Vaccination, Choice, Public Health Options 6

What a Trump-empowered RFK Jr. Could do on health care
Caitlin Owens | 3 Nov 2024
www.axios.com/2024/11/03/rfk--trump-health-care-vaccines-pharmaceuticals

How Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Could Destroy One of Civilization’s Best Achievements
Zeynep Tufekci* | Nov. 16, 2024

Gift article: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/16/opinion/rfk-jr-health-secretary-trump.html?un...

* Complex systems, wicked problems. Society, technology, science and more.
@Princeton professor. @NYTimes columnist. My newsletter @insight http://theinsight.org

>2 margd: I'm sure he will and with the total censorship we will soon see come to pass when the next pandemic hits and kills lots of Americans it will just be Fox news and its look/sound alike outlets/newspapers and you won't hear a thing about it.

In one spot in US, Akwesasne on the St Lawrence R, fluoride WAS industrial waste from aluminum processing, and the people who consumed it DID suffer from dental fluorosis (= mottling of teeth). I read somewhere of skeletal fluorosis in tiny earbones, but not much. I suspect that other than possibly with pregnant women, more bang from IQ buck to get Pb out of drinking water?

Does Fluoride Cause Cancer, IQ Loss, and More? Fact-Checking RFK Jr.'s Claims
— Trump's pick to lead HHS has called the mineral "industrial waste"
Samantha Putterman, PolitiFact | November 18, 2024

https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/generalpediatrics/112978

Difficult to watch ... Apparently, 96% of all whooping cough deaths occur in infants.

Infant girl with whooping cough (2:23)
Mayo Clinic | Oct 7, 2013

Mother holding infant girl in Intensive Care Unit. The baby has pertussis (whooping cough) and is coughing severely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3oZrMGDMMw

Isaac Bogoch @BogochIsaac | 7:37 AM · Nov 25, 2024:
Infectious Diseases physician and scientist, with thoughts on Infectious Diseases, Tropical Medicine, HIV Prevention, Public Health, and Global Health issues. {Toronto}

A good read on how Rwanda tackled their Marburg virus outbreak:
"What happened in Rwanda is captured by Louis Pasteur’s famous aphorism that 'chance favours the prepared mind' or, as in this instance, the prepared response system."

Crucial lessons for global health in Rwanda’s rapid response to Marburg outbreak
Wilmot James, Jeanine Condo, Bentley Holt, Edson Rwagasore, Craig Spencer and Anne Wang | 22 Nov 2024
https://tinyurl.com/8aavau7j https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-11-22-crucial-lessons-for-global-he...

Why We Vaccinate
Amidst shifting political winds, we consider seven once common, now preventable diseases.
Michelle Gamage | 24 Dec 2024

...A landmark study published in The Lancet this spring calculated global vaccination efforts targeting 14 pathogens since 1974 had averted 154 million deaths due to disease and decreased global infant mortality by 40 percent.

... seven diseases that used to be commonplace but, thanks to vaccines, are mostly out of sight, out of mind in Canada.
Pertussis, or whooping cough
Measles (rubeola)
Mumps
Rubella
Diphtheria
Tetanus
Polio

... The odds of having adverse effects caused by a vaccine are between one in 100,000 and one in one million, {Dr. Jason Wong, chief medical officer at the BC Centre for Disease Control} said.

“That’s not quite at the level of the chance of being struck by lightning, but it’s in the ballpark of the chance of being struck by lightning,” Wong said ...

https://thetyee.ca/News/2024/12/24/Why-We-Vaccinate/
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Andrew J Shattock et al. 2024. Contribution of vaccination to improved survival and health: modelling 50 years of the Expanded Programme on Immunization. The Lancet Volume 403, Issue 10441 p2307-2316 May 25, 2024. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)00850-X/fullt... OPEN ACCESS

Early-life infection burden continues throughout childhood, new data reveal
Chris Dall, MA | January 6, 2025
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/antimicrobial-stewardship/early-life-infection-burden...
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Niklas Brustad et al. 2025. Burden of Infections in Early Life and Risk of Infections and Systemic Antibiotics Use in Childhood. JAMA Netw Open. 6 Jan 2025;8(1):e2453284. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.53284. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2828688

ABSTRACT
... Results A total of 614 children (317 male 51.6%) with diary data from birth to 3 years had completed follow-up until age 10 or 13 years. No differences in baseline characteristics between the children having vs not having available diary data were noted. Children with a high vs low burden of diary-registered infections between birth and 3 years (ie, equal to and above vs below the median of 16) had an increased risk of later moderate to severe infections (181 vs 87 episodes; AIRR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.52-3.89) and systemic antibiotic treatments (799 vs 623 episodes; AIRR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.07-1.68) until age 10 or 13 years. Each diary infection episode also increased the later risk of moderate to severe infections (AIRR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.08) and systemic antibiotic treatments (AIRR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.04). Subtype analyses showed significant associations between each cold, acute otitis media, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, and fever episode between birth and 3 years and risk of later moderate to severe infections or systemic antibiotic treatments.

Conclusions and relevance This longitudinal cohort study suggests that early-life infection burden may continue throughout childhood and is associated with later antibiotic treatments independent of social and environmental risk factors. These findings are important for prognosis and follow-up of children experiencing a high burden of common infections in early life.

Trump administration unable to stop /edit CDC publication in first term (COVID) has just done so (as bird flu looms). MMWR is a dry, straightforward, essential means of communicating public health information to MDs, public health experts, and citizens. RFK Jr hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, 29 Jan 2025, I believe?

Trump's Gag Order Halts CDC Publication
— MMWR did not publish as usual at 1 p.m. today
by Rachael Robertson, Enterprise & Investigative Writer, MedPage Today
January 23, 2025

For the first time in its more than 60-year history, the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) did not go out as scheduled because of a communications pause at federal health agencies issued by the Trump administration.

Past editors of MMWR and prior leaders of CDC lamented the lack of publication, and its potential impact on the distribution of vital public health information.

... Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, who served as CDC director from 2009 to 2017 and is now president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, said MMWR has published "without a break every week since 1960" and its predecessor publications did so weekly since 1887.

"The bottom line is every day the publication is delayed, doctors, nurses, hospitals, local health departments, and first responders are behind the information curve and less prepared to protect the health of all Americans" ...

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/generalinfectiousdisease/113905

Concerns swirled following the abrupt cancellation of several federal scientific meetings, including a meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee scheduled for next month.

Trump administration’s abrupt cancellation of scientific meetings prompts confusion, concern
Anil Oza Jan. 22, 2025

A flurry of scientific gatherings and panels across federal science agencies were canceled on Wednesday, at a time of heightened sensitivity about how the Trump administration will shift the agencies’ policies and day-to-day affairs.

Several meetings of National Institutes of Health study sections, which review applications for fellowships and grants, were canceled without being rescheduled, according to agency notices reviewed by STAT. A Feb. 20-21 meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, a panel that advises the leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services on vaccine policy, was also canceled. So was a meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria that was scheduled for Jan. 28 and 29.

The scope of the cancellations was unclear. It was also unclear whether they were related to the Trump administration’s freeze on external communications until Feb. 1. ...

https://www.statnews.com/2025/01/22/trump-administrations-cancels-scientific-mee...

Assessing Trump's claim that U.S. pays 'unfair' share of dues to WHO
Ari Daniel | January 22, 2025

Newly inaugurated, President Trump ... on Monday {20 Jan 2025} signed ... executive orders — including one that ... would withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, a U.N. global health agency the U.S. helped found in 1948.

... {Trump} noted that the U.S. pays WHO $500 million annually compared to China's $39 million contribution ... asserted that WHO mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic as well as other global health crises, that member states leverage worrisome political influence and that the body "fail{ed} to adopt urgently needed reforms."

...The World Health Organization receives funding from two pots. The first is a set of assessed contributions from its nearly 200 member states. Each assessment is determined by the United Nations and based on a country's "capacity to pay," which involves both the size of its population and wealth. Member states vote to approve the assessments at the World Health Assembly every other year. For the years 2024-2025, WHO says that number has been set at $264 million for the U.S. and $181 million for China.

These assessed contributions constitute less than 20% of WHO's total budget.

The second, larger pool of funding involves VOLUNTARY {CAPS margd's} contributions that originate from member states, philanthropic foundations like the Gates Foundation (which is a funder of NPR and this blog), corporations, nongovernmental organizations and private citizens. This VOLUNTARY basket is where the discrepancy between countries is more apparent. Across the same 2024-2025 time period, WHO says the U.S. is projected to provide $442 million (the largest VOLUNTARY contribution by far) whereas China is set to contribute just $2.5 million.

... a U.S. withdrawal from WHO ... "would signal an attack by the largest and most economically powerful country in the world on international health cooperation," says David McCoy, a public health researcher at the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. That cooperation, he argues, is essential for managing pandemics and other cross-border health threats.

... WHO's funding for 2025 is already secured, including from the U.S. The question is whether the organization will have to adjust its priorities according to a much-reduced budget starting in 2026.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/01/22/g-s1-44066/trump-world-he...

"If Kennedy is confirmed as HHS secretary, he will continue to collect fees for cases in which he referred clients to a law firm suing Merck over the HPV vaccine, Gardasil, but will pull investments from two biotech companies. (New York Times, Fierce Biotech)

https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/washington-watch/113894

Trump Pauses Disbursements to Program Supplying H.I.V. Treatment Worldwide
Apoorva Mandavilli | 1/24/2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/us/politics/trump-hiv-aids-pepfar.html

COVID vaccination saved more than 5,000 US lives in 7 months in 2023-24, CDC estimates
Mary Van Beusekom, MS | February 7, 2025
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-vaccination-saved-more-5000-us-lives-7...

Not now, bird flu...

RFK Jr. Confirmed as HHS Secretary
— 52-48 vote was largely along party lines
Joyce Frieden | February 13, 2025
https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/washington-watch/114201

Science Friday ‪@scifri.bsky.social‬ | February 21, 2025 at 2:41 PM

In a small trial, nearly half of pancreatic cancer patients who received an mRNA vaccine had no signs of relapse after three years.

Dr. Vinod Balachandran from @mskcancercenter.bsky.social
joins us to discuss the results and what they could mean for cancer treatment.
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A Vaccine For Pancreatic Cancer Continues To Show Promise (16:47)
Science Friday | February 21, 2025

In a small trial, nearly half of pancreatic cancer patients who received an mRNA vaccine for the disease had no relapse three years later.

https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/pancreatic-cancer-vaccine/

S measles outbreak must be BAD(?)

RFK Jr. urges people to get vaccinated amid deadly Texas outbreak
Rebecca Falconer | Mar 2, 2025

Driving the news: Kennedy wrote an op-ed* for Fox News Digital on Sunday with the headline "Measles outbreak is call to action for all of us" and the subheading "MMR vaccine is crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease."
- Kennedy wrote that before the introduction of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in the 1960s, "virtually every child in the United States contracted measles."
- He noted that from 1953 to 1962, "on average there were 530,217 confirmed cases and 440 deaths," with a fatality rate of 1 in 1,205 cases.
- "Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons," Kennedy wrote.

Yes, but: Kennedy emphasized that the decision to vaccinate is "a personal one."...

https://www.axios.com/2025/03/03/kennedy-jr-measles-outbreak-vaccine
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* https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/robert-f-kennedy-jr-measles-outbreak-call-action...

CDC Plans Large Study on Autism and Vaccines, Report Says
— HHS Secretary Kennedy's role in this research is unclear
Judy George | March 7, 2025
https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/autism/114545

Measles vaccination rates may be lower than thought, risking U.S.' 'elimination status'
Shiv Sudhakar, M.D. | March 27, 2025

Researchers say that rates may be as low as 71% in younger children, well below the threshold needed for herd immunity.

Measles vaccination rates for young children may be far lower than publicly reported, a troubling development that could mean the United States is closer than expected to losing its “elimination status” for the extremely contagious disease.

.... Dr. Michael Mina, vaccine expert and epidemiologist, whose research was the first to discover that measles can wipe out the immune system’s memory of previous illnesses, said he expected cases to continue almost exclusively among the unvaccinated.

“While we do have very many unvaccinated children, whether the virus burns through most of the susceptible or is slower and drives some level of endemicity is tough to say,” he said.

“My concern is the ‘bubbles’ of the unvaccinated are larger and larger and more plentiful and so they start to merge with each other, meaning that a case in one could ignite nationwide cases.”

A similar scenario occurred in Europe about 10 years ago and led to tens of thousands of cases, he said.

“That is a likely scenario for the U.S.,” Mina said. “Whether it’s this year, or next or the following, is tough to say.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/measles-vaccination-rates-may-lower-t...
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Eric Geng Zhou et al. 2025. Parental Factors Associated With Measles–Mumps–Rubella Vaccination in US Children Younger Than 5 Years. American Journal of Public Health
Volume 115, Issue 3, Mar 2025, Pages241-440. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/epdf/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307912

ABSTRACT
... Results. Children of parents who received at least 1 dose of the COVID-19 vaccine had higher MMR vaccination rates (80.8%) than did children of unvaccinated parents (60.9%; odds ratio (OR) 5 1.84...) ... We observed lower MMR vaccination rates among children of parents who identified as Republican versus Democratic (OR 5 0.73), parents on Medicaid or Medicare versus private insurance (OR 5 0.85...), and minority (OR 5 0.44) versus White (OR 5 0.71) parents. We found higher MMR vaccination rates in the Northeast and Midwest United States...

Peter Marks, FDA’s top vaccine regulator, forced out
Matthew Herper, Helen Branswell, Usha Lee McFarling, Lizzy Lawrence, and Jason Mast | March 28, 2025

Peter Marks, the top Food and Drug Administration official who oversaw vaccines, gene therapies, and the blood supply, resigned Friday after being told by Trump administration officials he would be fired if he did not step down...

