u/ddx-me

https://www.medpagetoday.com/washington-watch/washington-watch/121375

Drs. John Wong, MD and Esa Davis, MD, MPH were terminated on May 11, but also reinvited to apply for membership with a deadline of May 23, 2026. Kennedy said he "directed a review of current USPSTF appointments [to] ensure clarity, continuity, and confidence in the Department's exercise of its appointment and supervisory responsibilities and to protect the integrity of the Task Force's work. ... [The action] is administrative in nature and is unrelated to your performance or many years of dedicated service to the Task Force. ... Your continued participation would be highly valued." 50% (8 of 16) of the USPSTF is currently vacant.

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Modus operandi of RFK Jr.: break first and replace without transparency or independent review. I'm sure he's going to put Big Wellness and Big Supplement in charge of determining which preventive services are supported.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/article/1-american-tests-positive-for-ebola-6-others-exposed-cdc-says-what-to-know-about-the-latest-outbreak-112950919.html

https://www.cdc.gov/ebola/situation-summary/index.html

The CDC is working to move exposed Americans in the Congo/Uganda to Germany for treatment and quarantine. There are no cases or exposures in the US as of May 18.

On top of the hantavirus situation, more attention is placed on the US decision to cut down their disease surveillance. Also notable they shut down USAID and then move Americans to Germany

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5867934-live-results-louisiana-senate-primary/

Bill Cassidy was the deciding vote that brought RFK Jr. into the discussion in the first place. All to appease Donald Trump, who did not endorse him (because Cassidy voted to impeach him). Cassidy only won three parishes, all around New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5878628-hhs-rfk-jr-robotic-arm-heart-surgery/

I'd be weirded out if any non-physician, let alone the HHS secretary, operated a surgical machine for a photo-op during my surgery.

https://www.texastribune.org/2026/05/15/texas-children-transgender-transition-settlement-attorney-general/

"This Detransition Clinic will help patients reverse the damage caused by ideologically-motivated physicians who harmed patients by performing dangerous medical interventions for the purpose of 'transitioning' them."

The settlement also means that Texas Children must provide such services free of charge for the first 5 years (ie free healthcare for conservative causes). And in a way is gender-affirming conservative views. Lastly, it's not lost on me that Ken Paxton is in a hot runoff primary against the incumbent US senator John Cornyn, set to happen in less than 2 weeks.

https://apnews.com/article/yale-race-admissions-trump-justice-department-12af5d35d41b0bcb66b905ac8be5e0b7

Selective DEI practiced by Trump and his lackeys. I want to see their evidence laid out, under oath, in court vs. Yale's case.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/vance-announces-suspension-medicaid-payments-california-fraud-rcna344988

Sure, a few fraudsters are enough to stop $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to everyone in California. Ready to tear down a health system because of a few bad actors.

"They were not thinking that these symptoms were compatible with hantavirus. Why? Because what she was telling [them] was [that she had] an episode of coughing some days ago that had disappeared, and what she was having at that moment was kind of like stress or anxiety or nervousness. So it was not catalogued [as hantavirus]."

Crazy how even hantavirus can't dodge the premature closure to anxiety in a woman with apparent flu-like symptoms.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/11/french-womandoctors-hantavirus-symptoms-hv-hondius

HHS through @ASPRgov and @CDCgov is supporting @StateDept in the repatriation of 17 American citizens from the MV Hondius cruise ship affected by the Andes variant of hantavirus.

All 17 are currently en route via @StateDept airlift to the United States, with two of the passengers travelling in the plane's biocontainment units out of an abundance of caution. One passenger currently has mild symptoms and another passenger tested mildly PCR positive for the Andes virus.

As of now, the airlift will transport passengers to the ASPR Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska before taking the passenger with mild symptoms to a second RESPTC at its final destination.

Upon arrival at each facility, each individual will undergo clinical assessment and receive appropriate care and support based on their condition.

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So what is "mildly positive"? Is that patient symptomatic? When did both of their symptoms start? Is there a non-Twitter source (eg an official government website)?

Per CBS, there will be a media briefing tomorrow morning featuring UNMC, CDC, and HHS

CBS: https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/atlanta/news/americans-from-cruise-ship-linked-to-hantavirus-outbreak-monitoring-as-georgia-residents-remain-under-watch/
Politico: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/10/one-cruise-ship-passenger-returning-to-the-u-s-showing-mild-hantavirus-symptoms-00913723?cid=apn
Twitter post: https://x.com/HHSGov/status/2053656580118216985

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/mary-bowden-ivermectin-hantavirus-22249517.php

This also comes in the setting of a recently passed Texas law that lets pharmacists dispense ivermectin without a prescription, and despite the TMA's ardent opposition.

https://nltimes.nl/2026/05/07/klm-flight-attendant-hospitalized-contact-hantavirus-cruise-ship-passenger

The contact occurred on Saturday April 25 (almost 2 weeks ago) during boarding in South Africa to the Netherlands.

I am wondering about the nature of this interaction include (1) how symptomatic the patient was, (2) what the contact is, and (3) the flight attendant's risk factors for severe disease like comorbidities.