Melody Schreiber

@melodyschreiber.com

17613 Followers 2946 Following

Health contributor/reporter at Guardian US, contributing editor at the New Republic, freelance elsewhere. Arctic obsessive and book enthusiast. Send me your secrets: Signal: melodyschreiber.06 Email: melodyschreiber@proton.me Newsletter: notadoctor.news

The irony, of course, is that this administration’s health leadership rode in on a wave of Covid criticism and a promise to restore trust in public health. They seem to be finding out just how hard it is to communicate nuance in an emergency — especially when many agency experts have left the building.
In this outbreak, the CDC pointed to a shredded iceberg supplier in Mexico, naming Taco Bell as an affected restaurant without naming the producer, on Friday. The outbreak probably goes beyond one restaurant chain, Bagdasarian said. “As we look at where people could have come into contact with this contaminated material, there is no one single place that has jumped out at us,” she said. “It’s more about ‘where did contamination occur upstream?’ – and many of these producers will supply not only restaurants and fast-food chains but also grocery stores.”
A pink koi opening its mouth at the surface of a pond to eat a leaf
A box from Aranet: making sensors wireless
AQI to cigarette calculator AQI: 237 Hours exposed: 24 It's like you've smoked: 7 cigarettes
Air quality at 237, "very unhealthy"
A gaggle of speakers, a few people videotaping, and one apparent attendee
A gaggle of speakers, a few people videotaping, and one apparent attendee
Tweet from HHS Rapid Response: "Claims that HHS has "abandoned" federal rulemaking to establish a condition of participation in Medicare and Medicaid for hospitals are completely inaccurate and unfounded. The Department has not withdrawn or reversed course on the "Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Hospital Condition of Participation: Prohibiting Sex-Rejecting Procedures for Children" rule. HHS an CMS continue to follow statutory requirements by reviewing comments, and we intend to issue a final rule. HHS remains committed to protecting children from potentially lifelong, irreversible, and harmful sex‑rejecting interventions." [The post includes a retweet of Ben Ryan summarizing NPR reporting on the rule change]
A lake, surrounded by trees and reflecting clouds with snatches of blue
Donald Trump and JD Vance are both married to first- or second-generation immigrants, as are other top officials in the Trump administration, and many Americans descend from immigrants, Pierre-Louis pointed out. “Why is it an America for them only, and it cannot be the America for all?”
Kennedy’s HHS was supposed to purge cozy relationships and conflicts of interest from health care policy; to rid the food supply of contaminants sickening Americans, from pesticides to artificial dyes; to stop advancing Big Pharma’s interests and, instead, scrutinize the safety profile of multiple vaccines.
Washington Post headline: DC is about to be hotter than 99 percent of the world [Map showing hottest areas in red]
CDC Encourages Americans to Stay Mosquito Bite-Free during America's 250th Independence Day holiday weekend                  West Nile virus season starting early, highest number of infections reported at this point in year since 2004. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is seeing the earliest start to the West Nile virus (WNV) season in the United States with the highest number of human disease cases reported by this time of year since 2004. At least 48 cases have been reported as of June 30, 2026: 38 have been cases of severe neuroinvasive disease. Since 2004, an average of 10 human disease cases has been reported to CDC by the end of June. This surge is driven by early circulation of the virus, with 23 states reporting West Nile virus activity – also the highest number recorded over the last 10 years. With millions of Americans expected to spend time outdoors over the America's 250th Independence Day holiday weekend, CDC recommends taking the following precautions to reduce the risk of mosquito bites: Use an insect repellent registered with the Environmental Protection Agency. Wear long, loose-fitting shirts and pants so it is harder for mosquitoes to bite your skin.
I worked at Smithsonian, specifically raising money for 250th. What I want people to know is we secured millions of private philanthropy to host a month long Folklife Festival on the mall, "The Festival of Festivals". Was going to feature well known festivals, think Burning Man, Farm Aid, Grand Ole Oprey etc. as well as smaller local and regional festivals from across the U.S. and territories. Goal was to feature truly the best and most beautiful creative expression in music, dance, arts and craft traditions, food, community etc. Can't name names but plan was to have headliners every night for free concerts.... Think the types of names who might be affiliated with the aforementioned large festivals. Stars were willing to perform because was under banner of Smithsonian. It had to all be scrapped bc the administration would not release permits to host on the mall. The money went elsewhere, but our nation was robbed of what would have been a once in a generation cultural moment.
