News

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified long-standing problems in scientific production and communication—driven by perverse academic incentives, peer review strain, media hype, and growing misuse of AI—highlighting the urgent need for stronger critical appraisal skills across research and medicine.

This week, listen in on commentary around the changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, read SIDP's column on the next-generation antifungals as well as combination therapeutics for Candida auris, and the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Subcommittee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing breakpoint recommendations.

Candida auris is a highly drug-resistant, hospital-acquired fungal pathogen. With limited treatment options, here is an overview of some of the next-generation antifungals as well as combination therapeutics.

The subcommittee approved the removal of doxycycline and tetracycline breakpoints and revised aminoglycoside breakpoints for Acinetobacter spp, and added aztreonam-avibactam breakpoints for Enterobacterales.

Sharon Carrasco DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC, ANP-C, CEN, FAEN, FAAN, FNAP, discusses her approach to training for these care scenarios.

A recent study challenges the need for high-dose trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in managing Stenotrophomonas maltophilia pneumonia, finding lower doses may offer comparable efficacy.

A recent study examined how rurality and the availability of post discharge follow-up influence clinicians’ decisions on antibiotic duration at discharge for patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia.

With rates of influenza vaccination in decline, two health systems evaluated interventions for prompting clinicians to order, and patients to obtain flu shots.

Former FDA Chief Scientist Jesse L. Goodman, MD, MPH, provides insights on the potential consequences of these new recommendations.

New federal guidance recommends childhood vaccines for 11 diseases, downsizing immunization protection from the previous list of 18 diseases.

A delay in providing standard infant vaccinations is associated with children not receiving MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine by 2 years of age.

A series of politically driven actions in 2025—including defunding mRNA research, dismantling vaccine advisory bodies, and restricting CDC recommendations—has undermined US vaccine access and pandemic preparedness, but professional societies and some states are stepping in to preserve evidence-based public health.

This week, read about increasing influenza activity, an approach to de-escalating empiric broad spectrum antibiotics for clinically stable patients with community-onset sepsis, and more Emory Healthcare Media Day interviews around PPE and treating high-consequence infectious disease.

Jill Morgan, RN, BSN, talks about steps being taken to ensure everyone’s safety is front of mind.

CDC surveillance shows sharp week-over-week increases in influenza test positivity, outpatient illness, and hospital admissions, with A(H3N2) continuing to predominate nationwide.

The recent CDC ACIP meetings and subsequent actions show a path for which the current Health and Human Services department wants to roll back access to vaccines for this virus and other vaccines.

Jill Morgan, RN, BSN, reviews this significant part of clinical care and how personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to protecting healthcare workers.

Emory's Gavin Harris, MD, discusses these elements, and how despite the fact they rarely occur, the need to do continuous training is essential for readiness.

Shortening course of empiric broad spectrum antibiotics for community-onset sepsis was associated with fewer days of antibiotics and hospitalization and no increase in mortality.

This week, check out our Media Day coverage from Emory, the WHO report on malaria, and more.

In the final installment of the series, psychiatrist Robert C Bransfield, MD, outlines how interdisciplinary research, education, and policy could help reduce infection-associated neuropsychiatric impairment and violence.

In the second installment of this 2-part article on the WHO 2025 World Malaria Report, the authors point out the positive trends in the scaling up of prevention efforts with new-generation anti-mosquito netting, vaccines and periodic chemoprevention.

The WHO 2025 World Malaria Report adds several countries to those certified as malaria free, while recognizing spread of antimalarial drug resistance.

Amy Colson, MD, MPH, discusses phase 2 data showing durable virologic suppression, low resistance risk, and favorable safety with weekly oral islatravir plus lenacapavir in suppressed adults with HIV.

Gavin Harris, MD, discusses his experience working in outbreak environments where there is high-consequence infectious disease (HCID) and how it is important to establish buy-in from the local populations and some of the important elements of what you need to leave behind when an outbreak is declared over.

Agreement supports commercialization and reimbursement efforts for tobevibart plus elebsiran as the ECLIPSE clinical program advances, including completion of enrollment for the ECLIPSE 3 trial.

The single-source award will fund a large randomized trial evaluating mortality, morbidity, and developmental outcomes following the hepatitis B birth dose, amid ongoing debate over non-specific vaccine effects.

This week, learn more about Emory's approach around treating high-consequence infectious diseases such as Ebola, a UNC researcher's work in sequencing syphilis genomes in the search to develop a global vaccine, how the US is in danger of losing its elimination status for measles, and more.