#yourlocalepidemiologist
LightNews LightNews
medwoman83.bsky.social
Some good public health news on local, state and national level
20 public health wins in 2025

Your Local Epidemiologist <yourlocalepidemiologist@substack.com>
December 31, 2025 at 5:43 PM
swlawrence.bsky.social
YourLocalEpidemiologist: “Mass shootings outnumber annual days in U.S.” Katelyn Jetelina doesn’t mince words. “As of December 14, the U.S. has had 391 mass shootings—more than the number of days in the year—for the seventh consecutive year…75 of these occurred at schools.” Bar
Chart showing U.S. as outlier in mass shootings. There are enough of these that epidemiologists can now identify patterns. “The timing of the shooting at Brown follows a familiar one: school shootings often cluster around periods of transition to and from school breaks.” Across the world, another mass shooting tragedy hit Australia, where people celebrating the first night of Hanukkah were likely violently targeted for their beliefs. “Almost immediately, social media seized on the tragedy to argue that Australia’s strict gun laws don’t work. I’ll stop that right there. This isn’t a debate because the data are crystal clear.” To her point: “Since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, strict firearm regulations (a buyback program and tight licensing) have kept mass shootings to zero or one per year on average in Australia.” The American experience is grotesque, with “roughly 400–650 mass shootings annually, with more than 46,000 deaths from gun violence each year…as the graph shows, it’s not even close.” Clearly, strict regulations reduce deaths. “Beyond Australia, places like the U.K., Japan, and Canada have similarly strict gun laws and extremely low rates of mass shootings.” In the U.S., states with the most lax gun laws have the highest rates of gun violence. “Firearm deaths are the leading cause of death for children in the U.S., whereas in Australia, child deaths from firearms are extremely rare, with suicide and road accidents being the top causes. Her post includes a long list of suggested personal responses, which reminded me that around the holidays is always a time of greater need for blood products. So—scheduled donation tomorrow.
December 18, 2025 at 1:34 PM
swlawrence.bsky.social
YourLocalEpidemiologist: “Be careful comparing the U.S. to other countries.” Setting aside the folderol coming out of the DHHS, the reliable, vetted, scientific recommendation in the U.S. + Canada is that everybody above 6 months of age should be vaccinated against coronavirus,
USA lowest rank among 12 OECD countries. Especially including pregnant patients. Jetalina + Yamey explore the reasons for differences between countries. “We are all high-income countries. We all have the same vaccines. We are all looking at the same data. How could public health officials come to different conclusions across countries?“ Simply put, the health “landscape” is different country to country. Our healthcare system is class-sensitive, difficult to access, bureaucratically inefficient, and lacks equity. “In 2021, the Commonwealth Fund compared the healthcare systems of 11 high-income countries, using measures such as access to care, equity, and health outcomes. The U.S. had the worst healthcare system performance, an overall ranking of 11 out of 11.” And Americans face a crazy quilt of coverage, worse than the other 10 in most respects in terms of payment. Estimates are, that compared with giving the fall Covid-19 vaccine to only those aged 65 or older, universal vaccination would prevent an additional 200,000 hospitalizations and 15,000 deaths. And U.S. hospital capacity is lower than others. “The Commonwealth Fund found the U.S. had 2.8 hospital beds per 1,000 population, lower than the OECD average of 4.3.” And we don’t have federally guaranteed sick pay, which means people are more likely to go to work sick and spread their ailments to other contacts. Finally, we have worse health outcomes than our counterparts. “In one study, [we] had worse health across all 16 health outcomes than [our] English counterparts.” The U.S. has [fragmented] healthcare access, less social support, less healthcare capacity, less true wellness.
December 9, 2025 at 2:39 PM
mbonner.bsky.social
Good roundup of America’s poor vaccination rates for winter viruses AND contains the childhood vaccination schedule before the current administration puts it in a blender https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/fall-vaccination-rates-are-down-flu
Fall vaccination rates are down, flu takes off, the U.S. is not Denmark, ICE’s negative impact on health, and more.
The Dose (December 8)
open.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 6:14 PM
pizzademon.mastodon.online.ap.brid.gy
Of course, it's not just Oregon

