Meg Tirrell
CNN medical correspondent
Signal: MegTirrell.60
- With 89 new measles cases reported Tuesday, South Carolina’s outbreak has now surpassed the size of last year’s record-breaking one in West Texas: www.cnn.com/2026/01/27/h...
- South Carolina measles outbreak is growing incredibly fast. Another 124 cases reported Friday to a total of 558. 531 people in quarantine dph.sc.gov/news/friday-...
- South Carolina adds 124 new measles cases since Friday - cases in the state have doubled in the last week, now to 434. 409 people are in quarantine: dph.sc.gov/news/tuesday...
- South Carolina adds 124 new measles cases since Friday - cases in the state have doubled in the last week, now to 434. 409 people are in quarantine: dph.sc.gov/news/tuesday...
- South Carolina's 99 measles cases Friday come on top of 26 Tuesday - the last time the US recorded 100+ cases in a week was at the height of the West Texas outbreak in March/April 2025: www.cnn.com/2026/01/08/h...
- South Carolina's 99 measles cases Friday come on top of 26 Tuesday - the last time the US recorded 100+ cases in a week was at the height of the West Texas outbreak in March/April 2025: www.cnn.com/2026/01/08/h...
- South Carolina adds 99 new measles cases since Tuesday, bringing total in its outbreak to 310. State epidemiologist tells us holiday gatherings, low vaccination rates are contributing: dph.sc.gov/news/friday-...
- South Carolina adds 99 new measles cases since Tuesday, bringing total in its outbreak to 310. State epidemiologist tells us holiday gatherings, low vaccination rates are contributing: dph.sc.gov/news/friday-...
- Really enjoyed this conversation with @stephenvliu.bsky.social & @nealaugenstein.bsky.social - thank you!
- 🎉 We’re kicking off the new year with a new podcast episode! This first episode of the year explores how media influences lung cancer awareness and public perception, and why changing the narrative matters. Listen and learn more: bit.ly/3L0Cnbl #NewYear #LungCancerAwareness #Podcast
- Nobody knows more about rare diseases than parents of kids who have them. My friend and former CNBC colleague Becky Quick this morning launched a new project focused on them, starting by sharing her family’s story: www.cnbc.com/video/2026/0...
- RFK Jr et al's new, inverted food pyramid: www.cnn.com/2026/01/07/h...
- HHS & CDC are editing the US childhood vaccine schedule to resemble other countries', ie Denmark's - Routine recommendations remain for: diphtheria tetanus pertussis Hib pneumococcal conjugate polio measles, mumps, rubella HPV (1 dose vs 2) chickenpox (1/2)
- Other recommended vaccines move to shared clinical decisionmaking (ie flu, rotavirus) or for high-risk groups (RSV - if mother didn't receive vaccine, hepatitis A, meningococcal disease) HHS says all insurers will still cover them all Story from @owermohle.bsky.social www.cnn.com/2026/01/05/h...
- Reposted by Meg TirrellThe FDA is finalizing plans to put a "black box" warning on Covid-19 vaccines, sources tell CNN, its most serious alert meant to warn about drug risks. cnn.it/4rRBxy5
- You know you’re of a certain age when you find yourself traveling and really excited to get home to your really awesome humidifier
- CNN is live again from day 2 of the CDC's meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which is scheduled to vote this AM on the hepatitis B vaccine universal birth dose recommendation. Follow along here, on the CNN app and on TV: www.cnn.com/health/live-...
- CNN is live from the CDC for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting, where today a vote is scheduled on whether to abandon the universal recommendation for a hepatitis B vaccine newborn dose. Follow live updates here, on the CNN app and on TV: www.cnn.com/health/live-...
- President Trump & his health officials have been calling to split the MMR vaccine into 3 shots. In a new CNN Explains episode, we look at what this might mean - using history as a guide: www.cnn.com/videos/title...
- Confirmation hearing for Trump’s surgeon general nominee, Casey Means, is postponed… as she goes into labor From @owermohle.bsky.social www.cnn.com/2025/10/30/h...