In his resignation letter, ... Marks said ... “As you are aware, I was willing to work to address the Secretary’s concerns regarding vaccine safety and transparency by hearing from the public and implementing a variety of different public meetings and engagements with the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,” Marks wrote. “However, it has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by the Secretary, but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies.” ...

https://www.statnews.com/2025/03/28/fda-peter-marks-cber-director-resigns-rfk-jr...

The CDC Buried a Measles Forecast That Stressed the Need for Vaccinations
Patricia Callahan | March 28, 2025

The move — along with the CDC’s explanation — is a sign that the nation’s top public health agency may be falling in line under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines.

Leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered staff this week not to release their experts’ assessment that found the risk of catching measles is high in areas near outbreaks where vaccination rates are lagging...

In an aborted plan to roll out the news, the agency would have emphasized the importance of vaccinating people against the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease that has spread to 19 states...

A CDC spokesperson ... in a written statement that the agency decided against releasing the assessment “because it does not say anything that the public doesn’t already know.” She added that the CDC continues to recommend vaccines as “the best way to protect against measles ...

“The decision to vaccinate is a personal one,” the statement said, echoing a line from a column Kennedy wrote for the Fox News website. “People should consult with their healthcare provider to understand their options to get a vaccine and should be informed about the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines.”...

https://www.propublica.org/article/measles-vaccine-rfk-cdc-report

Top Trump FDA official {Sara} Brenner hits pause on Novavax Covid-19 vaccine decision
David Lim, Adam Cancryn and Lauren Gardner | 04/02/2025

...Dr. Sara Brenner, FDA’s Principal Deputy Commissioner, took the highly unusual step, cutting against longstanding precedent at the agency designed to shield scientific assessments from political interference. Typically, political FDA appointees follow the advice of career staff tasked with reviewing reams of data on drugs and vaccines seeking approval.

The move comes amid HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to force out the top official responsible for reviewing such vaccines, Dr. Peter Marks, and put his deputy Julie Tierney on administrative leave.

... Brenner had previously worked on the nation’s Covid-19 response during the Trump and Biden administration and as a senior policy advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

A Novavax spokesperson said the company had responded to all of the FDA’s information requests and believes its shot is ready for approval.

...The vaccine — which doesn’t use messenger RNA technology — is authorized for emergency use, making its availability dependent upon liability protections offered by a pandemic preparedness law for both the drugmaker and providers who offer it...

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/02/top-trump-fda-official-brenner-hits-pau...

'Decapitated': More top vaccine regulators out at FDA, threatening new approvals
Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | April 4, 2025

Following Dr. Peter Marks’ ouster, other top officials have left or have been pushed out of the FDA division that approves certain drugs, gene therapies and vaccines.

... Experts say the exodus of top talent at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research could hobble the agency’s ability to approve new vaccines and a wide range of other drugs — especially in the wake of the mass layoffs by the Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday.

... CBER is responsible for assuring the safety and effectiveness of a number of medical products, including vaccines and gene therapies. It played a key role in authorizing the first Covid vaccines in late 2020 and approving the first RSV vaccine in 2023. CBER also approved a cure for sickle cell disease that uses the gene-editing technology CRISPR...

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/top-vaccine-regulators-fda-threatenin...

Health secretary RFK Jr. declares certain vaccines have ‘never worked,’ flummoxing scientists
Helen Branswell | April 10, 2025

‘He’s wrong,’ one expert said, as stock prices of some vaccine makers tumble

...Kennedy made the claim in explaining a controversial recent decision by political appointees at the Food and Drug Administration to delay granting a full license to Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine, which is still given under an emergency use authorization or EUA.

“It is a single antigen vaccine. And for respiratory illnesses, the single antigen vaccines have never worked,” Kennedy said when asked by CBS’s chief medical correspondent, Jonathan LaPook, why the decision was delayed.

Scientists who have developed and studied vaccines were blunt in their assessment of Kennedy’s claim.

“He’s wrong,” said Paul Offit, an infectious diseases expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who was one of the developers of a successful rotavirus vaccine. “He believes falsely that a single protein vaccine can’t effectively prevent a serious mucosal infection and of course it can. We have several examples.”

... In addition to puzzling experts, Kennedy’s statement could bode poorly for multiple Covid vaccines currently under review. They are made by Novavax, Moderna, and Pfizer, along with its partner BioNTech.

Beyond the pending Novavax approval, the FDA must in the coming weeks advise Covid vaccine manufacturers on how to update their shots for the 2025-2026 respiratory season.

https://stillcoviding.ca/en/news/health-secretary-rfk-jr-declares-certain-vaccin...

A cousin acquired chikungunya on a Caribbean vacation. She was severely debilitated for a year or two -- couldn't even dress herself, poor thing.

Brazil authorizes Valneva’s chikungunya vaccine
Lisa Schnirring | April 14, 2025

... Brazil has been the hardest hit country in the Americas, recording more than 1 million cases between January 2019 and July 2024. In its announcement, the company said the approval paves the way for large-scale clinical trials in Brazil, including phase 4 trials to generate more data on vaccine effectiveness in the wake of approvals in the United States and Europe ...

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/chikungunya/brazil-authorizes-valneva-s-chikungunya-v...

SHIELD-Utah Study Shows Novavax's COVID-19 Vaccine Induces Lower Reactogenicity Symptoms Compared to mRNA {Accessed 17 April 2025}

Rhea-AI Summary

Novavax (NVAX) has announced preliminary results from the SHIELD-Utah study comparing its COVID-19 Vaccine (2024-2025 Formula) targeting the JN.1 strain with Pfizer-BioNTech's mRNA vaccine. The real-world study, conducted between September-December 2024, demonstrated significantly lower reactogenicity in Novavax recipients.

Key findings show Novavax recipients experienced an average of 1.7 symptoms versus 2.8 in Pfizer-BioNTech recipients. Only 24.2% of Novavax recipients reported Grade 2 or higher symptoms compared to 43.8% for Pfizer-BioNTech. Local reactogenicity events were 12.5% lower in Novavax recipients.

The study, conducted at University of Utah Health with 219 Novavax and 369 Pfizer-BioNTech recipients, also revealed reduced impact on daily activities. Novavax recipients reported fewer hours of missed work (0.7 vs 1.4h) and less productivity impact (0.8 vs 2.4h) compared to Pfizer-BioNTech recipients.

... Results are preliminary, full publication pending ...

https://www.stocktitan.net/news/NVAX/shield-utah-study-shows-novavax-s-covid-19-...

Top-notch satire.

RFK Jr.: Autism Detective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2FgiYTKhX4

"Under a 50% decline in childhood vaccination in the US, the simulation model predicted
51.2 million measles cases over a 25-year period,
9.9 million rubella cases,
4.3 million poliomyelitis cases,
197 diphtheria cases,
10.3 million hospitalizations, and
159 200 deaths."

Mathew V. Kiang et al. 2025. Modeling Reemergence of Vaccine-Eliminated Infectious Diseases Under Declining Vaccination in the US. JAMA. Published online April 24, 2025. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.6495 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2833361 FREE

Pariente N (2025) Vaccines work… and do not cause autism. {Editorial} PLoS Biol 23(4): e3003143. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003143 https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003143

Vaccines have saved millions of lives, yet their importance and safety is repeatedly in question. We cannot let disinformation campaigns get in the way of global public health—it is not time to defund, but rather invest in these life-saving tools.

Far, far, farthingwiggididdles berateing baskerwaddy's herfluffle on shimmerdiggies. Took, take, tadderwaddies vaccerdidles smiggilywiggily umperdilly am shnee they solvergangled tuh passerwang-in probledaddy gonbyzers.

FDA Asks Vaccine Maker to Complete New Clinical Trial for Delayed Covid-19 Shot
Liz Essley Whyte | April 25, 2025

Federal regulators are asking Novavax to complete an additional randomized clinical trial on its Covid-19 vaccine after previously delaying approval, people familiar with the matter said, a request that could be so prohibitively expensive the company might not be able to fulfill it.

The Maryland-based company was asked by the Food and Drug Administration to show its vaccine is effective with another randomized study after appointees under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. intervened in the approval process, the people said. (The FDA has long tried to avoid even the appearance of political interference in drug and other product approvals, allowing career staff in almost all cases to make those judgments.) The additional step goes beyond what other Covid-19 vaccine makers had to do to win approval, and could be an early sign of new challenges for drugmakers hoping to get approvals.

The company’s shot already showed 90% efficacy in a 30,000-person, placebo-controlled trial, and it is already available in the U.S. under an emergency use authorization and has won full approval in Australia, Europe and Japan ...

https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/novavax-covid-19-vaccine-clinical-trial-fd...

>31 johnny1991: One of my favorite pictures of all time was an evangelical convention that had a golden statue of Donald Trump in the atrium.

The thing I have to remind myself is that for some people, sacrificing children to placate the god of conservatism is not too far to go in pursuit of self. And there will be no stopping of Abraham's knife by their gods.

>34 johnny1991: "In reality, unvaccinated children are actually healthier on average"
Citation needed.

>34 johnny1991: I don't actually believe you have children. You spend way too much time trolling here to spend any time with actual children. Or maybe you have already committed your sacrifices, and they are gone.

Kennedy Advises New Parents to ‘Do Your Own Research’ on Vaccines
Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Christina Jewett | April 29, 2025

In an interview with Dr. Phil, the health secretary offered false information about vaccine oversight and revealed a lack of basic understanding of new drug approvals.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advised parents of newborns to “do your own research” before vaccinating their infants during a televised interview in which he also suggested the measles shot was unsafe and repeatedly made false statements that cast doubt on the benefits of vaccination and the independence of the Food and Drug Administration.

... He said, as he has in the past, that “if you want to avoid spreading measles, the best thing you can do is take that vaccine.”

But Mr. Kennedy also made clear, as he has in the past, that he believes it is up to individuals to decide. In suggesting vaccines are unsafe, he contradicted decades of advice from public health experts, including leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...

{GIFT ARTICLE} https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/us/politics/kennedy-vaccines-research.html?un...
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RFK Jr's 10 Most INSANE Comments and Conspiracies (4:25)
Zeteo | Jan 28, 2025

Meet the US’s possible next head of Health and Human Services: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As he prepares for his confirmation hearing, we at Zeteo have put together a short video of 10 egregious and outlandish things that have come out of his mouth, in descending order, to give the world a full and proper look at who could soon be in charge of Americans’ health.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=5lFwWW6C8-0YVMly&v=YLas6-gsj0M&feature=...

8 possible indicators of how RFK Jr.’s HHS will handle vaccine policy
Helen Branswell | April 30, 2025

...eight questions that could indicate whether — and how aggressively — Kennedy might exert his influence in the coming weeks.

What the heck is happening with the Novavax Covid shot approval?
Is the FDA proposing to overhaul the system for updating Covid shots?
What is going to happen to Moderna’s next-generation Covid vaccine?
What is the future of Covid vaccines for children?
How and when will the strain for next season’s Covid shot be selected?
Will HHS accept recent vaccine recommendations from the CDC’s advisory panel?
What about Moderna’s bid to expand who is eligible for its RSV vaccine?
What’s going to happen to Moderna’s BARDA {Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority} contract?

... not every action the Trump administration takes fits into a clear pattern. On the one hand, it might seem that any vaccines related to mRNA technology might be on the chopping block; on the other, earlier this month the FDA awarded a fast-track designation to a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against H5N1 being developed by Arcturus Therapeutics.

That work is being funded by BARDA.

https://www.statnews.com/2025/04/30/rfk-jr-vaccine-policy-hhs-changes-mrna-vacci...

Gut imbalances in autism linked to brain and behavior changes
University of Southern California | Apr 14 2025

...For the study, researchers collected behavioral data, brain imaging data and stool samples from 43 children with autism and 41 neurotypical children aged 8-17. From the stool samples, they analyzed metabolites produced by gut bacteria that break down food in the digestive system.

The researchers then correlated these metabolites with brain differences observed in children with autism and their behavioral characteristics. They homed in on the "tryptophan pathway" by which tryptophan, an amino acid found in many foods, is broken down into several metabolites, including serotonin.

Serotonin is crucial for emotional processing, social interaction, learning and other brain functions. Since much of the body's serotonin originates in the gut microbiome, changes in gut health can influence serotonin production.

"We know that children with autism have brain differences - certain parts of their brain are either less active or more active compared to typically developing children," Aziz-Zadeh said. "We also know they often experience gastrointestinal issues, such as constipation, stomach pain and other digestive problems. Additionally, autism is associated with various symptoms, including repetitive behaviors and social difficulties."

Sofronia Ringold, a doctoral student at the Brain and Creativity Institute who worked on the study, said she was excited by the possibility of interventions that might target the gut and influence neural activity and behavior "while also hopefully alleviating some of the symptoms that are the most uncomfortable for them."...

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250414/Gut-imbalances-in-autism-linked-to-br...

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Lisa Aziz-Zadeh et al. 2025. Relationships between brain activity, tryptophan-related gut metabolites, and autism symptomatology. Nature Communications volume 16, Article number: 3465 (14 April 2025) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-58459-1 Open access.

RFK Jr Says Vaccine Contains 'Aborted Fetus Debris'
Jordan King | May 01, 2025

... Does the MMR Vaccine Contain Aborted Fetus Debris?
The MMR vaccine is produced using human cell lines that originated from two legal abortions in the 1960s but these cells are not present in the final vaccine.

The Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia says that "the cells used to grow viruses for vaccines are sometimes called fetal cells because they were originally derived from two fetuses in the 1960s," but the center emphasizes that "fetal cells are not in the vaccine itself."

These original cells have been replicated over time, and current vaccine production uses descendant cells, not any tissue from the original fetuses.

The specific cell lines used in the production of some vaccines, including MMR, are WI-38 and MRC-5. These lines provide an effective medium to grow viruses used in live-attenuated vaccines. Over the past several decades, these cells have been reproduced millions of times, meaning that today's production does not require additional fetal tissue and does not involve ongoing abortions.

