Halting infant hepatitis B vaccination would surge chronic infections from 232 to 470,000 cases
Health Secretary RFK is pushing voluntary vaccination over universal newborn hepatitis B vaccination, with models showing chronic infections at age 20 would surge from 232 to 470,000 cases.
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Switching to voluntary vaccination would trigger hepatitis B infection surge
An Annals of Internal Medicine model comparing two hepatitis B strategies shows delayed vaccination and shared decision-making in a 2026 birth cohort would increase chronic childhood infections from 255 to 303–467 cases (+19%–83%). By age 20, chronic infections would surge from 232 cases under universal vaccination to 474,806 cases—precisely what Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommends. Griffin is direct: this recommendation comes from someone with no scientific knowledge.
— Daniel GriffinUnvaccinated children face 26-fold higher pertussis risk in real-world data
During a record pertussis outbreak in Alaska in 2024, real-world data showed three-dose DTaP vaccination achieved 96.2% efficacy, while one or two doses offered 85.3%. Unvaccinated children had a 26-fold higher risk of confirmed pertussis than fully vaccinated children; those with one or two doses had roughly 4-fold higher risk. This evidence directly counters a growing clinic-room concern: that there are too many vaccines to keep up with.
— Daniel GriffinCDC's 30% staff cuts have left rabies consultations unsupported after hours
The New York Times documented unusual clusters of animal rabies—Maryland beavers, farmed goats in North Carolina, a record number of bats in California—prompting a CDC national health alert. But the CDC has lost about 30% of its workforce over the past year, including rabies team members, leaving no capacity for after-hours consultations. Officials claim the team is ‘fully staffed’ without clarifying headcount. Though there have been no confirmed human rabies cases in the US so far this year, Griffin says he's already fielded multiple emergency post-exposure consultations.
— Daniel GriffinCongo Ebola death toll climbs toward 5,000 with no sign of slowing
Kenya's confirmed cases have climbed from the 2nd and 3rd to 9, with one WHO-confirmed imported case in Nigeria. DRC itself is still spreading to new areas, with most close contacts untraced. Cumulative confirmed cases have reached 9,666 with 4,649 deaths, and CDC's curve shows no plateau—still accelerating. Vaccine developments include Ervebo (Zaire subtype) and new trials for the Bundibugyo subtype, both expected to show progress by November.
— Daniel GriffinMeasles fatal brain disease emerges years later in post-outbreak surge
A Philippine tertiary children's hospital documented 20 cases of SSPE—a nearly invariable fatal complication of measles—from 2007 to 2022. The disease typically emerges 6–10 years after infection. The hospital's admission surge for SSPE immediately followed the peaks of measles outbreaks, and the authors call these cases ‘the leading edge of the post-outbreak wave.’ More will continue to surface over the coming years. Against the backdrop of ongoing US measles outbreaks, children infected today won't manifest this fatal brain disease for another 6–10 years.
— Daniel GriffinNew measles test languished unreviewed for two months, citing ‘higher priorities’
In spring during measles outbreaks, California and Washington requested CDC validation for a new test capable of producing 500 results in eight hours. After two months of silence, a four-state West Coast health alliance—California, Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii—sent a letter to new CDC Director Erica Schwartz. CDC's response: ‘other higher priority items.’ Griffin's take: with staffing cut to this degree, naturally nothing else gets prioritized.
— Daniel GriffinLong COVID drug shows statistical significance while placebo improves nearly equally
In a Brazilian adaptive randomized trial across 22 clinics with 399 participants, the fluvoxamine group showed fatigue score improvements of just 0.43 and 0.58 points at 60 and 90 days on a 7-point scale—packaged in headlines as ‘99% posterior probability of superiority to placebo.’ But Figure 2 reveals the placebo group improved nearly in parallel, almost completely overlapping by day 90. Metformin at 500 and 750 mg showed nearly identical results. The two researchers' verdict: won't prescribe metformin, might try fluvoxamine, but neither result is compelling.
— Daniel GriffinDoctors unfamiliar with antivirals turn away patients during COVID cluster
A listener reported a super-spreading event with about a dozen simultaneous infections. When the wife successfully obtained Paxlovid and the husband sought Zocova for post-exposure prophylaxis, the on-call nurse said ‘never heard of it’ and refused. Both got vaccine boosters instead and recovered; most others at the gathering couldn't obtain Paxlovid from their doctors—the common excuse being ‘not necessary’ or ‘we're not prescribing that now.’ Griffin's assessment: many doctors follow news coverage rather than clinical literature or expert guidance.
— Daniel GriffinIn their own words · checked verbatim
This from a man who knows nothing about science. There's no reason to change this schedule.
Daniel Griffin3:11
Compared with children who received three or more of those doses, the odds of lab-confirmed pertussis was 26 times as high in unvaccinated children.
Daniel Griffin11:56
The CDC has lost about 30 percent of its staff since last year, including members of the rabies team, which no longer has the capacity to advise state officials after hours.
Daniel Griffin18:06
we're up to 9666 total confirmed cases 4 649 total confirmed deaths
Daniel Griffin21:17
because SSPE is latent for years after initial infection, those cases most likely represent the leading edge of a post-outbreak wave, and additional cases may emerge over the coming years.
Daniel Griffin25:31
Health officials in California and Washington facing outbreaks in measles this past spring asked the CDC to validate a test that could diagnose 500 cases in eight hours.
Daniel Griffin29:41
You see, the open boxes are placebos. And at 90 days, they are indistinguishable from the treatment arm, except a statistician can tell them apart.
Daniel Griffin39:03
The NP refused, as she had never heard of this medication.
Daniel Griffin43:05
Figures
| Universal vaccination: chronic HBV infections at age 20 | 232 cases | 2:10 |
| Voluntary/delayed vaccination: chronic HBV infections at age 20 | 474,806 cases | 2:10 |
| Alaska DTaP three-dose vaccine efficacy | 96.2% | 10:46 |
| Pertussis risk, unvaccinated vs. fully vaccinated | 26-fold higher | 10:46 |
| CDC staff attrition rate | approximately 30% | 17:06 |
| Screwworm human cases in 2026 through September | 1,355 cases, 5 deaths, 6 countries | 20:09 |
| DRC Ebola total confirmed cases | 9,666 | 21:17 |
| DRC Ebola total deaths | 4,649 | 29:41 |
| Fluvoxamine fatigue improvement vs. placebo (60/90 days, 7-point scale) | 0.43 / 0.58 points | 36:57 |
Glossary
- SSPE (Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis)
- Nearly invariable fatal brain inflammation that emerges 6–10 years after measles infection.
- Adaptive randomized trial
- A randomized controlled trial that adjusts doses, sample size, or halts ineffective arms per preset rules during enrollment.
- Screwworm
- A parasitic fly larva infection causing progressive tissue death, transmissible to humans and animals.
- Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
- Short-term medication following pathogen exposure to reduce the risk of infection.
How to listen
Pediatricians, infectious disease specialists, parents concerned about US vaccine policy, and anyone monitoring Ebola, measles, and other emerging disease outbreaks.
The latter portion contains listener Q&A on routine topics (statins, flu vaccine formulations) that offers more general health education and can be skipped.