Your Local Epidemiologist
@ylepidemiologist.bsky.social
👩🏻🔬 Simplifying public health with data-driven insights
💡 Helping you make informed health decisions
🎓 MPH, PhD
👇🏻 Get weekly science-backed updates
https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/
💡 Helping you make informed health decisions
🎓 MPH, PhD
👇🏻 Get weekly science-backed updates
https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/
6/ Moving on food availability and safety, bird flu (H5N1) has taken out nearly 2 million turkeys since September 1. While this happens every year —bird flu spreads two times faster in turkeys than in chickens— it has started earlier than expected. This shouldn’t impact supply.
November 26, 2025 at 9:55 PM
6/ Moving on food availability and safety, bird flu (H5N1) has taken out nearly 2 million turkeys since September 1. While this happens every year —bird flu spreads two times faster in turkeys than in chickens— it has started earlier than expected. This shouldn’t impact supply.
4/ If vaccines come up, remember:
🔹80–90% of people support routine vaccination
🔹Hesitancy is a spectrum. Most people aren’t deniers, so don’t assume the extreme if someone has questions.
🔹Separate Covid vaccine conversations from routine childhood vaccines so emotions around Covid don’t spill over.
🔹80–90% of people support routine vaccination
🔹Hesitancy is a spectrum. Most people aren’t deniers, so don’t assume the extreme if someone has questions.
🔹Separate Covid vaccine conversations from routine childhood vaccines so emotions around Covid don’t spill over.
November 26, 2025 at 9:55 PM
4/ If vaccines come up, remember:
🔹80–90% of people support routine vaccination
🔹Hesitancy is a spectrum. Most people aren’t deniers, so don’t assume the extreme if someone has questions.
🔹Separate Covid vaccine conversations from routine childhood vaccines so emotions around Covid don’t spill over.
🔹80–90% of people support routine vaccination
🔹Hesitancy is a spectrum. Most people aren’t deniers, so don’t assume the extreme if someone has questions.
🔹Separate Covid vaccine conversations from routine childhood vaccines so emotions around Covid don’t spill over.
3/ Covid-19 levels remain very low nationally. Norovirus—the highly contagious stomach bug—is spreading across the U.S., especially the South. Wash hands thoroughly, clean bathrooms with bleach, and skip cooking if sick. And remember, hand sanitizer won’t work against this one.
November 24, 2025 at 8:37 PM
3/ Covid-19 levels remain very low nationally. Norovirus—the highly contagious stomach bug—is spreading across the U.S., especially the South. Wash hands thoroughly, clean bathrooms with bleach, and skip cooking if sick. And remember, hand sanitizer won’t work against this one.
2/ Respiratory illnesses are lower than previous Thanksgivings, which means chances of getting sick are lower. We are seeing RSV rise rapidly though, so it’s best not to pass infants from person to person unless mom got the RSV vaccine during pregnancy or the infant received the monoclonal antibody.
November 24, 2025 at 8:37 PM
2/ Respiratory illnesses are lower than previous Thanksgivings, which means chances of getting sick are lower. We are seeing RSV rise rapidly though, so it’s best not to pass infants from person to person unless mom got the RSV vaccine during pregnancy or the infant received the monoclonal antibody.
11/ As of June, silicosis is now a reportable disease in California. Case data is displayed on the CDPH Silicosis Dashboard, giving public health teams the ability to track trends and strengthen protections. Every case is preventable—and improving safety is a public health priority.
November 24, 2025 at 4:24 PM
11/ As of June, silicosis is now a reportable disease in California. Case data is displayed on the CDPH Silicosis Dashboard, giving public health teams the ability to track trends and strengthen protections. Every case is preventable—and improving safety is a public health priority.
7/ A new state law aims to manage this crisis by creating a 10-year pilot for “standby perinatal services.” This will allow small rural hospitals to provide essential labor and delivery care even without full maternity units. Humboldt and Plumas counties will be the first to participate.
November 24, 2025 at 4:24 PM
7/ A new state law aims to manage this crisis by creating a 10-year pilot for “standby perinatal services.” This will allow small rural hospitals to provide essential labor and delivery care even without full maternity units. Humboldt and Plumas counties will be the first to participate.
4/ A quick update on the infant botulism outbreak: Cases linked to ByHeart formula continue to rise nationwide. There are currently 23 national cases. California remains at 2. Symptoms can take up to 30 days to show up, so health officials expect numbers to keep increasing.
November 24, 2025 at 4:24 PM
4/ A quick update on the infant botulism outbreak: Cases linked to ByHeart formula continue to rise nationwide. There are currently 23 national cases. California remains at 2. Symptoms can take up to 30 days to show up, so health officials expect numbers to keep increasing.