"The ingredients of vaccines are listed on the package inserts and do not include 'aborted fetal tissue.' The cells originally used are not part of the final vaccine," the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia says in its Q&A sheet on the topic ...

https://www.newsweek.com/rfk-jr-robert-f-kennedy-jr-vaccine-aborted-fetus-206661...

Kennedy to ask CDC for new look at treatments for measles, other diseases
Katherine Dillinger | May 1, 2025

... The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles after the recommended two doses, but there is no specific treatment for measles once someone is infected.

In severe cases, doctors may offer treatments such as supplemental oxygen and fluids to help patients get through the worst of their illness. The CDC also recommends two doses of physician-administered vitamin A in cases of severe measles, such as people who are hospitalized. Infectious disease experts note that the vitamin is most useful in impoverished countries where children are significantly malnourished ...

A poll released last week showed that a growing share of adults in the US have heard false claims about measles and the vaccine, including that vitamin A can prevent infections.

“It’s really important not to conflate what … {is} supportive or adjunctive care for measles versus curative treatment for measles,” Dr. Christina Johns, a pediatric emergency physician at PM Pediatrics in Annapolis, Maryland, told CNN in March.

In a fact-check on its website, the American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that “Recent claims that budesonide and clarithromycin cure measles are reckless and put children at serious risk. There is no cure for measles. Immunization is the only way to prevent the spread of measles.”

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/01/health/cdc-hhs-measles-treatments

Kind of cold-blooded to call for randomized controlled trials during COVID pandemic with thousands of people pouring into New York City hospitals, Prasad took to task MDs who were throwing everything they could at the virus that was killing their patients. Also, surprising to me that a hematologist-oncologist with vulnerable patients would not applaud masking. But here we are.

Vinay Prasad, Critic of COVID Measures, Picked as FDA's Top Vaccine Official
Cheryl Clark | May 6, 2025

Hematologist-oncologist is known for his criticisms of FDA and COVID masking, vaccine policies ...

https://www.medpagetoday.com/washington-watch/fdageneral/115453

Cassidy calls to delay meeting of CDC’s vaccine panel in challenge to RFK Jr.
MedPage Today Staff | 24 June 2025

... “Although the appointees to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices have scientific credentials, many do not have significant experience studying microbiology, epidemiology or immunology. In particular, some lack experience studying new technologies such as mRNA vaccines, and may even have a preconceived bias against them,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) wrote on the social media site X Monday evening ...

https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/washington-watch/116210

Eric Topol ‪@erictopol.bsky.social‬ | June 24, 2025 at 8:14 AM

Bypassing RFK Jr to make vaccines available

How medical groups may preserve vaccine access — and bypass RFK Jr.
The extraordinary effort to create a parallel system of recommending and perhaps even providing vaccines faces major challenges.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/06/24/vaccines-access-rfk-cdc/

Sean T. O’Leary et al 2025. Strategies for Communicating With Parents About Vaccines. JAMA April 9, 2025. 2025;333;(24):2197-2198. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.4882 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2832730

... Conclusions
A presumptive approach presenting vaccination as the norm, combined with listening for parents’ concerns, motivational interviewing, and prebunking unreliable information, can improve vaccine acceptance. Building trust through clear explanations, aligning messages with parental values, and leveraging social norms further strengthen vaccine confidence. Although some parents may not immediately accept vaccines, ongoing dialogue and consistent messaging can increase the likelihood of eventual acceptance. By using these communication strategies, clinicians can help ensure that more children receive lifesaving vaccines, protecting both individual and public health.

Vaccine Panel Gutted by Kennedy Loses a Member Ahead of First Meeting
Apoorva Mandavilli | June 24, 2025

Two weeks ago, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of an influential committee that recommends which vaccines Americans should get. He then named eight new members, at least half of whom have expressed some skepticism about vaccines.

... Tuesday night, {Dr. Michael Ross, a physician licensed in Virginia who is a former professor of obstetrics and gynecology withdrew from the} the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

The new members were scheduled to meet on Wednesday and Thursday to evaluate data and vote on some new vaccines.

The panel’s recommendations carry significant weight. Insurance companies and government programs like Medicaid are required to cover the costs of recommended vaccines, and states often base their mandates for school-aged children on the panel’s decisions.

On Monday, Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, called for delaying the meeting until the committee was “fully staffed with more robust and balanced representation — as required by law — including those with more direct relevant expertise.”

But the meeting is likely to go ahead as planned.

... The panelists are expected to vote on flu vaccines that contain thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that Mr. Kennedy and others have falsely linked to autism. The presentation before the vote is scheduled to be made not by a C.D.C. staff member, as would be the norm, but by Lyn Redwood, a former leader of Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group Mr. Kennedy founded...

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/24/us/politics/rfk-jr-cdc-vaccine-panel.html?unl...

CIDRAP ‪@cidrap.bsky.social‬ | June 26, 2025 at 10:50 AM
The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota

🧵1/ During the 2023–24 flu season, CDC estimates that flu vaccination:
• Prevented 9.8 million illnesses
• Averted 120,000 hospitalizations
• Saved 7,900 lives
And yet, >200 children still died from flu, about 80% of them were unvaccinated.
Flu vaccines work.

2/ Despite benefits, flu vaccination is a target of inaccurate health info—especially over thimerosal, a preservative used in a small % of flu vaccines, only in multidose.
Thimerosal contains quickly cleared ethylmercury, often wrongly conflated with potentially tox methylmerc.

3/ Thimerosal has been used since the 1930s to prevent contamination in multidose vaccine vials.
Each puncture introduces risk. Thimerosal prevents bacterial/fungal growth—a basic, proven safeguard.
CDC resource: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/about/thimerosal.html

4/ More than 40 studies across decades found no link between thimerosal and developmental delays.
Still, CDC & the American Academy of Pediatrics asked manufacturers to remove it as a precaution in 1999, to maintain public confidence—not because it was unsafe.

5/ The science is clear:
“Thimerosal use in medical products has a record of being very safe.
Data from many studies show no evidence of harm caused by the low doses in vaccines.” https://www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/about/thimerosal.html

6/ But the confusion remains—largely because anti-vaccine figures have spent years distorting the science.
They have sought to use thimerosal as a way to sow distrust in vaccinations, despite the overwhelming evidence.

7/ Thimerosal isn’t the danger. Flu is. And inaccurate health information kills.
More than 200 kids died from flu in the 2023–24 season.
The vast majority were unvaccinated.
That’s the crisis. Not a preservative studied for decades. ✅

Flu Burden Prevented by Vaccination 2023-2024 Flu Season
Public Health | Jan. 14, 2025
CDC estimates that during the 23-24 season, flu vaccination prevented 9.8 million flu illnesses.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu-burden/php/data-vis-vac/2023-2024-prevented.html

The New York Times ‪@nytimes.com‬ | June 26, 2025 at 2:35 PM

Vaccine advisers appointed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted on Thursday to stop recommending flu vaccines containing thimerosal, a preservative used to prevent bacterial contamination, to children and pregnant women. Dozens of studies have shown thimerosal to be harmless.

RFK Jr.’s New Advisers Rescind Recommendations for Some Flu Vaccines
Panelists pulled back some endorsements for certain vaccines containing a preservative that critics have falsely linked to autism.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/health/rfk-jr-vaccines-acip-cdc.html

U.S. Pulls Funding From Global Vaccines Group, Saying It Has 'Ignored the Science'
— HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expresses concern over vaccine alliance Gavi
Associated Press | 26 June 2025
https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/vaccines/116261

We will not stay silent on vaccines, say leaders of five major U.S. medical associations
Immunizations save lives
By Jen Brull, Susan J. Kressly, Jason Goldman, Steven J. Fleischman, and Tina Q. Tan
June 26, 2025

The authors are the presidents of American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

https://www.statnews.com/2025/06/26/vaccine-policy-us-aafp-aap-acp-acog-idsa-pre...

>51 margd: contd.

Pregnant Doc, Medical Groups Sue Over Kennedy's New Vax Recs
— Groups ask court to restore CDC's recommendation to vaccinate kids, pregnant people against COVID
Kristina Fiore | 7 July 2025

Medical and public health organizations sued the Department of Health and Human Services and its secretary over changes to U.S. vaccine policy.

The groups focused on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s directive to end the CDC's recommendation to vaccinate healthy kids and pregnant people against COVID-19, but listed numerous actions that serve to undermine U.S. vaccine policy. That included removing all 17 of the CDC's top vaccine advisors and cancelling or postponing vaccine advisory meetings.

In their complaint*, the groups asked the federal court to restore the CDC recommendations for vaccinating healthy kids and pregnant women.

Plaintiffs included the American Public Health Association, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American College of Physicians, and the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance.

A pregnant physician who wasn't able to get a COVID shot also joined the lawsuit...

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/vaccines/116399

* {Complaint} https://downloads.aap.org/AAP/PDF/FiledSuit.pdf
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GIFT LINK:

Medical Societies Sue Kennedy and H.H.S. Over Vaccine Advice
Apoorva Mandavilli | July 7, 2025
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/health/vaccines-kennedy-lawsuit.html?unlocked...

Vaccine roll-outs cut deaths by 60% - study (BBC)

Emergency vaccination programmes – rolled out in response to outbreaks of five major diseases – are believed to have reduced deaths by around 60% over a period of 23 years, according to a new study. A similar number of infections are also thought to have been prevented. Researchers believe that vaccinations stopped much bigger outbreaks of illnesses like Ebola, cholera and yellow fever... Researchers say this is the first comprehensive study to assess the impact of emergency vaccination programmes in response to the outbreak of five infectious diseases – Ebola, measles, cholera, yellow fever and meningitis. They studied 210 different incidents from 2000 to 2023, covering 49 different countries. The vaccine roll-outs seem to have had an impressive impact, reducing deaths by nearly 60%. The number of overall cases of theses infections were also reduced by nearly 60%. The swift deployment of vaccines also appears to have halted wider outbreaks...

First malaria treatment for babies approved for use
Dominic Hughes | 8 July 2025

The first malaria treatment suitable for babies and very young children {who weigh less than 4.5kg or around 10lb} has been approved for use. {Until now they have been treated with versions formulated for older children which presents a risk of overdose.} ...

... a new medicine, developed by the drug company Novartis, has been approved by the Swiss authorities and is likely to be rolled out {on a largely not-for-profit basis} in regions and countries with the highest rates of malaria within weeks.

... The drug, known as Coartem Baby or Riamet Baby in some countries, was developed by Novartis in collaboration with the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a Swiss-based not-for-profit organisation initially backed by the British, Swiss and Dutch Governments, as well as the Gates Foundation and other bodies.

Eight African nations also took part in the assessment and trials of the drug and they are expected to be among the first to access it ...

...Dr Marvelle Brown, associate professor at the University of Hertfordshire's School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, says ... "The death rate for malarial infections, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa is extremely high - over 76% of deaths occur in children under five years old ... Increase in death from malaria is further compounded in babies born with sickle cell disease, primarily due to a weak immune system ..." {margd - a cruel irony in that people who are heterozygous for sickle cell trait are somewhat resistant to malaria, thought to be a reason that the trait persisted}

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c89e872jdjxo

>54 margd: Coartem Baby

I often use Coartem when I get malaria, so I know it works for adults!

‘Tremendous uncertainty’ for cancer research as US officials target mRNA vaccines
Melody Schreiber | July 12, 2025

... Messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines have shown promise in treating and preventing cancers that have often been difficult to address, such as pancreatic cancer, brain tumors and others.

But groundbreaking research could stall as federal and state officials target mRNA shots, including ending federal funding for bird flu mRNA vaccines, restricting who may receive existing mRNA vaccines and, in some places, proposing laws against the vaccines.

The Trump administration has also implemented unprecedented cuts to cancer research, among other research cuts and widespread layoffs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

At least 16 grants involving the word “mRNA” have been terminated or frozen, according to the crowdsourced project Grant Watch, and scientists have been told to remove mentions of mRNA vaccines from their research applications, KFF Health News reported in March...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/12/mrna-vaccine-cancer-research-tru...

Measles cases are surging in Europe and the US. This is what the anti-vax conspiracy theory has brought us (Guardian)

Nearly 30 years after Andrew Wakefield’s discredited study linking the MMR vaccine and autism, we badly need an injection of rationality...

Nurseries in England bring in Covid-style protocols as measles cases rise (Guardian)

Parents and experts have voiced alarm over rising measles cases, with nurseries bringing in Covid-style isolation protocols to clamp down on outbreaks. There have been more than 500 confirmed cases in England in 2025, the majority in young children. A child died at Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool on Sunday after contracting the infectious disease. With cases increasing and vaccine uptake in some parts of the country worryingly low, nurseries are bringing back infection control measures last used during the pandemic to keep children safe and ease parents’ fears...

What is a Nursery in England. Is it what we would call day-care?

>59 jjwilson61:

I think so.

RFK Jr. Affirms ACIP's Contentious Call to Pull Thimerosal From Flu Vaccines
— Recommendation has provoked strong criticism from infectious disease experts
Terrence Rudd, Staff Writer, MedPage Today | 23 July 2025

... The mercury-based preservative has long been used to prevent bacterial and fungal contamination in multidose vials of vaccines and medicines. The preservative was removed from U.S. childhood vaccines in 2001, according to the CDC, and it was never in vaccines for varicella or polio, or in the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines.

Only about 4% to 5% of flu vaccines administered in the 2024-2025 season were from multidose vials containing thimerosal -- these vials are often used for vulnerable patients, such as those in long-term care...

... A thimerosal evidence-review document produced by CDC staff for the ACIP meeting ... concluded that the preservative was safe. That document was removed from the CDC's public ACIP website prior to the meeting because it had not been authorized by Kennedy's office ...

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/uritheflu/116639
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Statement on the June meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
Infectious Diseases Society of America | Last Updated June 26, 2025
https://www.idsociety.org/news--publications-new/articles/2025/statement-on-the-...

