Philadelphia Science Action

05/13/2026

Hantavirus has made headlines recently. The disease, typically picked up from contact with rodents, can be severe. The good news is that it is much less contagious than other viruses like COVID-19 or measles, so experts are confident the Hantavirus won't be the start of a new pandemic.

05/12/2026

As the HHS door revolves...."Kyle Diamantas, the agency’s chief for foods, will take over as acting commissioner, the official said. Diamantas is an attorney with personal ties to Donald Trump Jr."

Marty Makary is resigning as President Donald Trump's Food and Drug Administration head. That's according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak before an official announcement and insisted on anonymity Tuesday.

05/12/2026

05/12/2026

"Through the C.D.C. alone, the cost of the project is estimated at $40 million to $50 million, according to a person familiar with the matter."

"It just demonstrates that no matter what the general tone is about vaccines, whether we talk about them or not, the secretary is going to continue to try and look at the data and analyze it in a way that will help support the conclusions that he’s already made. And that, to me, is a real problem.”

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has toned down his public criticism of vaccines, under orders from the White House. But inside his department, a sprawling research effort is a top priority.

05/08/2026

Steady heads, good news, and some questions

05/08/2026

“Measles was a problem that was solved. Until it wasn’t solved anymore....The treatment is always going to be more expensive than the vaccine. It’s the best bang for your public-health buck — this is for people that couldn’t be vaccinated,” which includes those who are immunocompromised and babies less than 1 year old

As measles roars back, scientists seek a treatment

05/07/2026

After 3 people were hospitalized, 11 were diagnosed, 10 of whom weren't vaccinated (the vaccination status of the remaining person is unconfirmed). 23 cases have been diagnosed in PA this year; 22 of the affected people were unvaccinated.
https://tinyurl.com/5chtzapm

05/07/2026

05/07/2026

Knowledge is power but ignorance is bliss...? 😕

New PEN America report analysed 3,743 unique titles removed from libraries and classrooms and found books about activism and social movements were targeted

05/06/2026

"All newborns lack vitamin K. No matter how much vitamin K a mother consumes, it doesn’t sufficiently pass through the placenta, and breast milk contains only small amounts. That puts babies who are exclusively breastfed at a higher risk for vitamin K deficiency bleeding. Formula is fortified with vitamin K, but even with that, experts agree, babies should still get the shot." Also, "Babies who don’t get the vitamin K shot, research shows, are 81 times more likely than those who do to develop late vitamin K deficiency bleeding, where in many cases oxygen can’t reach their brains and blood pools around their skulls. Perhaps most alarming is that, according to the CDC, 1 in every 5 babies with vitamin K deficiency bleeding will die." But tracking systems are lacking and misinformation is readily available

A lifesaving injection given at birth to prevent severe bleeding has become collateral damage of the anti-vaccine movement.

05/06/2026

“The legal action came after an investigator from the department’s Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation found that a chatbot ‘doctor’ — named ‘Emilie’ — said it could practice psychiatry and was licensed to practice medicine in Pennsylvania”

Pa. suing chatbot platform over claim of having medical license