Metal fencing around DuPont Circle
National Guard members standing near the DC pride parade
Infamous in the field of public health is the cycle of panic and neglect—the great rush to solve a deadly outbreak, sometimes with eye-popping budgets, and then a lapse in attention and resources. If you know what adenovirus is, did you know there was a vaccine for it? I didn’t! The U.S. military created a vaccine for the common virus, which causes respiratory and gastrointestinal infections and, after World War II, was landing half of Fort Dix recruits in the hospital. The adenovirus vaccine first deployed in 1971 was wildly successful at preventing illness and death among service members—but that success brought complacency, which in turn invited tragedy. The U.S. Defense Department allowed the vaccine program to lapse in 1996, and two young recruits soon died. The vaccine program was only brought back in 2011 at great financial and personal expense, costing 20 times more than if the original vaccine manufacturing process had been maintained in the first place.
The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC continues to expand, with 676 confirmed cases, 136 deaths, and transmission now reported across 29 health zones. The most concerning development is the first confirmed spread into an overcrowded displacement camp in Ituri Province, where two deaths have been reported, while WHO warns that insecurity and surveillance gaps may be hiding the full extent of transmission in hard-to-reach areas.
A blue bowl with yogurt and berries
A woman in a white face mask, holding an extremely small (two-pound) baby on oxygen, looking up at the person taking the photo
Media Statement For Immediate Release Saturday, May 23, 2026 Contact: CDC Media Relations Enhanced Ebola Airport Screening Expands to Atlanta The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expanded enhanced public health entry screening for Ebola to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport effective May 22, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time. This is in addition to screening currently happening at Washington-Dulles International Airport that started at 11:59 PM on May 20, 2026. Hartsfield-Jackson previously conducted enhanced public health entry screening and has established operational procedures in place. Enhanced public health entry screening is one component of CDC’s layered public health approach, which also includes overseas exit screening, airline illness reporting, and post-arrival public health monitoring.
Media Statement For Immediate Release Friday, May 22, 2026 Contact: CDC Media Relations Update on Title 42 Order As of today, HHS has issued an interim final rule revising the authority under 42 CFR Part 71.40, which temporarily limits the entry of specific people into the United States to help stop the spread of dangerous diseases. The revised rule now applies the ability to suspend introduction into the United States to U.S. lawful permanent residents (green card holders). Given the current Ebola outbreak, this means lawful permanent residents who have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan within the last 21 days are prevented from entering the United States. The rule does not permanently bar lawful permanent residents from returning to the United States. Instead, it gives CDC discretionary authority to restrict entry when needed and allowed by law. Applying this authority to lawful permanent residents for a limited period of time provides a balance between protecting public health and managing emergency response resources.
After earning his win at Dover, Busch was asked how many races he wants to win in his career before he stops racing. “You take whatever you can get, man,” Busch said. “You never know when the last one is going to be, so cherish them all — trust me.”
Enhanced Ebola Airport Screening Begins at Washington-Dulles International Airport On May 18, 2026, the CDC issued an Order suspending entry to the United States of foreign nationals who were in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda, or South Sudan within 21 days before arrival. U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and lawful permanent residents who were in these countries within 21 days are permitted to enter the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a federal register notice, available here, that outlines the redirection of these affected travelers to Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD) beginning 11:59 p.m. May 20, 2026, for enhanced public health screening.
A clump of three light-pink peonies
An image of the microscopic Ebola Bundibugyo virus, looking like a question mark
Hoya bella, about to bloom
Hoya chibi (?) about to bloom
Hoya AH-250 in bloom
Call for Urgent Regional Coordination Meeting Following Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Ituri Province, DRC
A row of about six National Guard outside the metro
A photo of a young shirtless RFK Jr mounting a rhinoceros while smoking a cigarette
High-Risk Contacts: Modified Activities No concerns - Can live with others - May do activities outside the home that do not involve extensive interactions with other people, such as grocery shopping or school drop-off Case-by-case - Work should be determined by health department on a case-by- case basis based on nature and location of the work Not recommended - Sharing a bed with someone else - Attending social events - Visiting crowded venues, including movie theaters, concert halls, or professional sports event
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CDC Provides Update on Hantavirus Outbreak Linked to M/V Hondius Cruise Ship The U.S. government is actively monitoring and responding to a hantavirus outbreak linked to the M/V Hondius cruise ship. At this time, the risk to the American public remains extremely low. CDC developed health guidance for impacted American passengers, which was delivered by the U.S. Department of State. CDC's premier infectious disease experts are continuing to work closely with international partners to develop consistent monitoring guidance. This guidance will be distributed today, in addition to resources targeted for state and local health departments. The U.S. government's top priority is the safe repatriation of American passengers. These individuals are planned to be evacuated on a U.S. government medical repatriation flight to Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, where they will be transported to the National Quarantine Center at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. The CDC deployed a team of epidemiologists and medical professionals to the Canary Islands, where the M/V Hondius is expected to dock. The team will conduct an exposure risk assessment for each American passenger and provide recommendations for the level of monitoring required. An additional CDC team will deploy to Offutt AFB to support public health assessment of returning passengers. https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/about/andesvirus.html
A closer snapshot of a monstera variegata and frydek
Finalists Azeen Ghorayshi and Austin Mitchell of The New York Times for “The Protocol,” their comprehensive investigation of youth gender medicine, exploring its origins and uses, helping to illuminate one of the most controversial health policy debates of our time.