Report: No link between aluminum-adjuvanted childhood vaccines, conditions such as autism
Mary Van Beusekom | July 14, 2025

A 24-year study of more than 1.2 million Danish children adds to the already considerable evidence finding no tie between exposure to aluminum-adjuvanted childhood vaccines and autoimmune, atopic or allergic, or neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism...

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-vaccines/report-no-link-between-aluminum-ad...
---------------------------------------------------

Niklas Worm Andersson et al. 2025. Aluminum-Adsorbed Vaccines and Chronic Diseases in Childhood: A Nationwide Cohort Study. Annals of Internal Medicine, 15 July 2025.
https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-25-00997 https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-00997

Abstract
... Participants: 1 224 176 children born in Denmark between 1997 and 2018 who were alive and residing in the country at age 2 years.

Intervention: Cumulative aluminum amount received (per 1-mg increase) through vaccination during the first 2 years of life.

Measurements: Incident events of 50 chronic disorders, including autoimmune (dermatologic, endocrinologic, hematologic, gastrointestinal, and rheumatic), atopic or allergic (asthma, atopic dermatitis, rhinoconjunctivitis, and allergy), and neurodevelopmental (autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder).

Results: Cumulative aluminum exposure from vaccination during the first 2 years of life was not associated with increased rates of any of the 50 disorders assessed ...

Conclusion: This nationwide cohort study did not find evidence supporting an increased risk for autoimmune, atopic or allergic, or neurodevelopmental disorders associated with early childhood exposure to aluminum-adsorbed vaccines. For most outcomes, the findings were inconsistent with moderate to large relative increases in risk, although small relative effects, particularly for some rarer disorders, could not be statistically excluded.

HHS scraps further work on life-saving mRNA vaccine platform
Mary Van Beusekom | August 6, 2025

In what experts say will hobble pandemic preparedness, US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. yesterday announced the dismantling of the country’s mRNA vaccine-development programs—the same innovation that allowed rapid scale-up of COVID-19 vaccines during the public health emergency.

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine-development contracts totaling just under $500 million, including an award to Moderna/University of Texas Medical Branch for a vaccine against the H5N1 avian flu now sweeping the world. That grant was terminated in late May...

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/hhs-scraps-further-work-life-saving-mrna-vac...
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Health secretary RFK Jr. shuts door on U.S. investment in mRNA vaccine research
Key HHS agency will wind down funding, delivering blow to technology that produced Covid-19 shots
Helen Branswell | Aug. 5, 2025
https://www.statnews.com/2025/08/05/mrna-vaccine-development-canceled-by-kennedy...
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HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA (Press Release)
HHS Press Office | August 5, 2025
https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-winds-down-mrna-development-under-barda.html
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Pulling the Plug on mRNA Vaccine Development Is 'Reckless,' Experts Say
— Puts U.S. at a disadvantage as H5N1 pandemic threat looms
Kristina Fiore | 6 August 2025
https://www.medpagetoday.com/washington-watch/washington-watch/116862

Abstracts Related to Dietary Guidelines Pulled From Meeting, Raising Concerns
— Government travel policy cited as reason for retractions
Rachael Robertson | 6 August 2025

Abstracts related to work done by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) were retracted from a major nutrition conference, sparking concerns that 2 years of work producing a robust scientific report may be disregarded

... Every 5 years, the 20 nutrition and obesity experts selected to serve on DGAC parse through the latest evidence and offer recommendations for how HHS and USDA should update the dietary guidelines, though the committee's advice doesn't always make it into the final guideline. This year's report is more than 400 pages long with a 1,000 page supplement.

"You're not expecting that your advice will be taken. You're just offering it," {DGAC member Christopher Gardner, PhD, an expert in diabetes and nutrition at Stanford University} said.

After submitting the report, DGAC disbands and has no further input. USDA and HHS alternate each cycle on which agency takes the lead in creating the report. This time, it's up to HHS.

When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became head of HHS, some DGAC members worried about the fate of their work while others hoped for the best.

On Tuesday, Kennedy said in a video clip on X that the 2025 dietary guidelines would be coming out ahead of schedule at the end of September. For reference, the 2020 guidelines were posted about a year after being submitted.

"We are going to release dietary guidelines that are 4, 5, or 6 pages long that are understandable, that are simple and will allow people to make good choices about their food," Kennedy said.

He called the current dietary guidelines "bloated" and "incomprehensible" and claimed they were driven by "the same commercial impulses that put Fruit Loops at the top of the food pyramid."

This was shocking news to DGAC, who found out on social media just like everyone else.

"We said 'WTF?' We just volunteered for 2 years, generating all this information and you're really going to discard it?" Gardner said. "Several of us have been asking who is now responsible, and we have not been able to get an answer."

If the guideline disregards DGAC's report, updated frameworks for understanding fats as well as beans, peas, and lentils, will be lost, among other advice ...

https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/116867

RFK Jr. Quietly Endorses Flu Vaccine for Kids and Adults
— New CDC director also backed a new option for infant immunization against RSV
Terrence Rudd | 7 Aug 2025

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last month quietly endorsed recommendations from his handpicked vaccine advisors that everyone in the U.S. ages 6 months and older receive a flu shot for the upcoming season.

The backdated notice appeared this week on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' (ACIP) recommendations without fanfare -- a contrast to Kennedy's July announcement endorsing the removal of thimerosal from flu vaccines despite the preservative's long safety record...

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/uritheflu/116880
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A cousin (70+, diabetes) acquired chikungunya during a Caribbean vacation. She was sick for more than a year -- couldn't even dress herself.

FDA Lifts Pause on Chikungunya Vaccine in Older Adults, With Revised Labeling
— Ixchiq vaccine now has a higher risk threshold for use, new warnings for those ages 65 and up
Terrence Rudd | August 7, 2025

... In May, the FDA and CDC jointly called for a pause in the use of the vaccine in people 60 and older. That halt was a response to reports of 17 serious adverse events in people who had received the vaccine, including two fatalities. The adverse events were primarily neurologic and cardiac, and all occurred in people ages 60 or older. Six of the reports came from the U.S., while the rest occurred globally among the roughly 80,000 vaccine recipients worldwide ...

...While it lifted the recommended pause, the FDA also revised the vaccine's labeling to reflect postmarketing events ...

The live-attenuated vaccine is now recommended for people 18 years and older "who are at high risk of exposure" to chikungunya virus. The previous labeling stated that it was recommended for those at "increased" risk.
A new limitations of use section states, "Vaccination with Ixchiq is not advisable for most U.S. travelers. For most U.S. travelers, the risk of exposure to {chikungunya virus} is low."
The revised warnings and precautions section notes that people ages 65 and older with one or more chronic medical conditions may be at increased risk of serious adverse reactions after vaccination with the live-attenuated shot...

The chikungunya virus is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Southeast Asia, and parts of the Americas where infected mosquitoes spread the virus to people -- China is currently experiencing perhaps its largest outbreak of the virus ever.

The most common symptoms are fever and joint pain, while muscle pain, headaches, rash, or joint swelling can also occur. Most cases aren't severe, but infants and older adults are at higher risk of serious and fatal infection ...

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/generalinfectiousdisease/116882

Off-the-shelf cancer vaccine elicits strong immune response in patients with pancreatic and colorectal cancer
Denise Heady | 12 Aug 2025

Final trial results show durable T-cell responses and reduced relapse in patients with pancreatic and colorectal cancer...

https://www.uclahealth.org/news/release/shelf-cancer-vaccine-elicits-strong-immu...
----------------------------------------------

Zev A. Wainberg et al. 2025. Lymph node-targeted, mKRAS-specific amphiphile vaccine in pancreatic and colorectal cancer: phase 1 AMPLIFY-201 trial final results (Brief Communication). Nat Med (11 Aug 2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03876-4 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03876-4#citeas Open Access

Prominent medical journal refuses RFK's call to retract a vaccine study
News
Anna Rogers | 13 Aug 2025
https://www.livescience.com/health/medicine-drugs/prominent-medical-journal-refu...
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Flawed Science, Bought Conclusions: The Aluminum Vaccine Study the Media Won’t Question
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | 1 Aug 2025
https://www.trialsitenews.com/a/flawed-science-bought-conclusions-the-aluminum-v...
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Data vs. Doubt: Danish Scientist Responds to U.S. HHS Secretary Critique of Aluminum Vaccine Study
Anders Hviid | August 3, 2025
https://www.trialsitenews.com/a/data-vs.-doubt-danish-scientist-responds-to-u.s....
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Niklas Worm Andersson and Ingrid Bech Svalgaard et al. 2025. Aluminum-Adsorbed Vaccines and Chronic Diseases in Childhood: A Nationwide Cohort Study. Annals of Internal Medicine 15 July 2025. https://doi.org/10.7326/ANNALS-25-00997 https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-25-00997 Free Access

Abstract
Background: Aluminum is used as an adjuvant in nonlive vaccines administered in early childhood. Concerns persist about potential associations between vaccination with aluminum-adsorbed vaccines and increased risk for chronic autoimmunity, atopy or allergy, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Large-scale safety data remain limited.

Objective: To assess the association between cumulative aluminum exposure from early childhood vaccination and risk for autoimmune, atopic or allergic, and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Design: A cohort study linking nationwide registry data on childhood vaccinations, outcome diagnoses, and potential confounders, leveraging the variations in the aluminum content of childhood vaccines over time.

Setting: Denmark, 1997 to 2020.

Participants: 1 224 176 children born in Denmark between 1997 and 2018 who were alive and residing in the country at age 2 years.

Intervention:
Cumulative aluminum amount received (per 1-mg increase) through vaccination during the first 2 years of life.

Measurements:
Incident events of 50 chronic disorders, including autoimmune (dermatologic, endocrinologic, hematologic, gastrointestinal, and rheumatic), atopic or allergic (asthma, atopic dermatitis, rhinoconjunctivitis, and allergy), and neurodevelopmental (autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder).

Results:
Cumulative aluminum exposure from vaccination during the first 2 years of life was not associated with increased rates of any of the 50 disorders assessed. For groups of combined outcomes, adjusted hazard ratios per 1-mg increase in aluminum exposure were 0.98 ... for any autoimmune disorder, 0.99 ... for any atopic or allergic disorder, and 0.93 ... for any neurodevelopmental disorder. For most individually analyzed outcomes, the upper bounds of the 95% CIs were incompatible with relative increases greater than 10% or 30%.

Limitation: Individual medical records were not reviewed.

Conclusion: This nationwide cohort study did not find evidence supporting an increased risk for autoimmune, atopic or allergic, or neurodevelopmental disorders associated with early childhood exposure to aluminum-adsorbed vaccines. For most outcomes, the findings were inconsistent with moderate to large relative increases in risk, although small relative effects, particularly for some rarer disorders, could not be statistically excluded.

‘Makes No Sense': Experts Push Back On RFK Jr.’s Doubts About Hepatitis B Vaccine
Joedy McCreary | 13 Aug 2025

... Hepatitis B is a viral liver infection that can raise the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. It can be acute or chronic, and it is spread through contact with infected bodily fluids, including blood, saliva, semen, and vaginal secretions. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 97 million people in the Western Pacific region and 5 million in the Americas live with the infection.

... In the U.S., public health recommendations call for a three-dose series for children to be given at birth, 1-2 months, and 6 months or later ... The hepatitis B vaccine, introduced in 1981, has "a fairly long track record" of safety and efficacy

.. Since overhauling the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Kennedy and his supporters have questioned the {hepatitis B} vaccine's safety and the need for a birth dose.

... Martin Kulldorff, PhD, the former Harvard Medical School professor Kennedy tapped to chair the revamped ACIP, marked his first meeting by questioning whether it was "wise" to give shots "to every newborn before leaving the hospital" when the disease "is primarily spread by sexual activity and intravenous drug use."

That's not accurate, {Hepatitis B Foundation President Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH} said. In highly endemic areas, hepatitis B is most commonly spread from mother to child at birth, according to the WHO... {margd: an 80YO friend from Asia is still positive for hepatitis B acquired at birth, my Asian adoptees were treated with immunoglobulins to break the cycle.}

... Initially, the hepatitis B vaccine was targeted to adults with specific risk factors ... risk factor-based vaccination in adults doesn't work very well ...

... ACIP in 1991 began recommending universal infant vaccination, a change that produced dramatic results. The rate of acute hepatitis B among children ages 1-9 years dropped by more than 80% from 1986-2000. From 2011 through 2022, the rate among those 19 and younger was fewer than 0.1 cases per 100,000, according to CDC data. The AAP {American Academy of Pediatrics} reported only 17 perinatal hepatitis B cases in the U.S. in 2021 and 13 in 2022.

"We have profoundly diminished the occurrence of hepatitis B in children, in adolescents, and young adults," {William Schaffner, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee} said. "This has been a remarkably effective means of, in a stepwise fashion, creating an immune population in the United States. They'll soon be in their 30s and 40s and 50s, and they'll take that protection that they received at birth with them through life, and we will get progressive reduction in adult age groups."

https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/features/116984

Congress is lukewarm on RFK Jr.’s plans. In the states, they’re catching fire.
Amanda Chu | 08/14/2025

... Republican strongholds, such as Austin, Texas, and Tallahassee, Florida, as well as Democratic ones, such as Albany, New York; Boston; and Trenton, New Jersey.

... more than 130 bills aimed at regulating ultraprocessed foods and improving nutrition, over 60 bills restricting the application of pesticides and other chemicals, and more than 130 bills expanding vaccine exemptions or prohibiting mandates this year. Lawmakers also introduced dozens of bills to promote the use of psychedelics, authorize sales of raw milk and ivermectin, and ban the fluoridation of drinking water.

... The number of bills on the subjects has increased at least 45 percent from the prior year and in 2023 for the four states that convene biennially. The outpouring of interest in Kennedy’s agenda also shows how he has outmaneuvered a public health establishment that has condemned aspects of his agenda, such as expanding vaccine exemptions and ending water fluoridation, as unscientific and dangerous.