1/ Flu season is starting in California after an unusually long off season. Activity is still low here, but we're already seeing signs on the east coast that the season is fully underway. I’m Matt, Your Local Epidemiologist in California, with this week’s public health updates 👇
November 24, 2025 at 4:24 PM
1/ Flu season is starting in California after an unusually long off season. Activity is still low here, but we're already seeing signs on the east coast that the season is fully underway. I’m Matt, Your Local Epidemiologist in California, with this week’s public health updates 👇
8/ Finally, NYC’s mental-health crisis response is shifting. Mayor Eric Adams recently announced a shift in mental health response for NYC. The city will be moving from EMT-led teams to a nurse, social worker, and ambulance driver model to help with EMT shortages & speed up ambulance response times.
November 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
8/ Finally, NYC’s mental-health crisis response is shifting. Mayor Eric Adams recently announced a shift in mental health response for NYC. The city will be moving from EMT-led teams to a nurse, social worker, and ambulance driver model to help with EMT shortages & speed up ambulance response times.
5/ Staten Island saw the steepest decline, possibly due to a hotspotting strategy that brings peer counselors and naloxone to areas with frequent overdoses. The Bronx still has the highest overdose death rate and saw the smallest decrease. A similar hotspotting program launched there this summer.
November 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
5/ Staten Island saw the steepest decline, possibly due to a hotspotting strategy that brings peer counselors and naloxone to areas with frequent overdoses. The Bronx still has the highest overdose death rate and saw the smallest decrease. A similar hotspotting program launched there this summer.
4/ Now, some good news: NYC saw a 28% drop in overdose deaths last year, which is the first major decline in years. Even with this progress, over 2,000 New Yorkers still died of overdoses, and fentanyl remains the main driver. Opioids were involved in 78% of deaths.
November 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
4/ Now, some good news: NYC saw a 28% drop in overdose deaths last year, which is the first major decline in years. Even with this progress, over 2,000 New Yorkers still died of overdoses, and fentanyl remains the main driver. Opioids were involved in 78% of deaths.
2/ Flu is surging. Statewide, cases jumped to 78% and hospitalizations rose 53%. In NYC, emergency department visits rose 104%. We spoke about it on Tuesday, but there's a new flu mutation that may make this season tougher. Getting a flu vaccination remains our best protection.
November 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
2/ Flu is surging. Statewide, cases jumped to 78% and hospitalizations rose 53%. In NYC, emergency department visits rose 104%. We spoke about it on Tuesday, but there's a new flu mutation that may make this season tougher. Getting a flu vaccination remains our best protection.
1/ As we head into one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, respiratory viruses are top of mind. I wanted to pop in to quickly give everyone the infectious disease rate breakdown, as well as a few other New York public health updates. Let's dive into the data 👇
November 21, 2025 at 6:51 PM
1/ As we head into one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, respiratory viruses are top of mind. I wanted to pop in to quickly give everyone the infectious disease rate breakdown, as well as a few other New York public health updates. Let's dive into the data 👇
The CDC website was quietly edited last night to claim there’s “no evidence” that vaccines don’t cause autism.
This is false.
But this is damaging, even beyond people’s confidence in vaccines.
For the first time in my career, I cannot tell people to trust what the CDC website without hesitation.
This is false.
But this is damaging, even beyond people’s confidence in vaccines.
For the first time in my career, I cannot tell people to trust what the CDC website without hesitation.
November 20, 2025 at 5:26 PM
The CDC website was quietly edited last night to claim there’s “no evidence” that vaccines don’t cause autism.
This is false.
But this is damaging, even beyond people’s confidence in vaccines.
For the first time in my career, I cannot tell people to trust what the CDC website without hesitation.
This is false.
But this is damaging, even beyond people’s confidence in vaccines.
For the first time in my career, I cannot tell people to trust what the CDC website without hesitation.
5/ So, in the early 2000’s, suddenly, MHT was seen not as preventive medicine but as potentially dangerous and the FDA issued the black box warning. In 20 years, the use of MHT plummeted from 27% to 5%. In other words, millions of women were told to “just deal with” their menopausal symptoms.
November 19, 2025 at 9:32 PM
5/ So, in the early 2000’s, suddenly, MHT was seen not as preventive medicine but as potentially dangerous and the FDA issued the black box warning. In 20 years, the use of MHT plummeted from 27% to 5%. In other words, millions of women were told to “just deal with” their menopausal symptoms.
6/ Flu doesn’t behave uniformly around the globe, but CDC data shows it’s rising in the U.S. The newly mutated H3N2 K strain—behind surges in the U.K., Japan, and Canada—now makes up 12% of U.S. flu samples. So unfortunately, the same virus is already starting to take off here.
November 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
6/ Flu doesn’t behave uniformly around the globe, but CDC data shows it’s rising in the U.S. The newly mutated H3N2 K strain—behind surges in the U.K., Japan, and Canada—now makes up 12% of U.S. flu samples. So unfortunately, the same virus is already starting to take off here.