Front page of the Onion, a satirical publication
A notice saying "Breaking news: At long last, Global Tetrahedron takes over InfoWars. It's actually happening."
Negative Covid test
Email from someone named Dave: Saw your article on RFK. It would have been better if you left your personal opinions out of it. No one cares about your opinion. Just report the story, not what you want people to think. You don't need to craft a message. Just deliver facts and let the reader decide. Very bossy of you.
Previous racist comments Kennedy made about Black children resurfaced in the hearing. “Every Black kid is now just standard put on Adderall, on SSRIs, benzos, which are known to induce violence, and those kids are going to have a chance to go somewhere and get re-parented, to live in a community where there’ll be no cellphones, no screens,” Kennedy reportedly said on the 19Keys podcast in June 2024. “Have you ever re-parented – or parented, I should say – a black child?” Terri Sewell, a Democrat from Alabama, asked in the hearing. Kennedy responded that he did not “even know what that phrase means”, before doubting that he said it and refusing to answer. When Sewell said Kennedy was “suggesting that the federal government should take Black children away from their families and re-parent them and send them off to some wellness farm”, Kennedy interrupted and said the congresswoman was “just making stuff up”. Sewell pushed back: “I am absolutely not making this up, Mr Secretary. Even today, black children are removed from their homes at higher rates than white children, not because of their greater harm but because of longstanding bias and built-in institutionalism. For you to suggest that black families are not capable of raising their own children is deeply offensive, sir.” She later added the transcript of his 2024 remarks into the record.
A tuxedo cat is curled up on a blue rug underneath the coffee table
A Covid test with a very bright red positive line, which can indicate high viral load
But as he saw negative result after negative result, Sanchez felt his optimism curdle. After two days, the volunteers had conducted more than 3,300 tests, but fewer than two dozen turned positive, as Sanchez remembers it. That’s why he was puzzled when one of the senior researchers of the study, Jay Bhattacharya, stepped into the ballroom, saw the handful of positive tests alongside stacks of negative tests, and said, “there’s definitely signal here,” according to Sanchez’s recollection. “That was my first sinking feeling, because I was like, ‘That is not how I am interpreting this experiment,’” Sanchez said. The ensuing preprint study estimated that between 2.5% to 4% of people in the region had been infected – a rate vastly higher than previously thought, and a figure significantly higher than the number of positive tests Sanchez says he saw. Bhattacharya became a fixture on Fox News and other networks, proclaiming the opposite of what Sanchez now believed: that many more people had the virus than anyone thought, and that meant the US should reopen.
A cat, wearing a round plastic thing as a hat
Disease Outbreak News Avian Influenza A(H9N2) - Italy Situation at a glance On 21 March 2026, the National International Health Regulations (IHR) Focal Point for Italy notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of the identification of a human case of avian influenza A(H9) in an adult male returning from Senegal. Next generation sequencing confirmed Influenza A(H9N2). According to epidemiological investigations, the patient had no known history of exposure to poultry or any person with similar symptoms prior to the onset of symptoms. Authorities in Italy have implemented a series of measures aimed at monitoring, preventing and controlling the situation. According to the IHR (2005), a human infection caused by a novel influenza A virus subtype is an event that has the potential for high public health impact and must be notified to the WHO. This is the first imported human case of avian Influenza A(H9N2) reported in the European Region. Based on currently available information, WHO assesses the current risk to the general population posed by A(H9N2) viruses as low but continues to monitor these viruses and the situation globally.
Positive Covid test
A glass, painted with wildflowers, with red tea and boba
A park filled with cherry blossom trees
A certificate of membership from the Onion that reads: "You'll remember this moment forever. The Onion is coming your way." And then some fine print I'll read later, when I frame it
“Well, we’re looking at a lot of different things. I don’t know how she’s doing in the nomination process. I’m more focused on Iran,” Trump said. “But, you know, something like that would be possible. We certainly have a lot of, we have a lot of great candidates.”
A person in an inflatable unicorn outfit holds a yellow sign with black words saying "this is not normal"