... Democrat-led states ... lead the country in bills that align with the MAHA agenda ... New York and Massachusetts lead the country in bill proposals, including more than two dozen measures introduced this year to restrict access to ultraprocessed and sugary foods. ... Where parties differ is in their approach. Republican lawmakers led the vast majority of bills to ban participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food to low-income people, from buying candy and soda, while Democrats were behind every state push to impose taxes on sugary beverages. ... Food manufacturers oppose state-by-state regulations, warning they are impractical to follow and create confusion for consumers.

Vaccines remain a sharp dividing line between the parties. Nearly all of the 160 measures ... related to vaccines were sponsored solely by Republicans, with Texas and West Virginia leading the country in the number of bills. Almost 15 percent of these bills restrict the use of messenger RNA, the technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines, while bills to allow for greater vaccine exemptions on religious or personal grounds were introduced in at least a dozen states, including Connecticut, Mississippi, Montana, New York and West Virginia.

... Other bills, more on the fringe of the MAHA movement, were also predominantly sponsored by Republicans ... Legislation introduced related to ivermectin has grown fivefold since last year, while bills prohibiting geoengineering {a conspiracy theory that the U.S. government is controlling the weather by spraying chemicals into the sky} have more than doubled.

Democrats, meanwhile, were behind the vast majority of bills to curb plastics and pesticide use ... Roundup ... Bayer lobbyists ...

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/14/its-a-maha-nation-now-00508287

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a LAWYER. One might understand that he doesn't appreciate the niceties of biology, but to misunderstand or mislead on vaccine law -- to fearmonger -- is deeply unsettling. Apparently, MD liability was never protected by the Vaccine Injury Act; manufacturers and administrators are. Further Covid-19 vaccines for children are not yet covered by the Act "because Congress has not yet legislated to create an excise tax for COVID-19 vaccines, and until Congress does that, they're not within VICP."

RFK Jr. Warns Docs of Liability if They Stray From CDC on Vaccines
Joyce Frieden | August 22, 2025

... "AAP {American Academy of Pediatrics} should ... be candid with doctors and hospitals that recommendations that diverge from the CDC's official list are not shielded from liability under the 1986 Vaccine Injury Act," {HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.} posted this week on X.

... Dorit Reiss, PhD, a law professor at the University of California San Francisco, said ... ""As has become common for Secretary Kennedy, this is misleading ... If a vaccine is covered by VICP {the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, the part of the Vaccine Injury Act that deals with liability issues}, liability protections apply to manufacturers and administrators: anyone claiming a vaccine harm from a childhood vaccine that is under VICP has to go through the program first," she said. "ACIP {Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, HHS} has not actually changed the current recommendations in ways that affect VICP." Furthermore, "COVID-19 vaccines for children are not under VICP, but that's not because of anything AAP {American Academy of Pediatrics} did or the secretary, even, did -- it's because Congress has not yet legislated to create an excise tax for COVID-19 vaccines, and until Congress does that, they're not within VICP."...

Anna Kirkland, PhD, JD, professor of health management and policy at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, agreed with Reiss that the COVID vaccine doesn't fall within the VICP and so is not affected by the CDC's new recommendation. However, "it could hint at future changes if Kennedy plans to withdraw recommendations from other childhood vaccines that are currently covered under the Vaccine Injury Act, which would mean that they no longer meet the statutory definition for coverage in the compensation program"...

https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/vaccines/117132

Pocket-sized device detects E. coli in minutes
U Waterloo Media Relations | 19 Aug 2025

Waterloo researchers develop inexpensive technology to help prevent deaths, illness caused by contaminated water

Costing just $70 to produce, the device includes a gold-plated sensor about the size of a dime paired with a smartphone-size board that contains a small instrument known as a vector network analyzer (VNA).

The sensor is coated with an antibody – a type of protein produced by the immune system – that attracts and binds E. coli to its surface if bacteria are present in a sample of a few drops of water.

When E. coli binds to the antibody, it triggers a shift in the resonance frequency of microwaves emitted by the sensor. That shift is detected and analyzed by the VNA, which determines both the presence and concentration of the bacteria in real time.

The device was tested with only a few drops of water in its reservoir, but Ren said the technology could easily be scaled to meet international E. coli standards that require larger samples.

Current E. coli tests typically involve collecting and transporting water samples to centralized labs, often resulting in delays that can take days and can leave people vulnerable to illness.

Ren said the Waterloo-built device’s rapid results, low cost and portability make it ideal for on-site testing in homes and water treatment plants, and to regularly monitor water bodies for contamination.

Its potential is especially significant in developing countries where people are more vulnerable to E. coli contamination and access to lab-based testing is limited. In a study in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, 71 per cent of household water samples were found to be contaminated ... {margd: Ours, too, all last summer. This summer, clean, thank goodness. No more boiling water!}

https://uwaterloo.ca/news/media/pocket-sized-device-detects-e-coli-minutes

New CDC vaccine advisor Retsef Levi, PhD, who once called COVID vaccines "the most failing medical product in the history of medical products" has been selected to lead the COVID vaccine workgroup that will review evidence and make recommendations for the 2025-2026 shots. (New York Times GIFT https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/22/health/covid-vaccines-rfk.html?unlocked_artic...

In updated clinical guidance, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists again recommended maternal vaccination against the flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus during pregnancy. (https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2025/08/acog-releases-updated-maternal-immunization-guidance-covid-influenza-rsv)

Americans with underlying health conditions may have a difficult time proving they're eligible for COVID vaccination to pharmacists, whose vaccination authorities in 18 states and Washington, D.Copens in a new tab or window., are linked to federal recommendations. (Politico https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/22/covid-shot-hhs-recommendations-fall-005... "the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ... Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, whose membership Kennedy overhauled in June to include several skeptics, ... usually votes in June to recommend who should get the updated Covid shot in the fall, but months later there’s still not a firm date for the vote.")

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/birdflu/117133

Trump and RFK Jr. to Ban COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Within Months’
Tom Latchem | Aug. 25 2025

Dr. Aseem Malhotra, a British cardiologist who has repeatedly claimed in the face of scientific consensus that the vaccines are more dangerous than the virus ... a leading adviser to the controversial lobby group Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Action, which is seen as an external arm of Kennedy’s agenda as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary... told the Beast that many of those closest to RFK Jr. have told him they “cannot understand” why the vaccine continues to be prescribed, and that a decision to remove the vaccine from the U.S. market pending further research will come “within months,” even if it is likely to cause “fear of chaos” and bring with it major legal ramifications.

“It could {happen} in a number of stages, including learning more about the data,” said Malhotra, who said there was an ongoing review into so-called “vaccine injuries” by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). “But given the increased talk of vaccine injuries in the past few weeks among the administration, it could also come with one clean decision.”

Malhotra said skepticism among Kennedy’s circle of the COVID-19 jab is driven by a 2022 paper by a group of physicians and university professors and researchers, which appeared in the journal Vaccine. ... However, the study has been dismissed by large parts of the medical community, who say it underestimates the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines and overstates risks due to methodological flaws, biased data selection, and ignoring broader public health impacts...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-and-robert-f-kennedy-junior-to-ban-co...
---------------------------------------------------

*
Joseph Fraiman et al 2022. Serious adverse events of special interest following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in randomized trials in adults. Vaccine. 2022 Sep 2; 40(40):5798-5805. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.08.036. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36055877/

Abstract
Introduction: In 2020, prior to COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the Brighton Collaboration created a priority list, endorsed by the World Health Organization, of potential adverse events relevant to COVID-19 vaccines. We adapted the Brighton Collaboration list to evaluate serious adverse events of special interest observed in mRNA COVID-19 vaccine trials.

Methods: Secondary analysis of serious adverse events reported in the placebo-controlled, phase III randomized clinical trials of Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in adults ... , focusing analysis on Brighton Collaboration adverse events of special interest.

Results: Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were associated with an excess risk of serious adverse events of special interest of 10.1 and 15.1 per 10,000 vaccinated over placebo baselines of 17.6 and 42.2 ... , respectively. Combined, the mRNA vaccines were associated with an excess risk of serious adverse events of special interest of 12.5 per 10,000 vaccinated... ; risk ratio 1.43 ... . The Pfizer trial exhibited a 36 % higher risk of serious adverse events in the vaccine group; risk difference 18.0 per 10,000 vaccinated ... ; risk ratio 1.36 ... The Moderna trial exhibited a 6 % higher risk of serious adverse events in the vaccine group: risk difference 7.1 per 10,000 ... ; risk ratio 1.06 ... Combined, there was a 16 % higher risk of serious adverse events in mRNA vaccine recipients: risk difference 13.2 ... ; risk ratio 1.16 ...

Discussion: The excess risk of serious adverse events found in our study points to the need for formal harm-benefit analyses, particularly those that are stratified according to risk of serious COVID-19 outcomes. These analyses will require public release of participant level datasets.

>72 margd: >73 margd: Meanwhile in Canada ...

Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccine is both approved and ‘made in Canada’
Ari Rabinovitch | August 25, 2025

... Moderna announced the federal regulator authorized its mRNA vaccine known as Spikevax, which the pharmaceutical company says targets the SARS-CoV-2 LP.8.1 variant circulating for fall vaccination.

Moderna also says the updated vaccine is on track to be available starting in time for the upcoming vaccination season.

These vaccines will be made in Canada via facilities in Cambridge, Ont., and Laval, Que...

https://globalnews.ca/news/11349082/new-covid-19-vaccine-made-in-canada/

>74 margd: And Denmark is going to roll out RS-vaccine for the pregnant later this year or next year. (We are at least a year behind England on this, but I think we tend to have better vaccine coverage than them and their results so far look good, IMHO.)

>75 bnielsen: I can't even imagine how this is going to play out if anti-vaxxers deny vaccines to Americans who have come to rely on them -- and who see other countries following the science for simple public health but also for the great promise in cancer care, etc. Unbelievable! (Not just vaccines, either, in (ostrich) flu post, it sounds like Kennedy and Oz, at least, are willing to further risk American food supplies.)

>76 margd: I think their point is that noone can predict exactly what will happen. I'd bet that statistically stopping Covid vaccines will be a bad thing, but I don't think these guys believe in statistics either.
So it looks like a giant experiment with the US population as guinea pigs. And the experimenters don't care much about the outcome of the experiment which they will call a success no matter what happens.

Researchers note high burden of RSV on older US adults before vaccine availability
Stephanie Soucheray | August 26, 2025

... in the year before rollout of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, hospitalization rates among US adults 60 and older were 10 to 17 times the rate of younger adults...

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv/researchers-note-high...
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Carlos G. Grijalva et al. 2025. Incidence Rates of RSV-Associated Hospitalizations Among Adults in Middle Tennessee, United States, October 2022 Through September 2023 (SHORT COMMUNICATION). Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses. First published: 25 August 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.70150 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/irv.70150 Open Access

Researchers note high burden of RSV on older US adults before vaccine availability
Stephanie Soucheray | August 26, 2025

... in the year before rollout of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, hospitalization rates among US adults 60 and older were 10 to 17 times the rate of younger adults...

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv/researchers-note-high...
---------------------------------------

Carlos G. Grijalva et al. 2025. Incidence Rates of RSV-Associated Hospitalizations Among Adults in Middle Tennessee, United States, October 2022 Through September 2023 (SHORT COMMUNICATION). Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses. First published: 25 August 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.70150 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/irv.70150 Open Access

Dr. Lucky Tran ‪@luckytran.com‬ | August 27, 2025 at 5:52 PM:
Scientist, science communicator, public health and climate justice advocate. WHO Fides member, Grist 50 Fixer, Creative Change alum. New Yorker/Aussie.

It's official: Updated COVID vaccines have been approved by the FDA, but with restrictions.
Moderna: 6 months and up if high risk
Pfizer: 5 years and up if high risk
Novavax: 12 years and up if high risk
Anyone 65 years and up is eligible for updated COVID vaccines regardless of risk status.

Common conditions that make you more likely to get very sick from COVID-19, per CDC:
Cancer
Chronic diseases
Diabetes
Heart conditions
Weakened immune system
Mental health conditions
Overweight and obesity
Physical inactivity
Pregnancy
Smoking
Substance use disorders
Transplant

Here's the CDC's full list of of underlying medical conditions that increase a person's risk of severe COVID-19: https://bsky.app/profile/luckytran.com/post/3lxfzthodck2j

These restrictions will unfortunately decrease COVID vaccination rates because although many are high risk according to the CDC's list:��
- you may need documentation of high risk status
- not everyone has a doctor
- doctors may be hesitant to provide documentation�
- insurance may not cover

Article: FDA approves updated COVID-19 shots with limits for some kids and adults
MATTHEW PERRONE | August 27, 2025
Associated Press

Despite the FDA restricting COVID vaccine access, the science tells us that getting vaccinated is still important for everyone:
1️⃣ Anyone can develop serious and chronic illness from COVID
2️⃣ Vaccines reduce days lost due to sickness
3️⃣ Vaccines reduce transmission and protect others at higher risk

The White House {not TACO "trump") picks HHS Secretary Kennedy's deputy Jim O’Neill to replace fired CDC chief Monarez, an infectious disease researcher /public health official and the first CDC director in 50 years to not hold a medical degree, on interim basis.

Currently the deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), O'Neill is a former investment executive, does not have a medical or scientific background. He served as a former speechwriter for the health department during the George W Bush administration, and went on to work for the tech investor and conservative megadonor Peter Thiel.

So there you have it. Line of authority in US for vaccine and public health decisions is to be investor/speechwriter, antivaxxer lawyer, and TV real estate investor. Coming up shortly is report on "what causes autism?", and you can guess what the answer will be....

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/28/cdc-chief-fired-white-house-mona...

