lost a family member and are absolutely devastated."

"Lampley said Foreman's death was "a massive loss" and that he feels "blessed and privileged to have known him."

"Tonight, I am flooded with tears after learning of the death of my dear friend and broadcast partner George Foreman. I loved him," Lampley said in a statement. "He was a great fighter and a far, far greater human being. Every great thing that ever happened to him, and there were many extraordinary blessings, was richly deserved. My thoughts and prayers tonight are with his family and his friends and his congregation."

Long-Term Damage From COVID

Why so many people are still oblivious or apathetic about the effects of COVID, I will never know.  This is another reason I have protected myself from the beginning with masks, vaccines, and avoiding crowds. It's worked this far.

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From CBC (Canada) Radio 3/20/25:

Beyond long COVID — how reinfections could be causing silent long-term organ damage
Even if you think you're done with COVID, COVID might not be done with you 

"COVID may no longer be considered an official global emergency, but mounting scientific evidence suggests every COVID infection a person gets increases their risk of developing long-term health issues. 

"There is no such thing as a COVID infection without consequence," says long COVID researcher, David Putrino, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

"The long-term effects can show up as long COVID, with symptoms such as shortness of breath, digestive problems, fast or irregular heartbeats, extreme fatigue and brain fog, or as silently accumulating cellular or organ damage.

"Putrino has been studying the lingering effects of COVID since early in the pandemic five years ago. Here is part of his conversation with Quirks & Quarks host Bob McDonald.

"What kind of cumulative, silent damage can a COVID infection cause, beyond long COVID?

"There is more and more literature emerging to show that, beyond long COVID, there are also effects that SARS-CoV-2 infections are having on the bodies of the general public that manifest in a way that might be viewed as silent. So what I mean by that is no one's going to their doctor and saying "I feel different" or "I feel as though my functional status has changed," but what's happening is, silently in the background, things are changing. 

"A good example of that is the effect that SARS-CoV-2 infections can have on cognition. There was a recent 2024 study that showed us that individuals who survive an acute COVID-19 infection — these are not individuals who are getting diagnosed with long COVID — on average will lose somewhere in the neighbourhood of two to six IQ points per infection.

"Really, with each infection? 

"According to the most recent study, yes. So there is a cumulative effect that can be occurring with each infection. 

"Early in the pandemic, we actually published a paper where we showed that, even in animal models — when we infected mice with a very, very mild case of SARS-CoV-2 infection — which only caused lung inflammation, we still saw these inflammatory chemicals called chemokines emerging from the infected lungs and starting to attack central nervous system structures such as the spinal cord and the brain. 

"Wow. So in other words, COVID is doing more than just infecting the lungs; it's going to other parts of the body. 

"Exactly. You know, this is a virus that, once it enters the body, is very capable of entering the bloodstream, creating immune responses that travel all over the body. 

"COVID is largely known as a respiratory disease. Can you walk me through the range of other body systems that might be vulnerable to long-term damage?

"Well, in all of the peer-reviewed literature that has emerged on long COVID, we've seen that it is a very diffuse clinical syndrome where every single organ system can be affected. And at last count, over 200 symptoms have been catalogued as potential symptoms of long COVID. 

"When we actually dig into the science of why long COVID is causing the symptoms that it's causing, we see that there are problems such as what we call "viral persistence." Meaning the SARS-CoV-2 virus is not being effectively cleared by the body and it's sticking around.

"It's hiding out in different areas of the body in what we typically call "immune privileged sites," which mean that immune cells don't actually go there and can't sort of seek out and destroy the virus. So that can happen in a number of different locations in the body, which leads to a wide array of symptoms. 

"We also see that the virus can cause prolonged chronic inflammation that can be whole-body wide. So it can affect every single organ and so often, many of the symptoms that people are experiencing are more related to which organ is most susceptible to them given their past medical history. 

"So we see things that are quite insidious. People who were pre-diabetic are suddenly diabetic. People who were having a few issues with gallbladder, suddenly can't digest fat anymore. 

COVID infections can lead to long-term health effects in nearly every organ system in the body. (Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis)

"Well, what is it about the coronavirus that enables it to spread throughout the body like that? 

"In 2021, two colleagues of mine published a really wonderful paper that I think is very prescient and it spoke about why SARS-CoV-2 presents such an increased threat to cause persistent symptoms. The reality of that situation is that this virus has a lot of very unique qualities that specifically cause immune damage to the host.

"So it's not just about infecting you and causing respiratory illness and fever and all of the things that we usually get with the viral infection. This virus also specifically causes your immune system to become weaker.

"It disrupts what we call "interferon signalling," which is part of the immune system that helps you to fight off infections or latent infections, such as Epstein Barr virus. 

"Typically our immune system can keep these things suppressed, but when SARS-CoV-2 enters the picture, it starts to cause altered interferon signalling. It causes immune damage and dysregulation.

"And suddenly, not only does your body have trouble clearing the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself, but it also starts to have trouble keeping some of these other viruses that have been latent from reactivating and causing problems. 

"In addition to SARS-CoV-2's ability to dysregulate the immune system and suppress the immune system, the spike protein itself is very damaging to blood vessel structures as well as red blood cells and platelets themselves. 

"And so between those two features, the ability to dysregulate the immune system and the ability to cause systemic damage throughout the bloodstream, you have a very dangerous novel virus on your hands.

"Well, if it has the ability to suppress the immune system, how does that affect our ability to fight off other external pathogens that we might be susceptible to?

I"t's something that we worry about a lot. In 2023, we published a paper in Nature where we showed that individuals with long COVID were much more likely than a cohort of healthy controls to express signs of what we call "T-cell exhaustion." Meaning that their T cells, which are parts of the immune system that are typically used to fight off infections, are starting to present as exhausted — that there has been a persistent stimulation of these T cells for long enough that their responses over time are starting to weaken. 

"As a result, in this study we saw immune dysregulation, we saw hormonal dysregulation, we saw reactivation of herpes viruses that were previously thought to be latent. 

"And as we have made leaps and bounds in our ability to understand the role of these persistent pathogens, these things that we used to think, "Everybody's got Epstein-Barr virus, but don't worry, it sort of just lays dormant in your body and it doesn't cause any trouble."

"What we're learning is that, well, it very much can cause trouble. If it's mixed with another pathogen and that pathogen causes the reactivation, then people can get very, very sick. 

"For the longest time in the field of immunology, there was the sort of adage that your immune system needs to be tested every now and again to stay strong. That's an old-fashioned idea.

"The more new-fashioned and evidence-based idea is that, although your immune system can take on [a COVID] infection, you want to avoid testing it as much as possible because your body is sustaining damage with each infection that it survives."