1/ Hey, epidemiologist here 👋
I've been seeing a lot of concern as we enter flu season, so I want to do a quick breakdown of what's going on with #H3N2, the flu strain everyone's been talking about, how it’s mutating, and the best ways you can protect yourself. 🧵
I've been seeing a lot of concern as we enter flu season, so I want to do a quick breakdown of what's going on with #H3N2, the flu strain everyone's been talking about, how it’s mutating, and the best ways you can protect yourself. 🧵
November 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
1/ Hey, epidemiologist here 👋
I've been seeing a lot of concern as we enter flu season, so I want to do a quick breakdown of what's going on with #H3N2, the flu strain everyone's been talking about, how it’s mutating, and the best ways you can protect yourself. 🧵
I've been seeing a lot of concern as we enter flu season, so I want to do a quick breakdown of what's going on with #H3N2, the flu strain everyone's been talking about, how it’s mutating, and the best ways you can protect yourself. 🧵
6/ Last week, Canada lost its WHO elimination status for measles. For anyone who is curious, the U.S.'s status will be reviewed in January. We’ve seen 1,600+ cases, the most since 1990, but elimination status changes depend on sustained transmission of a single strain, not just total cases.
November 17, 2025 at 11:24 PM
6/ Last week, Canada lost its WHO elimination status for measles. For anyone who is curious, the U.S.'s status will be reviewed in January. We’ve seen 1,600+ cases, the most since 1990, but elimination status changes depend on sustained transmission of a single strain, not just total cases.
5/ Our final update on the infectious disease front: Covid-19 is in a lull, but cases typically tick up in late November. We don't have national data on vaccine uptake for 2025, but we know that New York adult rates are 30% lower than last year. It's not too late to get vaccinated!
November 17, 2025 at 11:24 PM
5/ Our final update on the infectious disease front: Covid-19 is in a lull, but cases typically tick up in late November. We don't have national data on vaccine uptake for 2025, but we know that New York adult rates are 30% lower than last year. It's not too late to get vaccinated!
3/ We're also starting to see flu season ramp up. H3N2 K, the strain driving surges in the U.K., Japan, and Canada, is now dominating 51% of U.S. flu samples. Unfortunately, this mutation happened after the flu vaccine was finalized, but the vaccine still offers some protection.
November 17, 2025 at 11:24 PM
3/ We're also starting to see flu season ramp up. H3N2 K, the strain driving surges in the U.K., Japan, and Canada, is now dominating 51% of U.S. flu samples. Unfortunately, this mutation happened after the flu vaccine was finalized, but the vaccine still offers some protection.
2/ Here's the details on the outbreak. Last week, CDPH and CDC reported a multi-state outbreak tied to ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula.
All 15 infected infants were hospitalized with no deaths reported and ByHeart has recalled all formula products nationwide as of November 11.
All 15 infected infants were hospitalized with no deaths reported and ByHeart has recalled all formula products nationwide as of November 11.
November 14, 2025 at 5:07 PM
2/ Here's the details on the outbreak. Last week, CDPH and CDC reported a multi-state outbreak tied to ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula.
All 15 infected infants were hospitalized with no deaths reported and ByHeart has recalled all formula products nationwide as of November 11.
All 15 infected infants were hospitalized with no deaths reported and ByHeart has recalled all formula products nationwide as of November 11.
7/ Moving on to infectious diseases, Covid cases are down in New York, but flu and RSV are rising fast. Flu hospitalizations jumped 71% statewide, and RSV is surging among kids under 4. Wastewater data suggests Covid could tick up soon too.
November 13, 2025 at 4:10 PM
7/ Moving on to infectious diseases, Covid cases are down in New York, but flu and RSV are rising fast. Flu hospitalizations jumped 71% statewide, and RSV is surging among kids under 4. Wastewater data suggests Covid could tick up soon too.
2/ For context, the ACA Marketplace is where people without employer insurance can shop for affordable plans. In New York, it’s called the New York State of Health. Coverage options vary by income—from Medicaid and the Essential Plan to subsidized Marketplace plans.
November 13, 2025 at 4:10 PM
2/ For context, the ACA Marketplace is where people without employer insurance can shop for affordable plans. In New York, it’s called the New York State of Health. Coverage options vary by income—from Medicaid and the Essential Plan to subsidized Marketplace plans.
7/ We're also seeing corporate consolidation take over U.S. health care. Insurers, hospitals, and pharmacy chains dominate care delivery, buying up practices, and running insurance plans. Vertical integration raises prices, limits choice, and steers business away from independent providers.
November 12, 2025 at 10:12 PM
7/ We're also seeing corporate consolidation take over U.S. health care. Insurers, hospitals, and pharmacy chains dominate care delivery, buying up practices, and running insurance plans. Vertical integration raises prices, limits choice, and steers business away from independent providers.
5/There's also this myth that Americans overuse health care so it needs to cost more to discourage use. We don’t visit doctors more, stay in hospitals longer, or get more procedures than other countries. The real driver of high costs is corporate profit-seekers finding ways to bill for more services
November 12, 2025 at 10:12 PM
5/There's also this myth that Americans overuse health care so it needs to cost more to discourage use. We don’t visit doctors more, stay in hospitals longer, or get more procedures than other countries. The real driver of high costs is corporate profit-seekers finding ways to bill for more services