Seth Berkley. Unraveling the arc of vaccine progress. Science 28 Aug 2025 Vol 389, Issue 6763. DOI: 10.1126/science.aea7053 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea7053

The philosopher Thomas Hobbes famously described life in 1651 as “nasty, brutish, and short.” He was undeniably correct, with estimates of average life expectancy in the UK at the time ranging from 37 to 40 years, largely owing to a high infant mortality rate. For example, in London, there were an estimated 251 deaths per 1000 live births. The situation was even more dire in the early American colonies, particularly in the Southern colonies, where infectious diseases were rampant. Even as recently as 50 years ago, global infant mortality rates were around 100 deaths per 1000 live births, at a time when fewer than 5% of children in developing countries received even a single vaccine dose.

... The United States, long considered a global leader in biomedical science, is alarmingly undermining decades of progress. Through severe cuts to research budgets; politicization of research agendas; the closure of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the world’s largest development agency; and withdrawal from the WHO, the current US administration is harming the ability of its own public health institutions to protect the US population as well as those globally...

... This challenge to progress in vaccine science and implementation that the US poses ironically comes at a time when vaccines’ potential for saving lives and improving livelihoods is at an all-time high. The rapid pace of scientific advancement presents an opportunity to develop new vaccines to prevent important infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, the greatest infectious disease killer in the world, and Epstein-Barr virus, which causes some cancers and is linked to multiple sclerosis. It could also allow us to strategically target the immune system to create more robust responses to eliminate established cancerous tumors. Scientific advances also have a role in simplifying vaccine delivery; for example, a recent study demonstrated that microarray vaccine patch technology can simplify access to the measles and rubella vaccine and improve temperature stability, allowing administration by lower-cadre health workers or even parents.

We are reliant on science and the use of technology to reduce morbidity and mortality, striving for a world where no parent endures the horror of losing a child. The continued trajectory of the arc of improvement in child survival by eliminating common infectious threats is far from guaranteed. If the US government persists down this current path—ignoring scientific evidence, embracing antivaccine conspiracy theories as official government policy, cutting critical research, and abandoning vital global partnerships, such as Gavi, that provide life-saving vaccines to those less fortunate—the world will inevitably witness a tragic increase in child deaths and a broader spread of infections, ultimately making Americans less safe. This is not the future the American public desires or deserves.

‘Lacking Legitimacy’: Sen. Bill Cassidy Breaks With RFK Jr. After CDC Leadership Exodus
He called on a key government vaccine panel to postpone its upcoming meeting.
Torrence Banks | August 28, 2025

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician and leading voice on public health in the chamber, called for a key government vaccine panel to postpone its upcoming meeting after the stunning exodus of top leaders Wednesday at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Serious allegations have been made about the meeting agenda, membership and lack of scientific process being followed for the now announced September ACIP meeting,” Cassidy said in a statement Thursday, referencing the Department of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices*...

https://www.notus.org/health-science/senator-bill-cassidy-rfk-jr-vaccine-panel-c...
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As you may recall, MD-Senator Cassidy was pivotal in confirming Kennedy as HHS Secretary. His 4 February 2025 statement:

"... Mr. Kennedy and the administration reached out seeking to reassure me regarding their commitment to protecting the public health benefit of vaccination.

To this end, Mr. Kennedy and the administration committed that he and I will have an unprecedently {SIC} close collaborative working relationship if he is confirmed. We will meet or speak multiple times a month. This collaboration will allow us to work well together and therefore to be more effective.

Mr. Kennedy has asked for my input into hiring decisions at HHS, beyond Senate-confirmed positions. This aspect of our collaboration will allow us to represent all sides of those folks that were contacting me this weekend.

He has also committed that he would work within the current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems, and not establish parallel systems. *If confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes.* CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism. Mr. Kennedy and the administration also committed that this administration will not use the subversive techniques employed under the Biden administration, like sue and settle, to change policies enacted by Congress without first going through Congress.

... If Mr. Kennedy is confirmed, I will use my authority as Chairman of the Senate Committee with oversight of HHS to rebuff any attempts to remove the public’s access to life-saving vaccines without ironclad, causational scientific evidence that can be defended before the mainstream scientific community and before Congress. I will carefully watch for any effort to wrongfully sow public fear about vaccines between confusing references of coincidence and anecdote.

But my support is built on assurances that this will not have to be a concern and that he and I can work together to build an agenda to make America healthy again...

https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cassidy-delivers-floor-sp...

Dr. Vin Gupta ‪@vinguptamd.bsky.social‬ | August 29, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Physician | Communicator | Health Technology Leader. Affiliations ♦️NBC News and MSNBC medical analyst ♦️Host, Meidas Health ♦️IHME_UW Faculty and Pulmonologist/ICU Doc ♦️US Air Force Medical Reserves Corps ♦️American Lung Assoc Board of Directors

Let’s be clear, RFK is now currently limiting access to vaccines by preventing pharmacists from doing their job. This is playing out as we speak. In several states, pharmacists cannot vaccinate if the CDC and relevant advisory groups fail to give recommendations.
---------------------------------

CVS Holds Off on Offering Covid Vaccines in 16 States
The country’s largest pharmacy chain said it needed a C.D.C. panel to recommend the shots before it could offer them nationwide.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/well/cvs-pharmacy-covid-vaccine-16-states.htm...
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Looking to get a COVID shot this fall? Here’s why it’s likely to be more complicated
Health Aug 27, 2025

...Where can I get a shot?

Most Americans visit drugstores to get their COVID-19 vaccines, according to the CDC. It’s not clear yet how easy that will be this fall, depending on where you live.

Nineteen states have laws or regulations that only let pharmacists administer vaccines recommended by ACIP, according to the American Pharmacists Association.

In those states, pharmacies may not be able to dole out shots even for people who fit the FDA’s narrowed range until the committee makes its recommendation.

Plus some pharmacists may be reluctant to give shots to customers who fall outside the FDA’s approval range, said Brigid Groves, a pharmacist and vice president with the American Pharmacists Association...

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/looking-to-get-a-covid-shot-this-fall-heres-...

ETA: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts,
Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia, along with the District of Columbia.
_________________________________________
ETA

Getting a COVID Shot Just Became Much More Difficult. Here's Why.
Shannon Firth | August 29, 2025

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19vaccine/117238

ACC Recommends Vaccination Against Respiratory Illness in Cardiovascular Disease
Martta Kelly | August 28, 2025

{American College of Cardiology} ... recommends people with cardiovascular disease receive vaccines against influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as this population is at greater risk for respiratory infections and subsequent adverse events, including hospitalization and death. The guidance also recommends other vaccines, such as those against shingles and pneumococcal disease, where vaccination appears to offer cardiovascular protection ...

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/acc-recommends-vaccination-against-respirat...
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Paul A. Heidenreich et al. 2025. 2025 Concise Clinical Guidance: An ACC Expert Consensus Statement on Adult Immunizations as Part of Cardiovascular Care: A Report of the American College of Cardiology Solution Set Oversight Committee. American College of Cardiology 26 August 2025. https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2025.07.003

4.2. Vaccine Specific Guidance 
4.2.1. Influenza Vaccine
4.2.2. Pneumococcal Vaccine
4.2.3. COVID-19 Vaccine
4.2.4. Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine
4.2.5. Zoster (Shingles) Vaccine

My mum died of Multiple System Atrophy, an early sign of which is Parkinsonism. I always wondered if her stripping furniture with bare hands might have caused it ... (Methylene chloride, known to cause cancer and neurotoxicity, is now pretty much banned in the US, thank goodness.)

'Parkinson's Largely Is a Preventable Disease'
Judy George | August 29, 2025
https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/parkinsonsdisease/117235
-------------------------------------------

"The Parkinson’s Plan
A New Path to Prevention and Treatment"
by Ray Dorsey, MD and Michael S. Okun, MD
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ray-dorsey-md/the-parkinsons-plan/97815...

NORTHEASTERN STATES

Northeastern states consider regional approach to vaccine guidance after CDC changes
Malcolm Johnson | August 22, 2025

... Health officials from Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania met this week to consider coordinating their own vaccine recommendations, separate from the federal government...

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/northeastern-states-consider-regional-appro...
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ILLINOIS

Dr. Lucky Tran ‪@luckytran.com‬ | August 31, 2025 at 4:34 PM {BSKY.APP}
Scientist, science communicator, public health and climate justice advocate. WHO Fides member, Grist 50 Fixer, Creative Change alum. New Yorker/Aussie.

Illinois is currently exploring the possibility of purchasing Covid-19 vaccines in bulk straight from manufacturers to make sure everyone will still have access.
"Pritzker’s health department in Illinois is currently exploring the possibility of purchasing Covid-19 vaccines in bulk straight from manufacturers in response to the mess in Washington, a senior Illinois health official confirms to me."*
bsky.app

* Trump’s Decapitation of CDC Takes Darker Turn—and Hands Dems a Weapon
Greg Sargent/ August 29, 2025
Illinois’s JB Pritzker is leading a charge other Democratic governors should take up: In our America, we’ll make sure public health systems remain strong.
The New Republic
----------------------------------------------
COLORADO

Dr. Lucky Tran ‪@luckytran.com‬ | August 31, 2025 at 4:07 PM:
Governor Jared Polis says on a reddit AMA that Colorado will fix it so that people can access COVID vaccines without a prescription within the next few days.

... jaredpolis "We are going to do everything we can to make sure that people can access the vaccine of their choice without a prescription, and I think this will happen soon. I was hoping we could wrap it up on Friday. Hopefully in the next few days we will get this cleared up."
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NEW MEXICO

Dr. Lucky Tran ‪@luckytran.com‬ | August 31, 2025 at 1:04 PM:
New Mexico has issued a public health order* that removes federal restrictions to COVID-19 vaccine access so that pharmacies in New Mexico can vaccinate people of all ages and risk profiles. Every state need to do this!

* https://www.nmhealth.org/news/vaccine/2025/8/?view=2267
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Statement, NY State Senator Brad Hoyl Sigal & Assembly Member Micah Lasher:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1509345600229497&set=p.1509345600229...
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Dr. Lucky Tran ‪@luckytran.com‬ | August 29, 2025 at 3:52 PM
It should never be easier to access a gun than a vaccine.

Outbreaks of rabies seem to be rising across the U.S., CDC surveillance shows
Marina Kopf, Linda Carroll and Anne Thompson | 31 Aug 2025

Six deaths from rabies have been reported over the last 12 months in the U.S., the highest number in years. {In comparison, from 2015 to 2024, 17 cases of human rabies were reported, two of which were contracted outside the U.S.}

....wild animals in (15) places across the U.S. have experienced a rise in the deadly disease, at least partly driven by shrinking natural habitats and better surveillance.

... Rabies is present in all states except Hawaii. Bats are the most common cause of rabies infection in people and are also the most likely species to be infected with the virus...

Each year, 1.4 million Americans are checked for possible exposure to the rabies virus and 100,000 receive a series of vaccine injections to prevent them from becoming ill...

... People are most often exposed to the rabies virus through the saliva of an infected wild animal that can get into the mouth, eyes or a wound, which is why bites are so dangerous. {People may not always know they’ve been exposed to a rabid animal. There have been reported deaths from people who didn’t realize they had been bitten or scratched by a bat and who had refused the lifesaving vaccines...} Most people expect a rabid animal to be aggressive and vicious, but sometimes the infected animal can be quite docile.

Prior to the 1960s, most cases in humans were from infected pets, usually a dog. Thanks to strict pet vaccination laws, the canine strain of rabies has been eliminated from the U.S.

... As rabies seems to be spreading more in wildlife, veterinarians are especially worried about vaccine hesitancy spreading among pet owners, a dangerous trend that could lead to more dogs — and their owners — becoming infected. A 2023 study published in the journal Vaccine found in a nationally representative sample of Americans that nearly 40% believed canine vaccines were unsafe and 37% believed that vaccines could lead their dogs to develop cognitive issues, such as autism...

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/rabies-outbreaks-rising-us-deaths-vac...
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Matt Motta et al. 2023. Sick as a dog? The prevalence, politicization, and health policy consequences of canine vaccine hesitancy (CVH). Vaccine Volume 41, Issue 41, 22 September 2023, Pages 5946-5950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.08.059
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0264410X23010150

In a US representative survey, 52% of dog owners exhibited some degree of CVH {canine vaccine hesitancy, doubt about safety, efficacy, and/or importance of canine vaccination}.

West Coast governors form health alliance to ensure vaccine access
Stephanie Soucheray | 3 Sept 2025

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/west-coast-governors-form-health-alliance-en...
---------------------------------------------

Oregon, Washington, and California form Western Health Alliance
Press Release ·
Oregon Governor's Office | September 3, 2025

Today, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Washington Governor Bob Ferguson announced they will launch a new West Coast Health Alliance to ensure residents remain protected by science, not politics. The alliance represents a unified regional response to the Trump Administration’s destruction of the U.S. CDC’s credibility and scientific integrity.

Joint statement from Governors Newsom, Kotek, and Ferguson: “President Donald Trump’s mass firing of CDC doctors and scientists — and his blatant politicization of the agency — is a direct assault on the health and safety of the American people. The CDC has become a political tool that increasingly peddles ideology instead of science, ideology that will lead to severe health consequences. California, Oregon, and Washington will not allow the people of our states to be put at risk."...

https://apps.oregon.gov/oregon-newsroom/OR/GOV/Posts/Post/oregon-washington-and-...

Florida plans to end all state vaccine mandates, including for schools
James Oliphant and Julie Steenhuysen | September 3, 2025

... "Every last one of the them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery," {FL surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo} said at a press conference in Tampa. "Who am I as a government or anyone else, or who am I as a man standing here now to tell you what to do with your body?"

Ladapo said his agency would roll back mandates for a half-dozen or so vaccines under its authority but will need to work with the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature on a broader package of reforms. He did not specify which vaccine mandates his agency would do away with.

DeSantis, a Republican, made opposing COVID-19 mandates and precautions a central tenet of his first term in office...

