Amy Maxmen, PhD

@amymaxmen

Award-winning public health reporter at KFF Health News. Bylines at Nature, New York Times, National Geographic & more. AmyM@kff.org Signal: AmyMaxmen.25 www.amymaxmen.com &

2.805 Folgt37.030 Follower770 Posts

Bluesky

Ist das dein Profil?Übernimm es — dann gehört dir amymaxmen.dirty.social.Profil übernehmen

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· 5d

It's depressing to have spent so much time documenting what went wrong in Covid & end up here. To add to the 🧵 below, my 2020 article comparing the US to countries that took SARS1 seriously & strengthened defenses instead of exploiting a crisis for political gain. web.archive.org/web/20200808...

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· 8d

In the wake of Covid, a wave of research assessed masks, school closures, trust & more. Critical work for future emergencies. Sad to see much of it being ignored or, worse, twisted to suit a narrative. @tombollyky.bsky.social corrects the record on his own research: www.statnews.com/2026/07/31/l...

Most concerning, Lipsitch and Cody mischaracterized the stated conclusion of our Lancet study, which was that NPIs were effective. We found states that imposed more protective mandates, such as mask use and mobility restrictions, maintained them for longer, and also those that had better compliance with those policies had lower infection rates.

We share the concerns over Covid revisionism and the blanket denigration of NPIs for future emergency response. Partisans and opportunists have magnified and mischaracterized the inconsistencies and inequities in the U.S. Covid-19 response to sow polarization and doubt about public health programs generally. Misrepresentation of the literature, specifically our work in this instance, only contributes to this failed dialogue. The appropriate counter to Covid revisionism is careful, rigorous, and honest assessment and reassessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. response that builds on the best available evidence of where and how we can do better. Only that will ensure better outcomes in the future.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· 13d

The evidence supports the alt theory of a spillover from animals sold at the market. Spillovers also happen to account for all other novel infectious disease epidemics. I'm tired of writing about this since I'm tired of the harassment. Pretty much every science writer I know feels the same.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· 15d

A clip of Dr. Oz's wife is going around: She says she delayed vaccines required for school. And Trump is pressing HHS to cut the # of recommended vaccines. Both say they're not antivax. But delays are putting kids in the hospital. Read what doctors say: kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

On Treating Unvaccinated Children Hospitalized for Measles

Trahern W. Jones, a pediatric infectious disease specialist based in Salt Lake City: So I’m coming into a room and just hearing the most awful barking cough, just a cough and a high-pitch stridor as the child is trying to breathe. And he’s just coughing so hard it just makes you feel short of breath. He looks like he’s been beaten down for days, but he can’t rest, because the cough keeps him awake.

The parents tell me they’re not anti-vaccine, but in the past, somebody they know had a reaction to a vaccine — or something they thought was a reaction to a vaccine — and so they paused vaccines when the child was a baby. They were planning to catch up later.On Treating Unvaccinated Children Hospitalized for Measles

Trahern W. Jones, a pediatric infectious disease specialist based in Salt Lake City: So I’m coming into a room and just hearing the most awful barking cough, just a cough and a high-pitch stridor as the child is trying to breathe. And he’s just coughing so hard it just makes you feel short of breath. He looks like he’s been beaten down for days, but he can’t rest, because the cough keeps him awake.

The parents tell me they’re not anti-vaccine, but in the past, somebody they know had a reaction to a vaccine — or something they thought was a reaction to a vaccine — and so they paused vaccines when the child was a baby. They were planning to catch up later.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· 19d

And the graph of measles cases in the US (ref Johns Hopkins)

Graph shows massive rise of measles cases in 2025 and 2026

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· 20d

Pediatricians in Utah have seen rising numbers of parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. One doctor told me that his goal is no longer convincing parents to vaccinate. He's learned how that can backfire. Now, his goal is to build a bridge, to earn trust. www.wired.com/story/the-ch...

It’s a good day if I can have a conversation with someone who doesn’t want to vaccinate, even if I don’t convince them. I try to help them think through things rather than shoving anything down their throat. When they’re done talking, I’ll ask, “Can I share my perspectives on this?” Some will say yes enthusiastically, and others will say yes because they’re being polite.

A lot of parents aren’t sure what to do, and those are the people I focus most of my time on. I focus our conversation on their specific concerns, and I’m open about specific side effects that different immunizations can have. For example, I’ll tell them that some children get a fever after a vaccine, which is OK. The fever is not harmful, but it can make babies feel crummy as their body is building up antibodies against viruses and bacteria.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· 20d

The CDC has analyzed our measles situation. “I don’t think we could say w/a straight face that there hasn’t been transmission over the past 12 months” a CDC scientist told me. Pediatricians have been on the front lines -- largely abandoned by leadership. www.wired.com/story/the-ch...