- Trump suggested he might get GLP-1 prices down to $150 Oz warned it’s not a done deal But what if it was? www.cnn.com/2025/10/17/h...
- President Trump got an updated Covid vaccine & flu shot at Walter Reed today www.cnn.com/2025/10/10/p...
- In AstraZeneca drug pricing announcement just now, Trump said some of its meds would get discounts of as much as 654% through TrumpRx Which is mathematically impossible But @ddale8.bsky.social looked into this before - and got the White House to explain its math: www.cnn.com/2025/09/23/p...
- Meanwhile, a landing page for TrumpRx is up: trumprx.gov
- Love the thought, West Elm, but what kind of tennis game has this many players on the court?
- If you tuned in to last month’s ACIP mtg, there was a weird moment when a presenter invited by RFK Jr’s ACIP said that his research grant had been canceled abruptly, so he could only present preliminary results It then got weirder; HHS denied it Here’s the whole story www.cnn.com/2025/10/04/h...
- Pfizer's stock rose 6.83% today after its drug pricing deal with the White House That added about $9.3B in market value
- TrumpRx program promises discounts of 40-85% for Americans buying drugs directly from manufacturers White House fact sheet says discounts are off list prices Pfizer’s Xeljanz list price = $6,073/month 40% discount = $3,643/month @dusetzinas.bsky.social: “How is this a reasonable cash price?”
- CNN Chief Data Analyst Harry Enten today on RFK Jr’s approval ratings
- Trump’s directives on Tylenol on Monday, compared with communications from the FDA: www.cnn.com/2025/09/24/h...
- Google search suggestions: such a snapshot of humanity
- (I was looking for how to prepare acorn squash… CSA help needed!)
- Trump says Cuba has 'virtually no autism.' That's news to Cuban doctors, @cnn.com's Havana bureau chief reports: edition.cnn.com/2025/09/23/a...
- European Medicines Agency: “In the EU, paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen) can be used for reducing pain or fever during pregnancy if clinically needed. There is currently no new evidence that would require changes to the current EU recommendations for use.”
- "My sense is the administration is disregarding solid science and replacing it with whim and whimsy — substituting seed oils with beef tallow for deep-frying french fries and cane sugar for high fructose cane syrup in soda,” Gardner said. From @cnn.com's Sandee LaMotte: www.cnn.com/2025/09/10/h...
- In response to a call from President Donald Trump to make the positive impact of Covid-19 vaccines public, drug giant Pfizer posted a collection of more than 200 press releases and statements and 27 peer-reviewed data publications since early 2020: www.cnn.com/2025/09/03/h...
- Dr. Paul Offit, a prominent voice on vaccines and frequent critic of RFK Jr, is blocked from participating in FDA’s vaccine advisory committee. HHS says his special government employee status expired. Offit says FDA had asked him to stay on 2 more years: www.cnn.com/2025/09/02/h...
- 1,000+ HHS employees (current & former) call for RFK Jr’s resignation www.cnn.com/2025/09/03/h...
- Nearly two dozen people developed food poisoning in Florida after consuming tainted raw milk from the same farm, state health department says (from @reportergoodman.bsky.social) www.cnn.com/2025/08/05/h...
- A major NIH grant to study ways to restore hearing was terminated by the Trump administration bc it was awarded through a DEI initiative—to a researcher who qualified bc of his own hearing loss www.cnn.com/2025/07/29/h... @manorlaboratory.bsky.social
- Big shakeup at HHS, our new colleague @adamcancryn.bsky.social reports - RFK Jr fires chief of staff Heather Flick Melanson and deputy chief of staff for policy Hannah Anderson. Melanson had worked in first Trump admin Kennedy "lost confidence in them," sources say www.cnn.com/2025/07/16/h...
- RFK Jr abruptly called off tomorrow's scheduled USPSTF meeting Notice came from the immediate Office of the Secretary "There is extraordinary concern," among those connected to the task force, "that it's about to be dismissed, like ACIP was," a source familiar tells us www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/h...