All U.S. states have vaccine requirements to attend public schools with specific exceptions varying by state.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/florida-plans-end-al...

>90 margd:

Madness. And what about "dripping with disdain" for the majority of people who want their children in school to be protected from diseases spread by unvaccinated children?

>90 margd: Florida : USA :: Typhoid Mary : NYC.

Except up until now, the contagion hasn't for the most part been microbial.

https://www.statnews.com/2017/05/28/addict-brokers-opioids/

Wise snowbirds get their vaccines before heading to "God's waiting room" as FL Gov DeSantis so unkindly calls his state. Two Americas seem to be emerging: FL v. so many other states who seek workarounds to RFK Jr attempts to throttle access to COVID vaccines. Hope FL is anomaly and we don't end up with patchwork of incompatible state regimes. Good that east coast and Pacific states are coordinating, though separately. Perhaps fed (and FL) mess on vaccines will finally wake up sleepy voters?
___________________________________

Amid federal vaccine uncertainty, Colorado takes steps to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines
John Daley | Sep. 3, 2025

... Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, asked the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and other state agencies to make sure all Coloradans have access to updated COVID-19 vaccines.

The health department’s Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan issued a public health order* to take several steps to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines, saying it was necessary “to reduce confusion and uncertainty, and to enhance the protection of public health.”

Dr. Ned Calonge, the state’s chief medical officer, also issued a standing order** to let pharmacists provide COVID-19 vaccines without individual prescriptions. It takes effect on Friday, Sept. 5...

https://www.cpr.org/2025/09/03/expand-access-covid-19-vaccines-colorado/
------------------------------------------------
* https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sNIVUUVsVY0-YIphl_WwUj64810AXQSJ/view
** https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i2pi-yQMVhKHyuYEcp-QxgkuYh6_zRSb/view
__________________________________

Against FDA restrictions, Healey issues order making COVID boosters more accessible in Mass.
Darin Zullo | September 3, 2025

The governor’s new standing order* enables pharmacists to administer the boosters to “all eligible persons” without CDC approval....

https://www.boston.com/news/coronavirus/2025/09/03/against-fda-restrictions-heal...
------------------------------------------------
* https://www.mass.gov/news/standing-order-for-dispensing-and-administration-of-co...
__________________________________

FDA questions common practice of getting covid, flu vaccines together
Dan Diamond et al. | September 3, 2025

Vinay Prasad, the agency’s top vaccine official and an RFK Jr. ally, says the FDA is now unsure if it is safe and effective. {!}

{Paywall} https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/09/03/vaccine-access-covid-flu-fda-sa...

This is a very scary time. I'm a younger single dad (33) and I really fear for not only my immediate situation but also my daughter's future. She's still little, and I have some hope that sanity might eventually return to the U.S. in the years and decades to come. But the attitudes and hatred I've seen a majority of my fellow countrymen display has been shocking and disgusting. Prior to last November, I was still able to delude myself into thinking that most people in this world were, at their core, basically good. Now I believe that is not the case.

It's almost worse than just hatred; it's proud, active, weaponized stupidity. I sometimes find myself asking people in disbelief whether they're possibly being serious. Unfortunately, they are very serious.

I learned when I was very young that things like vaccines are good and save lives; that things like tariffs often backfire and that economic declines often have no easy, clear solution; that occupying American cities with American soldiers was illegal and an assault on our democracy, and that sexually abusing children is a very bad and evil thing. Nowadays it seems like half the country has the opposite position in all of those areas. And it's only the first year of this 'presidency.'

Also, I had a big laugh at the "dripping with disdain" line. You better believe I'm dripping with disdain for these dangerous idiots who purposely put MY CHILD'S HEALTH AND LIFE at risk. Whenever I meet an anti-vaxxer in real life, I get very angry with them and demand to know why they're trying to kill my fellow Americans. We must treat these people with the disdain and sheer disrespect they deserve.

>90 margd: contd.
FLORIDA

State Plans to End School Vax Mandates, First to Do So
— Florida's controversial surgeon general compared the requirements to "slavery"
Rachael Robertson | Updated September 4, 2025

... The state Health Department, {FL state surgeon general Joseph Ladapo} said, can scrap its own rules for some vaccine mandates, but others would require action by the Florida Legislature. He did not specify any particular vaccines but repeated several times the effort would end "all of them. Every last one of them."

... "We can expect that measles will come roaring back," Paul Offit, MD, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia ... "Other infectious diseases will follow..."

In a statement, the American Medical Association (AMA) said it strongly opposes Florida's plan and urged the state to reconsider it ...

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) expressed concern that the plan "will put children in Florida public schools at higher risk for getting sick, and have ripple effects across their community" ...

... {FL Governor Ron} DeSantis also announced on Wednesday the creation of a state-level "Make America Healthy Again" commission modeled after similar initiatives pushed at the federal level by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The state "MAHA" commission would look into such things as allowing informed consent in medical matters, promoting safe and nutritious food, boosting parental rights regarding medical decisions about their children, and eliminating "medical orthodoxy that is not supported by the data"...

The commission's work will help inform a large "medical freedom package" to be introduced in the Legislature next session, which would address the vaccine mandates required by state law and make permanent the recent state COVID decisions relaxing restrictions, DeSantis said.

"There will be a broad package," the governor said.

Earlier this summer, AAP reaffirmed its support for ending nonmedical vaccine exemptions for daycare and schools. The organization also issued COVID vaccine recommendations for kids that differed from changing federal guidelines under Kennedy and called the secretary's decision to limit kids' access to COVID vaccines "deeply troubling."

Kennedy also recently supported a West Virginia initiative for religious exemptions for school vaccine mandates.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/vaccines/117288

1 in 4 Americans trust RFK Jr. with medical advice
Elizabeth Crisp - 09/03/25

... An Economist/YouGov poll* released Wednesday found that 26 percent of respondents said that they at least “somewhat” trust Kennedy’s medical advice, compared to 48 percent who said that they distrust him.

An overwhelming majority (79 percent, of respondents said they trust medical advice from their own doctors, and half (51 percent) trust guidance from the embattled Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...

* https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/econTabReport_S3c69M7.pdf

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5484579-kennedy-poll-medical-advice/

RSV Shots Show Lasting Benefit in Adults, Cut Cardiorespiratory Hospitalizations
Terrence Rudd | September 4, 2025

Key Takeaways
RSV vaccines were 58% effective at preventing RSV-associated hospitalizations among adults age 60 or older across two seasons.
Vaccine effectiveness against all-cause cardiorespiratory hospitalizations was 9.9%, with numerically lower rates of stroke, heart attack, and cardiovascular hospitalization.
The results suggest RSV vaccination may have downstream cardioprotective effects.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/rsv/117310
---------------------------------------------

Helen Y. Chu; Alastair F. Murray 2025. Shot Through the Heart—Can RSV Vaccination Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Outcomes? (Editorial). JAMA, Published Online: August 30, 2025. doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.16705 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2838492 FREE

... {RSV} vaccines were shown to be highly effective at prevention of severe lower respiratory tract disease due to RSV, with efficacy ranging between 80% and 85%.

... Surie and colleagues ... found that RSV vaccine effectiveness was preserved overall across 2 seasons, although effectiveness in the second season was diminished in immunocompromised individuals and those with underlying cardiovascular disease... Based on these studies, the current recommendation in the US is 1 dose of RSV vaccine for all adults aged 75 years or older and for those aged 60 to 75 years with underlying comorbidities.

... Lassen and colleagues ... found that {RSV} vaccine efficacy against any cardiorespiratory disease was 9.9% ...; they also found lower incidence rates of hospitalization for stroke or cardiovascular disease, although no statistically significant difference was seen...

---------------------------------------------

Diya Surie et al. 2025. RSV Vaccine Effectiveness Against Hospitalization Among US Adults Aged 60 Years or Older During 2 Seasons. JAMA, Published Online: August 30, 2025. doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.15896 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2838490 FREE
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Mats C. Højbjerg Lassen et al. 2025. Bivalent RSV Prefusion F Protein–Based Vaccine for Preventing Cardiovascular Hospitalizations in Older Adults. A Prespecified Analysis of the DAN-RSV Trial. JAMA, Published Online: August 30, 2025. doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.15405 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2838491 FREE
-----------------------------------------------

>91 John5918: We might also want to notice the line "Who am I as a government or anyone else, or who am I as a man standing here now to tell you what to do with your body?"

I don't think we hear so much of that sort of humility from these people when they decide it's time to start telling women what they can and can't do with their bodies. Or, for that matter, when it comes to the government telling people where they're allowed to live.

Poor Disney had nothing to do with Florida foolishness. Still, wouldn't want a vulnerable person at Disney if mandates cancelled. Also, boycott MIGHT help Florida's kids?

Infectious Diseases Expert Sounds Alarm On Disney Vacations Amid Florida Vaccine Move
Lee Moran | 4 September 2025

Renowned infectious diseases expert Michael Osterholm on Wednesday warned of the potential fallout from Florida’s move to end all vaccine mandates in the state, most notably including shots for schoolchildren.

The Sunshine State may “become a hotbed of transmission” as a direct result, the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.

And, because of that, Osterholm said he “wouldn’t want my kids going to Florida in the years ahead, to go to Walt Disney World or any place like that.”...

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/infectious-diseases-expert-sounds-alarm-091630443.html

The 'nation's measles epicenter' just made it even easier for deadly viruses to spread
David Badash | 6 Sept 2025

... 762 people contracted measles over the summer. Two unvaccinated children died, and 100 people had to be hospitalized, according to PBS News. “West Texas was the nation’s measles epicenter for months. The virus started spreading there in close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite communities in Gaines County"...

... This week, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) began allowing parents to download a form to request their children be exempt from any or all required vaccines. Previously, parents had to request the form, which was then mailed to them

“Since 2018, the requests to the Texas Department of State Health Services for a vaccine exemption form have doubled from 45,900 to more than 93,000 in 2024,” the {Texas} Tribune reported. “Even before the new form became easier to access, the state received 17,197 requests for a vaccine exemption form in July, 36% higher than the number reported in July 2023.”

... Texas has more kindergarteners unvaccinated for measles than any other state in the nation, and falls below the 95% immunization rate required to achieve herd immunity.

... On Thursday, CNN reported that support for childhood vaccines being mandatory has plunged from 81% in 1991 to just 51% in 2024...

https://www.newsbreak.com/share/4216618179068-the-nation-s-measles-epicenter-jus...

Trump’s former surgeon general {Jerome Adams} calls for RFK Jr. to be fired
Kaanita Iyer | 6 Sept 2025

... on Friday Trump appeared to distance himself from Florida’s decision to eliminate school vaccine requirements, that all people should get certain vaccines.

“I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people don’t have to be vaccinated,” he said. “You have vaccines that work, they just pure and simple work. They’re not controversial at all, and I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it, and they endanger other people.”

https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/06/politics/jerome-adams-rfk-jr-firing

>101 margd: So apparently someone got to him and suggested to him that he might not want to go down in history as the guy who caused half a dozen pandemics? That person might be the closest thing to a hero that this administration is capable of producing.

>102 kiparsky: Yeah, legacy -- plus pushback from states and individuals and professionals denied vaccines they see as safe and effective? (Trump folds under pushback - ask Illinois Governor!)

Worrisome, though, that state pushback seems to be (entirely?) from Dem states(?) Would be great if, say, Floridians pushed back, encouraged by drop in tourism if not safety of their kids, pregnant women, and other vulnerables.
-----------------------------------------------

... {Arizona} Governor {Katie} Hobbs’ Executive Order:
- Directs the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) and Board of Pharmacy (BOP) to make vaccines, including the recently approved COVID vaccine, broadly accessible and available to Arizonans who want them.
- Allows ADHS to issue a “standing order” that serves as a prescription for pharmacists and health care providers to administer COVID vaccines in accordance with nationally-recognized professional clinical guidance that ensures broad access in accordance with state law.
- Directs BOP to provide guidance and clarity on administering ADHS-issued standing orders to qualified pharmacists.
- Directs ADHS to continue providing guidance to the public, health care providers, payors, and pharmacists on vaccine access, safety, efficacy, and effectiveness.
- Directs the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions to coordinate with and encourage health insurance plans to continue to cover COVID vaccines.

https://azgovernor.gov/office-arizona-governor/news/2025/09/governor-katie-hobbs...
-------------------------------------------------

New Mexico removes barriers to COVID-19 vaccines
September 11, 2025

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health has issued a standing order that expands access to updated 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines by allowing healthcare providers and pharmacists to vaccinate anyone six months and older without requiring individual prescriptions.

... the New Mexico standing order allows providers to use their clinical judgement to vaccinate anyone who would benefit, following the evidence-based state guidelines.

In addition, the New Mexico Health Care Authority confirms individuals enrolled in Medicaid will have the full cost of their COVID-19 vaccines covered...

https://www.nmhealth.org/news/vaccine/2025/9/?view=2270

Disappointing to read that with a cure for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) on the horizon, access is an issue for a genetic condition that tends to plague African heritage c.f. with Cystic Fibrosis (UK heritage): "From 2008 to 2023, mortality rates for cystic fibrosis in the US declined, showing improved life expectancy due to advancements in care, while sickle cell disease saw a modest increase in life expectancy and a rise in mortality rates." Sure hope Trump war on Medicaid, CDC, and DEI doesn't further erode care for people with SCD.

Hiluf Ebuy Abraha et al. 2025. Mortality Rate Trends for Sickle Cell Disease and Cystic Fibrosis in the US. JAMA Pediatr, Published Online: September 8, 2025
doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.2997 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2838303

Discussion
This study highlights a disparity in mortality between individuals with SCD {Sickle Cell Disease} and CF {Cystic Fibrosis} in the US. The overall decline in CF-related mortality, accompanied by a rise in life expectancy and increase in deaths among older individuals, is attributed to advances in therapeutics and improved care. Conversely, life expectancy gains among individuals with SCD have been modest, and mortality has increased, reflecting limited progress in treatment and research. Several factors contribute to this stagnation, including underresourced care systems, limited access to first-line therapies (eg, hydroxyurea {SCD treatment}), and challenges with new therapies. Although several Food and Drug Administration–approved therapies emerged between 2017 and 2019, many were withdrawn or have not shown mortality benefits. The high costs of these therapies present a significant barrier, raising concerns about equity and affordability for populations disproportionately affected by SCD.