https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/fall-vaccination-rates-are-down-flu
Fall vaccination rates are down, flu takes off, the U.S. is not Denmark, ICE’s negative impact on health, and more.
The Dose (December 8)
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 5:05 PM
mbonner.bsky.social
Thanks to Katelyn Jetelina and all the legitimate public health experts who keep fighting to stop this administration from making even worse decisions https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/acip-key-takeaways-what-really-happened
ACIP key takeaways: What really happened and what it means for you
The two-day meeting of ACIP—the committee that once guided evidence-based U.S.
open.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 11:02 PM
drjqjarvis.bsky.social
“One in three Americans has medical debt, and more than half worry they’ll fall into debt any time they use the health care system. That fear changes behavior: people delay.”https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/aca-health-care-insurance-us-jetelina?r=17gidd&utm_medium=ios
5 ways our health care system has become utterly insane
A deep dive into the U.S. health care system: rising costs, corporate takeover, and why reform keeps failing.
open.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:26 PM
swlawrence.bsky.social
YourLocalEpidemiologist: “Halloween is the deadliest day of the year for child pedestrians.” This classic bar chart displays 365 days of the year + the mean number of pediatric car-pedestrian deaths on individual days, each averaged over 15 years through 2018.
Bar chart showing higher child mortality on Halloween. Halloween, unlike every other holiday, saw approximately 54 deaths clustered on a single day over this interval. I have no information on the number of non-fatal injuries, but it must be a significant multiple of that. “Studies have shown that the risk of pedestrian deaths on Halloween doesn’t change based on the child’s sex, the decade of Halloween, whether Halloween is on a weekend or a weekday, rural vs. urban, or region in the United States.” Thus this is an equal-opportunity tragedy. “The story stays the same: Kids ages 4-8 are at the highest risk during Halloween, followed by 9-12 year olds and 13-17 year olds.” Let’s make another assumption, that kids 3 + under are either closely supervised by a responsible adult or simply forego any trick-or-treating. No parent should have to learn this hard lesson. Remember the adage: when you see something, say something.
October 29, 2025 at 3:08 PM
sandraateaglereach.bsky.social
Food assistance info due to the government shutdown.

WIC is predicted to have about two weeks before it runs out of money. SNAP and
federally funded school lunches look to be safe through October.

Source: Your Local Epidemiologist • yourlocalepidemiologist+the-dose@substack.com
October 6, 2025 at 5:32 PM
kenaiseasky.bsky.social
Thanks Katelyn Jetelina ❣️https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/covid-19-vaccine-changes-what-it?r=9laak&utm_medium=ios
Covid-19 vaccine changes: What it means for you
Day 2 of ACIP
open.substack.com
September 20, 2025 at 12:22 AM
hwm777.bsky.social
Measles and Hep B vaccine changes: What it means for you

There were multiple falsehoods, repeated mistakes, and comments that revealed more ideology and incompetence than evidence.
ck.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/measles-and-hep-b-vaccine-changes?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Measles and Hep B vaccine changes: What it means for you
Today's ACIP meeting
open.substack.com
September 19, 2025 at 1:11 AM
scienceandsanity.bsky.social
#VaccinationUpdateReliable #YourLocalEpidemiologist #VaccinesCauseAdulthood

Great, science-based article by outstanding epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina MD PhD on RFK Jr's unscientific changes vs sensible current recommendations for your family.

yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/measles-an...
Measles and Hep B vaccine changes: What it means for you
Today's ACIP meeting
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com
September 18, 2025 at 10:44 PM
sairuh.bsky.social
The Guide to Fall 2025 Vaccines from #your-local-epidemiologist 💉 #YLE ⚕️ #yourlocalepidemiologist

open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...
A guide to fall 2025 vaccines
This fall, we have vaccines for three fall respiratory viruses: flu, RSV, and Covid-19.
open.substack.com
September 3, 2025 at 3:39 PM
jhagar.bsky.social
NIH proposing to make NO grants next year outside of its own labs on top of other massive cuts. The end of US dominance in medical research. More on the NIH.. https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/nih-the-quiet-engine-of-science-is
August 5, 2025 at 11:32 PM
cshlan.dawdling.net.ap.brid.gy
Odd bedfellows: Moving with MAHA from conversation to collaboration

https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/odd-bedfellows-moving-with-maha-from