We need consistent messaging from state leadership, which has been pretty absent. I want to see commercials on TV about the safety of the MMR [measles, mumps, and rubella] vaccine and the dangers of the measles, sponsored by my state leadership. I’d like to see this on billboards and in schools, in public buildings and grocery stores. I want to go to a sports event and see messages about the measles and the MMR vaccine. Right now, people have to go out of their way to find information from reputable sources.

We also need policy changes to support vaccination. This train is going in the wrong direction, and it can feel like a helpless situation, because we’re just not seeing the public messaging and leadership that’s needed to turn this around.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Jul 2

"Erasing people from the story harms actual people. I thought about my transgender patients & how I would face them & what I would say while I’m sitting with them in the exam room, knowing that I had erased their existence." Resharing my Q&A w/Dr. John Weiser kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

President Trump calls transgender people insane in a recent executive order.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Jul 2

America's 250 yrs is rife with struggle & progress & setbacks. Found a (shameful, distant) link to my employer in this great essay on the birth of anti-discrimination policies @hammerandhope.bsky.social + and Trump's war against them. hammerandhope.org/article/civi...

The ruling ideology of the Jim Crow era treated policies that advantaged whites and excluded Blacks as simply the natural order of things. The all-pervasive, habitual employer preference for whites was invisible to those who benefited from it. Employers simply assumed white superiority over unqualified Black people. In 1963, the Southern Regional Council, an Atlanta-based interracial reform group, released a survey detailing corporations’ attitudes about discrimination in hiring practices. Many of those interviewed could not imagine hiring African Americans in sales or service, let alone technical work. A manager for Kaiser Aluminum said it would be “rather ridiculous” to hire a Black salesperson for a company serving mostly white customers.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Jun 26

As all of this nonsense was happening, the country's largest measles outbreak in 30 yrs was spreading in West Texas. Texas asked for federal funds in mid-March. More than a month later, these emails show CDC staffers still asking...hey, can we help? kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Jun 26

"Is there any way we can help him with his talking points?" writes @drdebhoury.bsky.social of RFK Jr. "He is off on the diabetes statistic by 100 fold in kids."

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Jun 26

This is what it looks like when one of the country's most prominent anti-vaxxers takes full control of the CDC. Emails show how CDC staffers like @drdemetre.bsky.social struggled to maintain the agency's duty to protect public health. Shoddy "reports" cited, flu vaccine campaigns pulled & more

Emails show how RFK Jr. ordered the end to flu vaccine promotion amid a bad flu season.

An email from a CDC staffer points out where the data cited by new leadership is flawed.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Jun 25

😎 First read of papyrus scroll carbonized by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. "...invisible entities" "...everything free from troubles" "...according to nature" Now what does it mean?!

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Jun 9

Talking to these doctors gave me flashbacks to Sierra Leone in 2014. I actually just dug up my old photos. A hospital wall lined with flyers memorializing doctors, nurses and lab techs who died. It was a massacre.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Jun 9

Measles is no longer confined to close-knit, often religious communities in the US. “Alternative medicine” and “wellness” movements are driving the drop in vaccination more than religion, Utahns told me. In the epicenter of the outbreak, I saw this on a shelf, a sign of rampant misinformation.

Products claiming to detoxify vaccines sold in southern Utah. The sale of these products appeal to misinformation: Vaccines are not toxic.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Jun 9

Prolonged outbreaks take a toll on society, far beyond the number of people infected. Halfway into 2026, the US has surpassed 2000 measles cases. This is about the total last year, which was higher than any yr since 1992. www.wired.com/story/anguis...

Last year under President Donald Trump, US measles cases exceeded 2,000 for the first time since 1992. Six months into 2026, the US has already surpassed that threshold. Prolonged outbreaks exact a toll on children, who have spent days in hospitals for severe infections and missed weeks of school for mild ones. Adults with measles miss work. Parents delay day care to keep their babies safe. Doctors in Utah have enacted labor-intensive protocols to keep measles from spreading in clinics. Newborns and people with weakened immune systems who have been exposed to the virus receive infusions of concentrated antibodies costing $500 to $1,000. Medical visits for measles can cost more than $33,000 per patient. Health departments spend millions trying to curb infections.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· May 21

Public health folks usually don't like travel bans because are leaky and more importantly, they backfire. Trump has pushed for this sort of thing before. Thanks @angierasmussen.bsky.social for digging up a 2014 Trump tweet rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/ebola-outb...

