Whitney K, MPH, PhD
@factcontagion.bsky.social
Fact Contagion | Epidemiologist | Public Health | Infectious Diseases | Zoonotic flu | SciComm (All opinions are my own)
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👋 Hi everyone! I'm Whitney, an epidemiologist. I’m embarking on a mission to debunk public health misinformation, promote data-driven insights, and empower a science-savvy community. Follow along, share, and let’s make knowledge contagious! #DataWorthSpreading #AmplifytheFacts 🧬👭🌍
When you invert a food pyramid retired 15yrs ago and the food itself looks concerned...
#USDA #PublicHealth
Image source: The New Yorker
#USDA #PublicHealth
Image source: The New Yorker
January 9, 2026 at 11:29 PM
When you invert a food pyramid retired 15yrs ago and the food itself looks concerned...
#USDA #PublicHealth
Image source: The New Yorker
#USDA #PublicHealth
Image source: The New Yorker
#Influenza viruses persist because their biology is built for constant change. But they aren’t dangerous because we don’t understand them. They’re dangerous because as the old proverb goes, 'Opportunity makes the thief'. The real risk is complacency. Learn the flu basics here 👇. #EpiSky #IDSky
The ABCs of Influenza Viruses: Our Most Predictable Pandemic Threat
Influenza's Evolution, Transmission, and Pandemic Potential
open.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 4:41 PM
#Influenza viruses persist because their biology is built for constant change. But they aren’t dangerous because we don’t understand them. They’re dangerous because as the old proverb goes, 'Opportunity makes the thief'. The real risk is complacency. Learn the flu basics here 👇. #EpiSky #IDSky
No tolerance for fear-mongering, but the US is in a #seasonalflu surge. H3N2 subclade K is expected antigenic drift, but H3 seasons do tend to be harder. Flu shots still help, esp against severe disease. Now’s the time to layer protections against exposure, not "immune-boosting" hacks #EpiSky #IDSky
What an H3 Flu Season Really Means
I have zero tolerance for fear-mongering, but it is worth calling attention to the seasonal flu surge we’re seeing in the US.
open.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 12:51 AM
No tolerance for fear-mongering, but the US is in a #seasonalflu surge. H3N2 subclade K is expected antigenic drift, but H3 seasons do tend to be harder. Flu shots still help, esp against severe disease. Now’s the time to layer protections against exposure, not "immune-boosting" hacks #EpiSky #IDSky
Flu-like illnesses are rising in the US. In 1 week, CDC's ILINet shows many states jumping into high/very high activity. These care-seeking patterns are the earliest warning we have for potential strains on our healthcare system. #FluSeason is here. This is when small choices start to matter #EpiSky
December 30, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Flu-like illnesses are rising in the US. In 1 week, CDC's ILINet shows many states jumping into high/very high activity. These care-seeking patterns are the earliest warning we have for potential strains on our healthcare system. #FluSeason is here. This is when small choices start to matter #EpiSky
Seasonal #flu activity is increasing. But nat'l surveillance is less timely and less granular than before. With H5N1 tracking gone, a limited One Health view across the human–animal interface puts us at an unnecessary disadvantage to add to (waves hands around) everything else. #episky
December 29, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Very perplexed by this move. If we don't even have a concensus on WHAT #ultraprocessed foods are, how are they going to go after companies? How about making fresh foods more affordable??? #PublicHealth
San Francisco Will Sue Ultraprocessed Food Companies
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Very perplexed by this move. If we don't even have a concensus on WHAT #ultraprocessed foods are, how are they going to go after companies? How about making fresh foods more affordable??? #PublicHealth
Thanksgiving Science Poll! 😊
What makes you the most sleepy on Thanksgiving?
A) Tryptophan in turkey 🦃
B) Booze 🍷
C) Carb + fat meal overload that triggers “rest-and-digest” mode 🍽
D) Passive exposure to football 🏈
E) Other ❓️
(This isn't a quiz with a right answer. It's your lived experience!)
What makes you the most sleepy on Thanksgiving?
A) Tryptophan in turkey 🦃
B) Booze 🍷
C) Carb + fat meal overload that triggers “rest-and-digest” mode 🍽
D) Passive exposure to football 🏈
E) Other ❓️
(This isn't a quiz with a right answer. It's your lived experience!)
November 27, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Thanksgiving Science Poll! 😊
What makes you the most sleepy on Thanksgiving?
A) Tryptophan in turkey 🦃
B) Booze 🍷
C) Carb + fat meal overload that triggers “rest-and-digest” mode 🍽
D) Passive exposure to football 🏈
E) Other ❓️
(This isn't a quiz with a right answer. It's your lived experience!)
What makes you the most sleepy on Thanksgiving?
A) Tryptophan in turkey 🦃
B) Booze 🍷
C) Carb + fat meal overload that triggers “rest-and-digest” mode 🍽
D) Passive exposure to football 🏈
E) Other ❓️
(This isn't a quiz with a right answer. It's your lived experience!)
