Nsikan Akpan, PhD

Drinking water in Baltimore City will have its fluoride levels lowered by 42% due to supply chain issues caused by the war between the US, Israel and Iran. bit.ly/4szIpix

Good news! Our three-part Hurricane Katrina series made the final cut for a Webby Award!  Now we need your votes to win. Please consider voting for BPS. You can do here. *note: need to check email afterward to confirm it! Thank you! 😍 tinyurl.com/k37d64y5

To commemorate the Artemis II mission, the astronauts announced their suggestion to rename certain features on the Moon to honor the Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, as well as commander Reid Wiseman's late wife, Carroll.

It can be hard to translate a novel onto the screen, but sci-fi blockbuster Project Hail Mary completes this mission. This week, we’re exploring the futuristic science in the story to see how it stacks up to our modern capabilities. bit.ly/4bufHcs

Good morning! After a very cold start to the day today we'll see moderation in temperatures this afternoon into Thursday. Otherwise, the potential for a significant storm to impact the area this weekend continues to increase. (1/2)

I’m a contributor with the Big Picture Science radio show, and this week’s episode features a history of H5N1 bird flu. We look at how the virus has made its way into creatures traveling by wing, hoof, and fin.

It’s a spooky time of year for recovering globalists. Thanks for the inspiration @USTradeRep @RealPNavarro . Disclaimer: This costume was made in India and tariffed accordingly.

I'd love to say lots of nice things about this invaluable preventable disease tracker from @MoNscience and team at Think Global Health @CFR_org. It's an incredible resource. But I can't get over my anger & sadness that this resource is even needed. thinkglobalhealth.org/article/vaccin…

@CWEBCRUZER @BaltimoreBanner 😅😂☠️

Big news for the @BaltimoreBanner. Good luck guys.

“There is no senior official in the White House responsible for pandemic preparedness, biosecurity, or biodefense” Yikes. Important alarm bell here from @NikkiRomanik thinkglobalhealth.org/article/white-…

BIG: A new executive order changes fundamentally how the U.S. awards research grants, giving oversight to political appointees in coordination with OMB. All new grant opportunities are paused until these appointees are in place. whitehouse.gov/presidential-a…

The U.S. has the tools—and the mandate—to lead on pandemic preparedness. But right now, OPPR is sitting empty. Thanks to @ThinkGlobalHlth for letting me tell this story. #Biosecurity #Biodefense #PublicHealth #ThinkGlobalHealth #Preparedness Read: thinkglobalhealth.org/article/white-…

Cambodia has confirmed its 14th human case of avian influenza A/H5N1 in 2025 : a 26-year-old man from Siem Reap. So far in 2025: 14 cases, 7 deaths — a case fatality rate (CFR) of 50% Since 2005: 86 cases, 50 deaths (CFR: 58.1%) #H5N1 #AvianInfluenza

Whoa: Juul gets FDA’s OK to keep selling tobacco and menthol e-cigarette apnews.com/article/juul-v…

Not to mention all the aid/monies for refugee programs, UNICEF, peacekeeping, etc.

Note: Even though the Senate has removed $400 million in PEPFAR funding from the rescissions package, another $500 million in global health funding could still be cut. politico.com/live-updates/2…

The Senate's new bill would cut $1 trillion from Medicaid, causing 10+ million people to lose insurance. Cancer patients are one group set to suffer (and needlessly die) the most. 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 3 children with cancer depend on Medicaid. thinkglobalhealth.org/article/cancer…

Kulldorff says the first work group may also look at "new research concerning the optimal timing of the MMR vaccine to resolve *****religious objections***** that some parents have."

Another new work group will examine the childhood vaccine schedule to evaluate the number, timing, and volume of vaccines given during childhood and adolescence.

Martin Kulldorff, new chair of CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), says it is establishing a work group to examine childhood vaccines that have not been subject to review for over seven years. He lists MMR (👀), MMRV, and Hep B vaccines as examples.