Some false claims are still circulating that COVID-19 vaccines cause deadly heart problems heart in young people. This latest study adds to a growing body of evidence that deaths from heart diseases are not caused by the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

Heart conditions like inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) and inflammation of the outer heart lining (pericarditis) are rare reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine, and symptoms can include a fluttering heart, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Most people with these rare side effects feel better after rest and medicine, recovering completely.  

These two types of heart inflammation are different than heart attacks and cardiac arrest and are rare reactions to the body’s immune response to the vaccine.

The new CDC data looked at the death certificates of 1,292 people aged 16-30 who died between June 2021 and December 2022. Of these, 40 had received the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Of those 40 people, three received the vaccine less than 100 days before death. In those three individuals, two had underlying illnesses and one had an undetermined cause of death.

The sample size for this study was relatively small and did not include instances of heart attacks that did not result in death. Scientists continue to research these topics, but this study adds to a growing body of evidence on the safety of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

The CDC continues to monitor reports of COVID-19 vaccine adverse effects such as heart inflammation (myocarditis and pericarditis).

The study did not examine deaths for the 37 people who received the COVID-19 vaccine over 100 days before death, though other studies suggest that if they were to happen, vaccine adverse effects tend to occur within 42 days after vaccination. Scientists continue to monitor these effects over time.

Botox injections are used to lessen the visibility of wrinkles and to treat a range of medical conditions such as neck spasms, migraines, lazy eye, and bladder problems. Botox contains the toxin called botulinum, which is the same toxin that causes Botulism.

Botulism is a serious condition that can lead to paralysis and death if left untreated. In cases where a Botox injection is given incorrectly, or if the product is not approved by the FDA the toxin from the injection could spread to other parts of the body and cause botulism symptoms.

These symptoms include muscle weakness, vision problems, trouble talking or swallowing, breathing problems, allergic reactions, or loss of bladder control. If any of these symptoms are experienced after a Botox injection the patient should contact their medical provider immediately.

The real form of Botox is a prescription medication that is approved by the FDA for use by licensed individuals. People giving Botox shots need specific training to do so. Serious reactions in this case are rare, and Botox injections are usually safe when given by a skilled and licensed professional.

If receiving a Botox shot, ensure it is given to you by a licensed professional, some states have an online tool where you can search your provider to check licensure, and ask if the product used is approved by the FDA.

The CDC continues to investigate the illnesses caused by counterfeit Botox injections and given by unlicensed individuals.

Measles is a respiratory virus that is very contagious and most commonly spreads among children through the infected individual’s mucus (through coughing or sneezing) or through breathing the same air as the infected individual.

Measles symptoms include:

1. 2-3 days of watery eyes, runny nose, and coughing
2. Then: white spots, red rashes, and fever
3. Severe cases of measles can lead to pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain)

Two main causes for measles outbreaks include international travel and the gathering of people that haven’t received the vaccine.

In 2000, measles was no longer an issue in the U.S. due to decades of increasing vaccination rates. However, due to wrong information about the safety of vaccines and the rescheduling or missing of measle vaccines during the COVID pandemic, vaccination rates declined, resulting in increased cases of measles.

Since January 1, 2024, there have been 113 cases of measles in these 17 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.

The measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe, helps reduce measles cases and reduces the severity of measles symptoms.

The CDC’s guidelines for when someone should receive the MMR vaccine and how many doses they should receive (1 or 2) are based on age, travel, immunity and other factors.

If vaccination rates for measles do not increase, it is unknown how many more measles cases there will be this year and the years to come.

The Washington Post was the first to report the claim that the CDC would be loosening isolation guidelines, citing three anonymous CDC officials as the source. The Washington Post article was published February 13^th , other media organizations then published similar articles, citing the  Washington Post article as their source.

COVID remains as contagious as it was before, and if you have COVID you can still spread it to others for 5-12 days.

While it is unclear how The Washington Post received their information from the anonymous CDC officials, this does appear to be a leak. That means that the full context and whole truth of any proposed guideline changes is not included in the information shared. Much is still unknown about the context of this claim.

We don’t know if or when the CDC will make updates to COVID guidelines or what these changes may be.

Long COVID is a real illness and a term used to describe a wide range of health problems and symptoms that persist after a COVID infection. It is more likely to occur in people who have had a severe COVID infection and in non-vaccinated individuals, but anyone who gets a COVID infection is at risk for developing Long COVID.

Scientists do not know what causes Long COVID, and there has been a lot of research examining the blood makeup of people who have the illness to search for a “biomarker” or something in the blood that most of these patients have in common, and is not present in people without Long COVID.

A study published in January 2024 analyzed over 7,000 protein components in the blood of 40 people who developed Long COVID for up to 1 year after initial COVID infection. The study found that compared to people who fully recovered from a COVID infection, the Long COVID patients had what is called a “dysregulation complement”.

A “complement” is a collection of immune proteins that get chopped up during an infection and send a signal to the body to fight off a disease. In the short-term, this fights off an illness and the chopped-up proteins should disappear. The presence of these proteins long-term can cause damage to the cells.

Finding these chopped-up proteins in the blood of patients with Long COVID suggests this could be a possible biomarker, but more large-scale studies are needed.

Scientists are still learning what causes Long COVID, and it is likely a combination of factors and not one specific thing. Some hypotheses include tissue damage, viral reservoirs, autoimmunity, and persistent inflammation.

Healthcare professionals are still learning how to diagnose Long COVID in patients who present with symptoms similar to many other health disorders.

Researchers hope that by finding biomarkers of Long COVID, a blood test could be used for diagnosis and scientists could be one step closer to developing potential treatment options. These possibilities are still a long way off, but the findings of this study are one step in that direction.

In the U.S., mosquito and tick-borne diseases are increasing. From 2004 to 2016, the number of cases per year tripled from 27,388 cases to 96,075 cases.

The most common disease from ticks in the U.S. is Lyme disease. The most common disease from mosquitos in the U.S. is West Nile virus.

The population of mosquitos that carry West Nile and other diseases is expected to expand. This is mainly because of changes in the environment that make places more suitable for mosquitos like warmer temperatures, more humidity, and more sites where water can collect like discarded plastic containers.

The population of ticks that carry Lyme disease is expected to expand. This is mainly because of changes in the environment that make places more suitable for ticks like warmer temperatures and more humidity.

Using Environmental Protection Agency registered insect repellents, wearing long sleeve shirts and pants, keeping windows, doors, and screens in good condition, using air conditioning, removing outdoor containers where water collects, and sleeping under a mosquito net can help prevent mosquito bites.

Some vaccines are available for some mosquito-borne diseases like Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever, and chikungunya, but there are no currently available vaccines in the United States for other diseases like Zika, dengue fever, and St. Louis encephalitis. There are some treatments for malaria, but none for Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever, chikungunya, Zika, dengue, or St. Louis encephalitis.

Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas all year round. Most bites occur between April and September.

Avoiding woody and brushy areas, wearing long clothing, wearing Environmental Protection Agency registered insect repellents, checking for ticks on persons, pets, and gear, and showering soon after being outdoors can help prevent tick bites.

While there is a vaccine available for tick-borne encephalitis, there are no currently available vaccines for many other tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease.

There are some treatments for Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and babesiosis. These treatments have varying degrees of success. There are no treatments available for Powassen virus.

We are still learning how large current populations of ticks and mosquitos are because some areas do not collect frequent data on ticks and mosquitos.

Scientists are working to improve predictions about the risk of tick- and mosquito-borne disease. This includes looking at factors like the environment, current information on populations of ticks and mosquitos, and human behavior.