> Our conversations began with curiosity and uncertainty. Nonetheless, we continue to show up, asking whether and how we can move […]
Original post on dawdling.net
dawdling.net
July 30, 2025 at 3:44 PM
gailwaldby.bsky.social
Heat waves can be dangerous to health. They send more people to the ER with heat stroke, asthma attacks, dehydration, and heart problems.
https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/heat-risk-paradoxes-disease-trends
Heat risk paradoxes, disease trends, and food alerts
The Dose (June 23)
open.substack.com
June 23, 2025 at 1:48 PM
gwaldby.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy
Heat waves can be dangerous to health. They send more people to the ER with heat stroke, asthma attacks, dehydration, and heart problems.
https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/heat-risk-paradoxes-disease-trends
Heat risk paradoxes, disease trends, and food alerts
The Dose (June 23)
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com
June 23, 2025 at 1:48 PM
mbonner.bsky.social
Excellent explanation of the unqualified people that RFK Jr placed on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and implications for future vaccine access (I’ll add alt text in my replies) https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/4-ways-to-anticipate-next-weeks-acip
4 ways to anticipate next week's ACIP
A big vaccine policy meeting: What to expect, pre-bunking, and some answers to your questions
open.substack.com
June 21, 2025 at 8:05 AM
imemi.net
It’s essential to understand that policy changes impact not just individuals who are deported, but the communities they leave behind, especially children. The data backs it up.
@yourlocalepidemiologist

yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/a-snapshot...
A snapshot into how deportations affect health
Community matters
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com
June 14, 2025 at 8:42 AM
swlawrence.bsky.social
YourLocalEpidemiologist: "Quick measles update." As of late last wk the number of confirmed US measles [rubeola] was 1,132 cases, contrasted with 1,856 in Mexico and 2,791 in Canada.
Map of US public health alerts for measles in the past wk.[Note the map comprises data through June 2nd, in terms of public health alerts from just the last wk]. "West Texas remains the main hotspot, though growth has slowed. Small but growing outbreaks have also been reported in Montana, North Dakota, and Colorado (all currently under 50 cases). Check with local health departments for exposure info." Just last wk, "CDC updated its travel warning, cautioning that “travelers can catch measles in many travel settings, including travel hubs such as airports and train stations, public transportation like airplanes and trains, tourist attractions, and large, crowded events.” Then yesterday the CDC upped their advice to international travelers about measles, saying that 'Americans should be vaccinated against the virus no matter where they’re going.' This CDC travel notice change reflects a recognition that people are not just being exposed to measles in countries where it’s spreading, but also in airplanes and during travel. Airports + really any large public gatherings offer most excellent venues for acquiring disease by simply breathing the air. Fortunately, note that immunologically intact individuals who have been vaccinated face no significant risk at all. Also note that the number of confirmed cases most likely undercounts the actual number of cases by a multiple as high as four. Disinformation from the highest levels of the Department of Health + Human Services is in large part responsible for this abject failure of public health.
June 3, 2025 at 2:27 PM
pizzademon.mastodon.online.ap.brid.gy
https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/covid-19-vaccines-what-just-happened

They circumvented the process

#covid #vaccines
Covid-19 vaccines, what just happened at the FDA, and why it matters
This is not how vaccine policy should be made.
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com
May 21, 2025 at 3:08 PM
becomingbabayaga.bsky.social
Reminder that in many states Medicare goes by different names. Here in Georgia it's PeachCare. If you or your kids are on PeachCare, the republican budget will slash it. Graph courtesy @yourlocalepidemiologist datawrapper.dwcdn.net/htLCp/5/
Medicaid programs go by different names in different states.
Hover over your state to find the name of your Medicaid program
datawrapper.dwcdn.net
May 19, 2025 at 7:05 PM
pizzademon.mastodon.online.ap.brid.gy
https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/the-rise-of-a-new-form-of-germ-theory

A hungry tiger in a field with Usain Bolt will kill him 99 times out of 100. It'll erase the average Joe 999 times out of 1000. The way to be safe is to construct a barrier between the two.

If Joe […]
Original post on mastodon.online
mastodon.online
May 8, 2025 at 2:44 PM
deep-chicken.bsky.social
Will the people realize it was a ~bad~ idea to put an anti-vax, worm-ridden, nepo-baby crank in charge of public health?

Figure by @kkjetelina.bsky.social
U.S. map titled 'Public Health Alerts (April 21–April 28, 2025),' highlighting measles outbreaks. Red circles indicate outbreaks (3+ cases), and orange circles indicate single measles cases. Major outbreaks include: 653 cases in southern Texas, 66 in New Mexico, 37 in Missouri, 15 in Oklahoma, and 9 in Michigan. The Texas/New Mexico/Oklahoma/Kansas region is labeled with a combined outbreak of 771 cases. Other orange dots appear in states like California, Illinois, Ohio, and Colorado. Figure by 'Your Local Epidemiologist.' (Jetelina, 2025) Jetelina, K.K. (2025, April 29) "Novavax confusion, food dyes, measles, dengue, and a new backup plan for vaccines." Substack. Retrieved from: https://open.substack.com/pub/yourlocalepidemiologist/p/novavax-confusion-food-dyes-measles
April 29, 2025 at 2:54 PM