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Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told The Hill on Monday that he intends to accept the pardon preemptively offered to him by President Biden. Fauci said in an email that the White House approached him about the pardon about a month ago and that he did not ask for one. His pardon covers any offenses from Jan. 1, 2014, to Sunday that are related to his service as NIAID director, a member of the White House’s COVID-19 task force or response team or as chief medical adviser to the president. (Lee, 1/20)

The US Department of Health and Human Services has cut off all funding and formally debarred EcoHealth Alliance Inc. and its former president, Peter Daszak, for five years following scrutiny over its involvement in virus research in Wuhan, China, ahead of the Covid-19 pandemic. The department made its decision based on evidence uncovered by the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said on its website Friday. (Wei Wong, 1/18)

Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its weekly FluView update, confirmed 11 new pediatric deaths for the week ending on January 11, lifting the total during the 2024-25 flu season to 27. Overall deaths are also increasing, with flu accounting for 1.5% of deaths in the second week of January. Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated across most of the country, with an 18.8% positivity rate, according to clinical lab data. (Soucheray, 1/17)

In Science of the Total Environment, a University of Surrey–led research team that measured indoor air quality (IAQ) on board a large cruise ship in August 2023 identifies crowded dining areas as priorities for improved air circulation and the prevention of disease outbreaks. The investigators, working on the European Union's (EU's) HEALTHY SAILING project, monitored 24-hour indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) levels to evaluate temperature, humidity, ventilation, airborne infection risk, and energy efficiency by monitoring IAQ in three cabins and the buffet, gym, bar, restaurant, pub, and theater of a 5,000-passenger cruise ship traveling between UK and EU ports. (Van Beusekom, 1/17)

Moderna has been awarded approximately $590 million from the federal government to help speed up the development of an mRNA-based bird flu vaccine, alongside other influenza vaccines, health officials announced Friday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a press release that the funding will allow the pharmaceutical company to accelerate the development of an H5N1 mRNA influenza vaccine "that is well matched to strains currently circulating in cows and birds and expands the clinical data supporting the use of mRNA vaccines that may be needed if other influenza strains emerge with pandemic potential." (Benadjaoud and Deliso, 1/18)

When Jamila Acfalle decided to get her first cat, she had one requirement: It had to be brave. Acfalle is a dog trainer in a suburb of Portland, Oregon. She works with dogs that have behavior problems that put them at risk of rehoming or euthanasia. She needed a cat who wouldn’t be intimidated by the large, bouncy canines she brings home. (Goodman, 1/18)

A child in San Francisco was recently confirmed to be the third human case of bird flu in the United States in which it's unclear how the person got infected. Cases have been spreading across the country since April 2024 with 67 confirmed as of Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most human cases have occurred after coming into contact with infected cattle, infected poultry farms or other culling operations. (Kekatos, 1/17)