About Helen @HelenBranswell
Helen Branswell is STAT’s infectious diseases and public health reporter.
Helen’s Recent Stories
Health Oct 22
WATCH: FDA advisory committee assesses COVID-19 vaccine developmentThis week's meeting, while likely dry and technical, "shows the public that this is how FDA is going about its decisions," one expert said.
Health May 21
Why experts are cautious about Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine trialWhile Moderna blitzed the media, it revealed very little information — and most of what it did disclose were words, not data.
Health Apr 06
CDC director on coronavirus, masks, and the agency in the midst of the pandemicSTAT News spoke with CDC Director Robert Redfield about COVID-19, the agency’s muted role, and how he sees the pandemic unfolding.
Nation Mar 27
Citing measles emergency, this county just banned unvaccinated children from public placesSchools, houses of worship, shopping malls — anywhere that people who are not related to one another congregate indoors — will be off limits for unvaccinated children in Rockland County, New York.
Science Dec 26
3 global health challenges to watch in 2019Will the U.S. get a licensed dengue vaccine? Will Sanofi pocket a coveted prize?…
Science Dec 16
Flu vaccinations rise sharply in both children and adultsThe increase in early vaccination may be due to fresh memories of how bad last winter was, but other factors may also be at play.
Health Oct 20
An Ebola outbreak presents a new mystery involving childrenThe disproportionate number of recent infections among children in the Democratic Republic of Congo — specifically in Beni, the outbreak’s current hot spot — has come as a surprise; typically young children don’t make up a big proportion of cases…
Health Oct 06
Flu season is coming. If you live in a large city, it may stretch longer than elsewhere, study saysThe length of the flu season may vary depending on where you live, with large cities enduring longer periods of transmission and smaller cities experiencing shorter, but more explosive, spread, a new study suggests…
Health Sep 29
The end of HIV transmission in the U.S.: A once-unthinkable dream becomes an openly discussed goalThe struggle against HIV may be undergoing a sea change.
Health Sep 22
Puppies are making people sick — and it’s people’s faultAntibiotic-resistant bacteria that have infected more than 100 people and that have been linked to pet store puppies appear to have spread at least in part because healthy dogs were given antibiotics — a decision that all but surely fostered…