Before the internet ruins your #Thanksgiving side dishes: no, your canned soup does not contain #labgrown or #3D-printed meat. There's no 𝐔𝐒𝐃𝐀 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐥 or 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧 for such products. And the cost would be insane. Ignore racist, ignorant rants from a Cybersecurity exec.
#Campbells #EpiSky
#Campbells #EpiSky
Inspecting claims Campbell's Soup uses 'bioengineered meat' and '3-D printed chicken'
Campbell's called the claims about its ingredients "false" and "absurd."
www.snopes.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Before the internet ruins your #Thanksgiving side dishes: no, your canned soup does not contain #labgrown or #3D-printed meat. There's no 𝐔𝐒𝐃𝐀 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐥 or 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐧 for such products. And the cost would be insane. Ignore racist, ignorant rants from a Cybersecurity exec.
#Campbells #EpiSky
#Campbells #EpiSky
Spoiler: this claim skips several inconvenient things called laws and approvals
#Campbells #3DMeat #EpiSky
#Campbells #3DMeat #EpiSky
Whitney K, MPH, PhD (@factcontagion)
If you’ve been busy prepping your turkey and sides for Thanksgiving and missed the latest "WTF" news cycle... or maybe you saw it and are now questioning your menu... earlier this week, an exec at Cam...
substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Spoiler: this claim skips several inconvenient things called laws and approvals
#Campbells #3DMeat #EpiSky
#Campbells #3DMeat #EpiSky
If today’s #health and #science news feels more like reality TV than a source of actionable, data-driven insight, this #Substack is for you!
#ScienceLiteracy #MediaLiteracy #EpiSky
#ScienceLiteracy #MediaLiteracy #EpiSky
From Clickbait to Credibility
A Guide to Smarter Information Choices
open.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:16 PM
If today’s #health and #science news feels more like reality TV than a source of actionable, data-driven insight, this #Substack is for you!
#ScienceLiteracy #MediaLiteracy #EpiSky
#ScienceLiteracy #MediaLiteracy #EpiSky
Tatiana is fighting for her life. Her cousin (RFK Jr) is fighting against the very science that could save people like her. Tatiana’s story shows exactly what’s at stake when health policy becomes anti-science.
#publichealth
#publichealth
Tatiana Schlossberg, Daughter of Caroline Kennedy, Shares Terminal Cancer Diagnosis
Tatiana Schlossberg took shots at cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a poignant essay about her terminal cancer diagnosis.
www.thewrap.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Tatiana is fighting for her life. Her cousin (RFK Jr) is fighting against the very science that could save people like her. Tatiana’s story shows exactly what’s at stake when health policy becomes anti-science.
#publichealth
#publichealth
1/ I love my Owala #waterbottles. Not because I collect them. I’m terrible at keeping them clean. And I’m a germophobe w/ a microbiology degree. Irony! Once I see mold, it never feels clean again, no matter how much I scrub. Thus, it completes its transformation into a flower vase 🧵 #idsky #episky
November 23, 2025 at 7:05 PM
1/ I love my Owala #waterbottles. Not because I collect them. I’m terrible at keeping them clean. And I’m a germophobe w/ a microbiology degree. Irony! Once I see mold, it never feels clean again, no matter how much I scrub. Thus, it completes its transformation into a flower vase 🧵 #idsky #episky
Science is the adult in the room building 30 years of concensus: "Vaccines don’t cause autism"
RFK Jr just edits the homepage: "Lol, what if we pretend otherwise?"
#PublicHealth #IDSky
RFK Jr just edits the homepage: "Lol, what if we pretend otherwise?"
#PublicHealth #IDSky
Decades of rigorous and scientifically sound research have proven that vaccines do not cause autism. CDC’s decision to change language on its website reversing that finding is reckless & harmful.
Our statement w/ @hivma.bsky.social, APIC, @sheaepi.bsky.social & @sidpharm.bsky.social: bit.ly/3XEc0KH
Our statement w/ @hivma.bsky.social, APIC, @sheaepi.bsky.social & @sidpharm.bsky.social: bit.ly/3XEc0KH
November 23, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Science is the adult in the room building 30 years of concensus: "Vaccines don’t cause autism"
RFK Jr just edits the homepage: "Lol, what if we pretend otherwise?"
#PublicHealth #IDSky
RFK Jr just edits the homepage: "Lol, what if we pretend otherwise?"
#PublicHealth #IDSky
No industry is perfect. But the imbalance is hard to miss. One sector must prove its products are safe & effective. The other profits by avoiding that responsibility. If we care about transparency and accountability, scrutiny shouldn’t be one-sided. (Source: For The Greater Glory of Science) #EpiSky
November 23, 2025 at 12:15 AM
No industry is perfect. But the imbalance is hard to miss. One sector must prove its products are safe & effective. The other profits by avoiding that responsibility. If we care about transparency and accountability, scrutiny shouldn’t be one-sided. (Source: For The Greater Glory of Science) #EpiSky
Food and healthcare aren’t optional #budget lines. Pretending basic needs are negotiable engineers harm. Dividing “deserving” vs “everyone else” just keeps people fighting each other instead of seeing who’s pulling resources upward.
