TWiV 1298: Clinical update with Dr. Daniel Griffin

Feb 21, 2026

Daniel Griffin, infectious diseases clinician who gives weekly clinical updates, walks through recent shifts in vaccine reviews and public-health leadership. He covers measles outbreaks and immune amnesia, RSV and cardiac risks, current influenza trends, SARS-CoV-2 impacts on fertility and diabetes risk, gaps in antiviral use, and practical travel and vaccination advice.

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ADVICE

Vaccinate Infants Promptly In Outbreak Areas

Start measles vaccination at 12 months in high-risk settings or during outbreaks.
Daniel Griffin recommends early vaccination because community risk has changed.

INSIGHT

Flu Still Causes Serious Pediatric Harm

Flu remains regionally variable with pediatric deaths this season; vaccination and treatment can prevent severe outcomes.
Daniel Griffin stresses that many fatal pediatric flu cases were previously healthy children.

INSIGHT

RSV Carries Significant Cardiac Risk

RSV season is prolonged and high this year, and RSV is linked to significant cardiac events in adults.
A meta-analysis found about 19.2% of hospitalized RSV patients experienced cardiac events like heart failure.

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In his weekly clinical update, Dr. Griffin and Vincent Racaniello discuss reversal of last week’s no review decision on a flu mRNA vaccine by Vinjay Prasad, appointment of Jay Bhattacharya as CDC director, no experience required, and already detectable reduction in hepatitis B virus vaccination rates, then Dr. Griffin then deep dives into recent statistics on RSV, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections, the Wasterwater Scan dashboard, Johns Hopkins measles tracker, where to find PEMGARDA, how to access and pay for Paxlovid, the consequences of measles infection on immune amnesia (shout out to Immune 26), long COVID treatment center, where to go for answers to your long COVID questions, long COVID effect on fertility and type 2 diabetes and contacting your federal government representative to stop the assault on science and biomedical research.

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Links for this episode

Whiplash! F.D.A. Reverses Decision and Agrees to Review Moderna’s Flu Vaccine
(NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Access New wire)
N.I.H. Director Will Temporarily Run C.D.C. in Leadership Shake-Up
(NY Times)
Reduction in infant Hepatitis B Immunizations (Oregon State Health Department)
Why Adenovirus vectored vaccine failed: Adenoviral Inciting Antigen and Somatic Hypermutation in VITT (NEJM)
Wastewater for measles (WasterWater Scan)
Measles cases and outbreaks (CDC Rubeola)
Big outbreak, bright lights…Measles Dashboard(South Carolina Department of Public Health)
Measles Outbreak Hits Florida College (NY Times)
Utah’s measles outbreak reaches 300 cases (CIDRAP)
Measles Is Actively Spreading in SLCo (Salt Lake County Health Department)
Tracking Measles Cases in the U.S. (Johns Hopkins)
Measles vaccine recommendations from NYP (jpg)
Weekly measles and rubella monitoring (Government of Canada)
Measles (WHO)
Get the FACTS about measles (NY State Department of Health)
Measles(CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Measles vaccine (CDC Measles (Rubeola))
Presumptive evidence of measles immunity (CDC)
Contraindications and precautions to measles vaccination (CDC)
Adverse events associated with childhood vaccines: evidence bearing on causality (NLM)
Measles Vaccination: Know the Facts(ISDA: Infectious Diseases Society of America)
Deaths following vaccination: what does the evidence show (Vaccine)
Measles 2025 (NEJM)
Measles virus infection diminishes preexisting antibodies that offer protection from other pathogens (Science; Immune 26)
Incomplete genetic reconstitution of B cell pools contributes to prolonged immunosuppression after measles (Science)
Studies into the mechanism of measles-associated immune suppression during a measles outbreak in the Netherlands (Nature Communications)
Influenza: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
Respiratory virus activity levels (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
Weekly surveillance report: cliff notes (CDC FluView)
OPTION 2: XOFLUZA $50 Cash Pay Option (xofluza)
RSV: Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
Respiratory Diseases (Yale School of Public Health)
US respiratory virus activity (CDC Respiratory Illnesses)
RSV-Network (CDC Respiratory Syncytial virus Infection)
Vaccines for Adults (CDC: Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection (RSV))
Economic Analysis of Protein Subunit and mRNA RSV Vaccination in Adults aged 50-59 Years (CDC: ACIP)
The risk of cardiac disease events after respiratory syncytial virus disease: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis (European Respiratory Review)
Waste water scan for 11 pathogens (WastewaterSCan)
COVID-19 deaths (CDC)
Respiratory Illnesses Data Channel (CDC: Respiratory Illnesses)
COVID-19 national and regional trends (CDC)
COVID-19 variant tracker (CDC)
SARS-CoV-2 genomes galore (Nextstrain)
COVID-19 Antiviral Prescription Receipt Among Outpatients Aged ≥65 Years (CDC: MMWR)
Where to get pemgarda (Pemgarda)
EUAfor the pre-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 (INVIYD)
Infusion center (Prime Fusions)
CDC Quarantine guidelines (CDC)
NIH COVID-19 treatment guidelines (NIH)
Drug interaction checker (University of Liverpool)
Help your eligible patients access PAXLOVID with the PAXCESS Patient Support Program (Pfizer Pro)
Understanding Coverage Options (PAXCESS)
Infectious Disease Society guidelines for treatment and management (ID Society)
Molnupiravir safety and efficacy (JMV)
Convalescent plasma recommendation for immunocompromised (ID Society)
What to do when sick with a respiratory virus (CDC)
Managing healthcare staffing shortages (CDC)
Anticoagulation guidelines (hematology.org)
Daniel Griffin’s evidence based medical practices for long COVID (OFID)
Long COVID hotline (Columbia : Columbia University Irving Medical Center)
The answers: Long COVID
Assessing the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination on fertility and assisted reproductive techniques outcomes: an umbrella review (Vaccine)
Long-Term Risk of Incident Type 2 Diabetes Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Population-Based Study in British Columbia, Canada (Diabetes Metabolism Research and Review)
Reaching out to US house representative
Letters read on TWiV 1298
Dr. Griffin’s COVID treatment summary (pdf)
Timestamps by Jolene Ramsey. Thanks!

Intro music is by Ronald Jenkees

Send your questions for Dr. Griffin to daniel@microbe.tv

Content in this podcast should not be construed as medical advice.