This clinical update from This Week in Virology features Dr. Daniel Griffin and Vincent Racaniello discussing recent medical studies and epidemiological data from December 2025. Key topics include a Cell study demonstrating the shingles vaccine's effectiveness in reducing mild cognitive impairment and dementia-related deaths. A significant portion is dedicated to a critical dismantling of a leaked FDA memo by Dr. Vinay Prasad that alleges pediatric deaths from COVID-19 vaccines, with the hosts condemning its lack of scientific rigor and misuse of VAERS data. The episode also covers a New England Journal of Medicine study supporting single-dose HPV vaccination, safety data on maternal RSV vaccines, and updates on outbreaks of Marburg, H5N5 bird flu, and seasonal respiratory viruses. Finally, they explore emerging Long COVID research, including a case report on celiac plexus blocks for gastrointestinal symptoms and a Nature Communications study identifying objective neurodegenerative markers in patients with cognitive impairment.
TWiV 1276 Clinical Update: Shingles, Vaccine Controversies, and Long COVID
2:52 Shingles Vaccine Reduces Dementia Risk: A study in Cell used a natural experiment in Wales to show that the shingles vaccine significantly reduces new diagnoses of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). For those already with dementia, it reduced the risk of death from the disease.
9:48 Critique of FDA COVID-19 Vaccine Memo: The hosts harshly criticize a leaked memo from FDA CBER Director Dr. Vinay Prasad which claims COVID-19 vaccines caused 10 pediatric deaths. They state the claim misuses the unverified VAERS database, lacks any scientific evidence like autopsy data, and represents a politically motivated attack on science.
19:28 Single-Dose HPV Vaccine is Effective: A New England Journal of Medicine study found that one dose of the HPV vaccine is non-inferior to two doses, with an effectiveness of at least 97%. This supports a single-dose regimen to improve global vaccination rates.
21:24 Outbreak Updates: An ongoing Marburg outbreak in Ethiopia has 13 confirmed cases and 8 deaths. A patient in Washington state died from H5N5 avian influenza. Measles cases continue to climb in the US (1,828) and Canada (5,262).
22:31 Seasonal Virus Activity: Influenza A (H3) is causing significant hospitalizations. RSV activity is increasing, leading to pediatric and adult ICU admissions. A French study of nearly 30,000 women confirmed the safety of maternal RSV vaccination during pregnancy.
31:06 COVID-19 Vaccines Decrease Long COVID Risk: A systematic review found that COVID-19 vaccination reduces the risk of long COVID. The effect is dose-dependent: one dose provides a 19% reduction, two doses a 43% reduction, and three doses a 70% reduction.
A case report in Frontiers in Neuroscience shows a celiac plexus block (an injection near the L1 vertebrae to reduce sympathetic nerve activity) led to near-complete recovery from gastrointestinal Long COVID symptoms in three patients.
A study in Nature Communications identified objective evidence of neurodegenerative processes, including specific blood proteins and cortical thinning on MRI scans, in patients with cognitive Long COVID.
For an adult exposed to Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) before being around a newborn, prophylactic antibiotics are a reasonable, though not officially recommended, precaution.
If a mother received the RSV vaccine in a previous pregnancy, current guidance is for the newborn to receive monoclonal antibodies (Nirsevimab) rather than for the mother to be revaccinated.
High-risk, vaccinated individuals over 70 should still take Paxlovid for a COVID-19 infection, as studies suggesting otherwise are flawed.
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