2014 Tweet from Trump about an Ebola patient, saying "KEEP THEM OUT OF HERE"

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· May 19

No, but I can send a PDF if you DM me your email. A bit long for screen shots, but here's the first two pages.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· May 19

For context on Ebola on Northeastern DRC, here's a map from my 2019 story on an outbreak in the same general region. Each red dot is a killing, kidnapping, mass rape or other violent attack. Conflict has continued, if not worsened. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· May 11

The statement is posted here: zenodo.org/records/2007... and the citations are below

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· May 11

A breath of fresh air: The International Hantavirus Society's statement on the cruise outbreak. -Pandemic risk extremely low -Hanta can have close-contact transmission, therefore they recommend targeted contact tracing & quarantine NOT general restrictions for the public. -Close contact = cruise

The International Hantavirus Society has released an excellent summary with critical information about the transmissibility of Andes hantavirus (ANDV), which is linked to the ongoing cruise ship outbreak.

With the rampant spread of misinformation, this two-page summary highlights what is known and unknown about the person-to-person transmissibility of Andes hantavirus. The statement is clear on several important points: i) person-to-person transmission of ANDV is not hypothetical; household clusters and nosocomial events do occur; ii) no evidence of efficient community transmission has been observed; and iii) the precise timing of infectiousness remains incompletely defined.

The last point is of particular interest, since some public health agencies, including the US CDC, have already issued statements claiming that only symptomatic individuals can transmit the virus to others, despite the absence of definitive scientific evidence. That is simply not known.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Apr 30

Roxanne Khamsi is on a mission to change the way we think about DNA. It's not a static blueprint, it's a shifting design, mutating all of the time. Incredible book talk last night in NYC for a pivotal book by @roxannekhamsi.bsky.social. Order now! Really! www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/711682...

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Apr 23

Massive decrease in WHO's 2026-27 proposed budget due to US withdrawal. apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf... Already, last year saw major gaps in WHO's funding for urgent emergency health assistance in Palestinian territories & S. Sudan. They operate where many aid groups cannot.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Apr 22

As more measles genomes go online, it seems more & more like outbreaks in Utah, Arizona, NM & Alberta trace back to Texas', which would mean the US has had >1 yr of continuous spread. **This isn't conclusive. I'm just looking @nextstrain.org and researchers should do real analyses.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Apr 17

Fascinating interview!

Molly: For me, the Bund and Zionism represent these diametrically opposite answers to the question “What do you do with how fucking racist Europe is?” The Zionists were like: “You can’t do anything about it. These people just are racist. They just hate you. The only thing that you can do is you can leave, and you can get out of their claws.” Whereas the Bund was like: “Yes, it’s hideously racist here, but also it’s not genetic. It’s not that these Europeans are fundamentally evil. It’s because of these systems that blame Jews to take the heat off of the autocracy or off of the capitalists or off of the ruler. And we can actually fight alongside Russians or Poles or French or German people for a better world.”

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Apr 2

HHS sent me a comment **this morning** standing by RFK Jr.'s assertion that medical authorities have ignored studies linking vaccines to autism. That email, HHS in bold.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Mar 25

The Real Housewives of ACIP? @apoorvanyt.bsky.social on Malone's dramatic exit www.nytimes.com/2026/03/24/h...

Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, who often disagreed with Dr. Malone, said the vice chair’s stated desire to step down to avoid drama “contrasts with his prior dramatic and confusing statements.”

“It is good that Dr. Malone wishes now to decrease drama regarding vaccines,” Dr. Hibbeln said.

Dr. Malone also feuded with the staff at the health department after the ruling. He claimed in social media posts that the administration would name new members to the committee rather than appeal the ruling.

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Mar 16

A judge has blocked vaccine policy revisions made by RFK Jr.'s hand-picked, "unqualified" ACIP members. From the decision: "It would be quite strange for Congress...to authorize the Secretary to “assist” states by encouraging the spread of communicable diseases." 🔥

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Mar 5

Growing measles outbreak in Florida, and yet somehow the Florida Dept of Health has managed to avoid mentioning vaccines. Small print suggests consulting clinics for "pre-exposure options." 🫠

Amy Maxmen, PhD@amymaxmen· Feb 9

SMH. RFK's CDC measles dashboard has a lead image of flights coming into the US from abroad -- as if other countries are to blame for our skyrocketing measles numbers. >89% of cases last year were home-grown and >92% of cases this year. This is a US problem that needs domestic solutions.