Here are the highlights of Dr. Klotman’s Week 275 video address.

Flu

Although the viral respiratory season is over, there are still sporadic cases of Influenza – mostly Influenza B but A is also circulating albeit at low levels. This is fairly typical for Flu

H5N1 Flu

  • Human cases have become less frequent, but H5N1 is still seen among cattle and poultry workers. It continues to affect migratory waterfowl that serve as the main reservoir
  • The US has three H5N1 Flu vaccines stockpiled, but they were developed in 2007 and later. They target H5N1 variants of that period and may not cover current strains
  • Moderna was developing an m-RNA H5N1 vaccine targeting the current strains, but RFK (Lysenko) terminated that contract

MMR Vaccine

  • For adults who are at risk for Measles and who have low or undetectable Measles antibodies, a single MMR vaccine is usually sufficient to provide protection
  • A second dose is advisable for folks who have weakened immunity are who have close contact with such people, for health care workers, college students, folks who travel internationally, and people who were vaccinated during 1963-1967 with inactivated virus
  • Parents of young children travelling abroad need to be sure that their vaccines are up to date

COVID

  • COVID vaccine is prioritized for folks 65+
  • It is also recommended for younger folks who have chronic illnesses, immune compromise, pregnancy, etc.
  • It is probably appropriate for anyone 6-months and older, but RFK’s newly appointed ACIP panel is at odds with the medical experts on this

Upcoming Vaccines

  • The FDA has already approved the upcoming Flu vaccine(s) which will cover H1N1, H3N2, and Influenza B
  • COVID vaccines currently available should be effective against the emerging dominant strain NB.1.8.1 (aka Nimbus) that causes severe sore throat

My own commentary on the state of our Public Health is that I am skeptical about recommendations from an RFK ACIP whose members refuse to recommend vaccines that use the organo-mercurial Thimerosal as a preservative based on a roundly disproven claim that it is responsible for autism. This is ideology and chicanery – not science.

The new ACIP includes MIT business-school professor Retsef Levi – whose work is in the domain of Operations Research (statistical modeling and analysis). He has no training in Microbiology, Virology, Infectious Disease, or any other field closely related to healthcare. Yet, he has strongly held opinions, and he questions the safety and efficacy of vaccines. This kind of academic hubris is worrisome – especially when he says things like he wants to replace medical opinions with actual science. That’s the kind of arrogance that charlatans, more often than scientists, exhibit. Sigh.

By: llcPosted on