#publichealth #socialdeterminants
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/u...
#publichealth #socialdeterminants
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/u...
November 1, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Food and healthcare aren’t optional #budget lines. Pretending basic needs are negotiable engineers harm. Dividing “deserving” vs “everyone else” just keeps people fighting each other instead of seeing who’s pulling resources upward.
#publichealth #socialdeterminants
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/u...
#publichealth #socialdeterminants
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/u...
"Fall back" hits different when you have kids/pets who don’t care about #DaylightSavingTime. Expect a few weird mornings/bedtimes. Shift routines slowly, get sunlight early, maintain consistent mealtimes, keep nights calm. Understanding circadian biology beats “biohack your sleep!” posts every time.
November 1, 2025 at 6:47 PM
"Fall back" hits different when you have kids/pets who don’t care about #DaylightSavingTime. Expect a few weird mornings/bedtimes. Shift routines slowly, get sunlight early, maintain consistent mealtimes, keep nights calm. Understanding circadian biology beats “biohack your sleep!” posts every time.
BARDA cuts mRNA vaccine programs bc they’re not miracle cures. RFK Jr is torching evidence-based innovation for fringe pet projects. This not just sabotages pandemic prep. It cripples cancer & autoimmune research. He's silencing science in favor of ideology. And people will die for it #episky #idsky
HHS slashes funding for mRNA vaccine development | CNN
US Health and Human Services is “winding down” its mRNA vaccine development and will instead fund other vaccine platforms through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the agency...
www.cnn.com
August 6, 2025 at 3:01 PM
BARDA cuts mRNA vaccine programs bc they’re not miracle cures. RFK Jr is torching evidence-based innovation for fringe pet projects. This not just sabotages pandemic prep. It cripples cancer & autoimmune research. He's silencing science in favor of ideology. And people will die for it #episky #idsky
21 people incl kids sick from E coli & Campylobacter after drinking #rawmilk sold illegally in FL. 7 hospitalized, 2 severe cases. While influencers and RFK Jr glamorize milk as natural, science says otherwise. Nature gave us germs. Science gave us pasteurization. Choose wisely. #episky #idsky
E. coli outbreak in Florida linked to raw milk
The E. coli outbreak comes as Trump officials face pressure to loosen regulations on raw milk
www.independent.co.uk
August 5, 2025 at 12:53 AM
BREAKING: Scientists trying to protect your land, air and waterways are the real threat. Not the wildfires, lead pipes, microplastics, or greenhouse gases. Obviously. The real pollutant was evidence-based policy all along.
#EPA #EpiSky #PublicHealth
#EPA #EpiSky #PublicHealth
US EPA cutting workforce by 23%, closing research division
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday it is cutting the size of its workforce by at least 23% and closing its scientific research office as part of President Donald Trump's broad effort to downsize the federal government.
www.reuters.com
July 19, 2025 at 4:51 PM
BREAKING: Scientists trying to protect your land, air and waterways are the real threat. Not the wildfires, lead pipes, microplastics, or greenhouse gases. Obviously. The real pollutant was evidence-based policy all along.
#EPA #EpiSky #PublicHealth
#EPA #EpiSky #PublicHealth
Happy July 4th! Public health gave you clean water, safe meat, and emergency services. RFK Jr? He’s trying to dismantle the very systems that make this holiday safe, while blaming his worst ideas on a brain worm.
July 4, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Happy July 4th! Public health gave you clean water, safe meat, and emergency services. RFK Jr? He’s trying to dismantle the very systems that make this holiday safe, while blaming his worst ideas on a brain worm.
This Big Beautiful bill will drag our healthcare system backward. It will strip coverage from up to 16 million Americans by 2034. It will make it harder for working families, children, and the chronically ill to stay insured. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.
July 3, 2025 at 2:29 PM
This Big Beautiful bill will drag our healthcare system backward. It will strip coverage from up to 16 million Americans by 2034. It will make it harder for working families, children, and the chronically ill to stay insured. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.
RFK Jr just fired all 17 independent experts on the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee. Expect anti-science replacements. If ACIP falls, states, schools, and insurers will be on their own. Federal leadership may be gone, but the science isn’t.
🔗 www.axios.com/2025/06/09/r...
#EpiSky #IDSky #Vaccines
🔗 www.axios.com/2025/06/09/r...
#EpiSky #IDSky #Vaccines
June 10, 2025 at 9:47 PM
RFK Jr just fired all 17 independent experts on the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee. Expect anti-science replacements. If ACIP falls, states, schools, and insurers will be on their own. Federal leadership may be gone, but the science isn’t.
🔗 www.axios.com/2025/06/09/r...
#EpiSky #IDSky #Vaccines
🔗 www.axios.com/2025/06/09/r...
#EpiSky #IDSky #Vaccines