- American Academy of Pediatrics v. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Medical orgs led by AAP sue Trump admin health leaders over vaccine policy Plaintiffs include pregnant physician said to fear being blocked from getting Covid booster bc of RFK Jr's change to vaccine recs www.cnn.com/2025/07/07/h...
- (This is an updated post as plaintiffs corrected information about physician, who is concerned she won’t be able to obtain a Covid booster while pregnant. Previous post said she was said to have been blocked from getting one, and has been deleted.)
- US measles cases are now the highest for any year since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000, w 1,277 cases in 2025 so far. That surpasses the last record from 2019, when large outbreaks concentrated in Brooklyn & Rockland County NY threatened elimination status: www.cnn.com/2025/07/05/h...
- New measles cases continue to pop up across US -Kentucky reports 4 new cases; 3 in one household and 1 unrelated from international travel -New Mexico this wk said 5 detainees in a detention center tested positive -Texas outbreak slowing; state reported no new cases this wk US 2025 total: 1,220+
- The US has passed 1,200 measles cases so far in 2025, per @cnn.com tally In West TX outbreak: -TX added 6 cases in the past week, to 750 as of 6/17; 97 hospitalizations; 2 deaths -NM still at 81 cases, 7 hospitalizations, 1 death -OK still at 20 cases -KS (may be linked) adds 3 to 79 cases
- On day 2 of ACIP, we’ll be hearing about thimerosal, a preservative removed from most vaccines ~25 yrs ago as a precaution. No harm was seen in multiple studies of thimerosal, which contains a form of mercury. But it became a focal point of people concerned about autism: www.cnn.com/2025/06/25/h...
- Here we go
- CDC slide up during Covid-19 vaccine discussion at first meeting of RFK Jr’s newly assembled ACIP: “Covid-19 vaccines have been evaluated under the most extensive safety monitoring program in U.S. history”
- Slides posted for thimerosal presentation at ACIP included citation of study that appears not to exist “I don’t have a publication in Neurotoxicology by that title,” the apparent lead author told us Slide has since been removed First spied by @drboulware.bsky.social www.cnn.com/2025/06/24/h...
- A former leader of Children's Health Defense will present to ACIP this week on thimerosal in flu vaccines. The addition of a discussion & vote on the preservative raised concerns that debunked links to autism would be resurfaced (w @reportergoodman.bsky.social) www.cnn.com/2025/06/23/h...
- A former leader of Children's Health Defense will present to ACIP this week on thimerosal in flu vaccines. The addition of a discussion & vote on the preservative raised concerns that debunked links to autism would be resurfaced (w @reportergoodman.bsky.social) www.cnn.com/2025/06/23/h...
- The US has passed 1,200 measles cases so far in 2025, per @cnn.com tally In West TX outbreak: -TX added 6 cases in the past week, to 750 as of 6/17; 97 hospitalizations; 2 deaths -NM still at 81 cases, 7 hospitalizations, 1 death -OK still at 20 cases -KS (may be linked) adds 3 to 79 cases
- W Tx measles outbreak is slowing; TX has moved to updating case # once/wk, on Tues - 744 cases, 96 hospitalizations, 2 deaths (as of June 10) NM: 81 cases, 7 hospitalizations, 1 death OK: 20 cases KS: 76 cases (+ 5 since June 4) US measles cases = at least 1,197 per @cnn.com tally
- The agenda for ACIP (CDC's outside vaccine advisers) meeting next week posted - New items: a discussion & vote on thimerosal in flu vaccines, and a discussion & recommendations for the MMRV vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella, varicella) for kids under 5 www.cnn.com/2025/06/18/h...
- W Tx measles outbreak is slowing; TX has moved to updating case # once/wk, on Tues - 744 cases, 96 hospitalizations, 2 deaths (as of June 10) NM: 81 cases, 7 hospitalizations, 1 death OK: 20 cases KS: 76 cases (+ 5 since June 4) US measles cases = at least 1,197 per @cnn.com tally
- TX & NM report no new measles cases since Tues in West TX outbreak OK adds 1 case to 19 US total = at least 1,168 cases in 2025 Deadly outbreaks are also ongoing in Canada & Mexico: www.cnn.com/2025/06/06/h...