Decoupling financial incentives from patient costs through federally funded programs for underfunded diseases could facilitate the development of effective treatments. Initiatives, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ cell and gene therapy access model, aim to improve access through outcomes-based payment strategies for Medicaid beneficiaries with SCD. Medicaid expansion is another crucial approach to ensuring access to these treatments for individuals with SCD, many of whom are uninsured and reside in nonexpansion states. Without action, mortality disparities will persist, highlighting the need for policy reform and funding to ensure equitable SCD care. Study limitations include its cross-sectional design, which restricts the ability to assess individual-level changes over time, and the lack of detailed clinical information (eg, disease severity and comorbidities)...

What next?? Trump Administration confiscates statue of Balto in Central Park??

Cassidy calls on RFK Jr. to publicly support whooping cough vaccine amid outbreak
Joseph Choi - 09/12/25

"Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, called on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to publicly support the whooping cough vaccine as Louisiana experiences one of the worst outbreaks in recent history."

"In 2024, six times the number of whooping cough — or pertussis — cases were recorded than the prior year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cases peaked in November 2024, but they have remained high since then. Louisiana has seen elevated cases this year, with two infants dying of whooping cough in April..."

"{Sen Cassidy:} “As you acknowledged, ‘measles is a highly contagious respiratory illness with certain health risks, especially to unvaccinated individuals.’ The same is true for pertussis. Among those hospitalized in Louisiana, 75 percent were either unvaccinated or not up to date on pertussis vaccinations ... I want to work together to stop pertussis. Your strong public support for this vaccine will save lives ... Your words are a powerful tool in protecting the health of the American people. Families responded to your decisive leadership when you clearly promoted the MMR vaccine to stop the outbreak in West Texas ... They would respond again to your call that the DTaP vaccine is the best way to protect our babies. We can ensure that no child dies from a vaccine-preventable disease.”...

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5501601-cassidy-kennedy-whooping-cough-lou...

I’m a former CDC director. I’m deeply concerned about the future of vaccines in the U.S.
Politicians are using real and perceived Covid shortcomings to limit vaccine access

Rochelle Walensky | Sept. 16, 2025
Walensky served as the 19th director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Limited free access {with email address}
https://www.statnews.com/2025/09/16/rfk-jr-cdc-vaccines-rochelle-walensky/

>106 margd: Thanks for your service to this country. A lot of Americans are alive today because of the CDC and please remember that there are still many of us that take great civic pride in such institutions. This is a dark time for our nation; the fox is in the henhouse and the lunatics are running the asylum.

>107 GandalfTheGreen: Rochelle Walensky, who authored the opinion piece, was a CDC Director, not moi! Sorry for any confusion. Right now I'm watching to see what the acting CDC director recommends given the muddle of recommendations from, and the RFK Jr appointees to, the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices:

How RFK Jr.’s hand-picked CDC advisory panel voted on COVID vaccines and more
Laura Santhanam | Sep 19, 2025

"The committee tried to fight its image"
"COVID-19"
"Hepatitis B"
"Measles, mumps, rubella and varicella"

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-rfk-jr-s-hand-picked-cdc-advisory-panel-...
-----------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, states individually and in collaboration, are opting to go their own way in recommending vaccines, e.g., https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/northeast-states-form-alliance-make-public-h... ,

as have several medical societies, e.g., https://www.ama-assn.org/public-health/prevention-wellness/open-letter-american-... ,

as have major health insurance companies that have opted to provide vaccines based on guidance in place as of Sept 1 2025: https://www.ahip.org/news/press-releases/ahip-statement-on-vaccine-coverage ,
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/health/kennedy-acip-insurers-cassidy.html? unlocked_article_code=1.m08.8peH.qPfVtZ31ieu4&smid=url-share .

Unfortunately, I suspect Medicaid and Medicare will follow recommendations of CDC, no matter how poorly conceived, so the poor, the disabled, and the old will be at the mercy of RFK, Jr and his appointees.

Of course, confusion plays into anti-vaxxers' narratives.

Are Childhood Vaccines ‘Overloading’ the Immune System? No.
Apoorva Mandavilli | Dec. 14, 2024

"... the idea that today’s vaccines are overtaxing children’s immune systems is fundamentally flawed, experts said. Vaccines today are cleaner and more efficient, and they contain far fewer stimulants to the immune system — by orders of magnitude — than they did decades ago.

What’s more, the immune reactions produced by vaccines are “minuscule” compared with those that children experience on a daily basis, said Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, a pediatrician at Stanford University who advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines.

... In most states, children must be vaccinated against about a dozen diseases, a schedule that typically adds up to about 17 doses, administered before they begin kindergarten. (A few additional shots, including for respiratory syncytial virus, flu and Covid, are recommended but not required.)

Each of the shots contains about 10 antigens. Older vaccines packed a much bigger punch, having up to 300 times as many. ..."

{UNLOCKED} https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/14/health/childhood-vaccines-immunity.html?unloc...

>109 margd: Vaccines today are cleaner and more efficient, and they contain far fewer stimulants to the immune system — by orders of magnitude — than they did decades ago.

During my many years in Africa I have regularly received dozens of different vaccinations and I can certainly testify that the vaccines one receives these days are less painful and give me fewer adverse reactions than the ones I was receiving fifty years ago!

Really too bad that kneejerk reaction to Trump and RFK Jr's really awful press conference is that people pulled back into their respective camps. Never mind autism, there is enough other worrisome info out there that cautious women of childbearing years should avoid casual use of acetaminophen (aka paracetamol), e.g., language acquisition, hypospadias.

Woodbury, M.L., Cintora, P., Ng, S. et al. Examining the relationship of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with early language development in children. Pediatr Res 95, 1883–1896 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-023-02924-4 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-023-02924-4

Bauer, A.Z., Swan, S.H., Kriebel, D. et al. Paracetamol use during pregnancy — a call for precautionary action. Nat Rev Endocrinol 17, 757–766 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-021-00553-7 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-021-00553-7

I knew a woman who travelled with industrial-sized bottle of acetaminophen and sought an Rx for her son's teething, for God's sake. At three, the little boy still wasn't talking, and had undergone surgery for hypospadias (urethra placement). One instance does not a case make, but given studies -- and what I've seen-- I would avoid acetaminophen in pregnancy, if at all possible. All drugs actually.
----------------------------------------------------------

Trump pushes unproven claims linking Tylenol to autism
Jenipher Camino Gonzalez | 22 Sept 2025

"Donald Trump said pregnant women must not take acetaminophen, as his government moved to link the drug to autism, contradicting medical consensus on its safety as a painkiller during pregnancy ..."

https://www.dw.com/en/trump-pushes-unproven-claims-linking-tylenol-to-autism/a-7...

Aislinn DeSieghard et al. 2025. Population-Level Effectiveness and Herd Protection 17 Years After HPV Vaccine Introduction. JAMA Pediatr, Published Online: September 29, 2025. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.3568 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2839024

Abstract
"... Conclusions and Relevance. In this study, population-level effectiveness and herd protection were robust 17 years after HPV vaccine introduction, even in sexually experienced adolescent girls and young women at relatively high risk for HPV who may not have received the full vaccination series."

Mom's COVID Shot Aided Baby, Too, Large Review Confirmed
— Vaccination during pregnancy was safe for both mom and baby
Jennifer Henderson | 30 Sept 2025

" COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy conferred benefits for mother and baby without increased risk, according to an umbrella review of meta-analyses comprising more than 1.2 million women.

Vaccination during pregnancy was associated with lowered maternal risks of COVID infection (risk ratio {RR} 0.41...), stillbirth (RR 0.75...), and preterm birth (RR 0.92...), reported Nikan Zargarzadeh, MD, of Harvard University in Boston.

Notably, there were no increased risks observed for maternal hospitalization, intensive care admission, gestational diabetes, hypertension, or pre-eclampsia, though there was a small increased risk of cesarean delivery (RR 1.07...), she noted during a presentation at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) annual meeting..."

https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/aap/117720?trw=no&fbclid=IwY2xj...

Just spray permethrin on cloth, not humans! It repels disease-carrying mites (and mosquitoes, apparently), but I worry people who don't read read directions may spray it on themselves instead of shoes, clothing tents, etc. I mark my stash with skull & crossbones!

Permethrin-treated wraps cut malaria rates in babies by 66%
Mary Van Beusekom | October 6, 2025

"The use of permethrin-treated cloth baby wraps among mothers of 6- to 18-month-old children in Uganda reduced clinical malaria infections in the babies by 66% ..."

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/malaria/permethrin-treated-wraps-cut-malaria-rates-ba...
---------------------------------------------------

Ross M. Boyce et al. 2025. Permethrin-Treated Baby Wraps for the Prevention of Malaria. New England Journal of Medicine, September 24, 2025. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2501628
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2501628

The acting director of the CDC called for vaccine makers to develop separate shots against measles, mumps and rubella to replace combination MMR vaccines, despite no evidence of any benefit to getting the shots separately.

Acting CDC director, citing Trump directive, calls for MMR shot to be split into three despite no evidence of benefit
Meg Tirrell | 6 Oct 2025

"... Separating the MMR {mumps, measles, rubella} vaccine into three shots would “not make that vaccine safer,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine scientist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and former member of the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory group. “It would just make it more expensive and less likely to be used.”

... Trump first brought up the idea of splitting the MMR vaccine during his news conference on autism last month, ... “The MMR, I think, should be taken separately. This is based on what I feel ... It seems to be that when you mix them, there could be a problem ... So there’s no downside in taking them separately. In fact, they think it’s better, so let it be separate.”

... The MMRV (V = varicella, chickenpox} vaccines are given as two doses, the first around age 1 and the second around 4 to 6. There is a small but increased risk of febrile seizure when the MMRV combination is given as the first dose, so the CDC had already recommended that the varicella vaccine be given separately for children under 4. It left the option, though, for parents and physicians to decide what worked best for them.

The advisers’ vote changed that, saying the chickenpox vaccine should be given separately for the first dose. Febrile seizures, while frightening, haven’t been associated with any long-term health effects, the CDC says, and there’s no increased risk for the combination MMRV vaccine in children ages 4 to 6. ..."

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/06/health/mmr-shots-acting-cdc-director

>116 margd:

CIDRAP Op-Ed: Why the CDC director is wrong about the MMR vaccine
Jake Scott, MD* | 9 Oct 2025

Data strongly favor combination vaccines
Immediate risk without evidence of benefit

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-vaccines/cidrap-op-ed-why-cdc-director-wron...

* Dr Scott is a clinical associate professor specializing in infectious diseases at Stanford Medicine.

New group will evaluate childhood vaccines for RFK Jr.’s handpicked CDC advisory panel
Jen Christensen | 9 Oct 2025

"... This group will be part of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or ACIP, a panel of independent experts who regularly meet to assess what vaccines should be given to the public and when. In an unprecedented move, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of ACIP in June and replaced them with his own picks, some of whom have made false claims about vaccines.

ACIP regularly uses smaller work groups to prompt discussions on recommendations under consideration by the broader committee. But the new CDC document does not pinpoint any single study showing a problem with the current way kids in the US gets their shots that would prompt the formation of this new group..."

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/09/health/cdc-acip-vaccine-working-group
--------------------------------------------

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP),
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule Workgroup
Terms of Reference (7 p)
UPDATED: October 8, 2025

"PURPOSE...
BACKGROUND...

TOPICS UNDER DISCUSSION BY THE WORKGROUP
Page 4 of 7 ...
• The timing and order of different vaccines. For example, should the last toddler
dose of the non-live DTaP vaccine be given before, on the same day, or after the
MMR vaccine?
• The concurrent administration of various vaccines and other immunizing products
such as monoclonal antibodies. For example, does the risk of post-vaccination
febrile seizures increase or decrease with concomitant administration?
• The safety of ingredients that are present in multiple different vaccines. For
example, do either of the two different aluminum adjuvants increase the risk of
asthma?
• The efficacy and safety of different vaccine schedules used in different countries.
For example, are there differences in efficacy or safety between the U.S. and
Danish childhood vaccine schedules?...

DESCRIPTION OF WORKGROUP ACTIVITIES...
MEMBERSHIP...
MEETINGS, ADMINISTRATION, and TIMELINES...
RECORDKEEPING and REPORTING...

REFERENCES
1. Immunization Safety Review: Multiple Immunizations and Immune Dysfunction.
National Academies Press; 2002. doi:10.17226/10306
2. The Childhood Immunization Schedule and Safety: Stakeholder Concerns, Scientific
Evidence, and Future Studies. National Academies Press; 2013. doi:10.17226/13563

https://www.cdc.gov/acip/downloads/child-schedule-tor-508.pdf

RFK Jr. Links Circumcision to Autism via Supposed Tylenol Use
Joedy McCreary | October 10, 2025

"... While Kennedy did not cite specific research, he appeared to be referencing two older studies.

One was a 2015 Danish national cohort study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine {doi: 10.1177/0141076814565942}. Among boys born between 1994 and 2003, those who were circumcised were 46% more likely to develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD) before age 10, and the risk was particularly elevated for infantile autism diagnosed before age 5, where a twofold risk was observed.

But the study authors acknowledged numerous weaknesses, most notably that it had no data on whether acetaminophen was actually administered during circumcisions...

...Kennedy also may have been referencing an ecological study from 2013 published in BMC Environmental Health that used circumcision rates as a proxy for early neonatal exposure to acetaminophen {https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-12-41}.

It found a correlation between country-level circumcision rates and the prevalence of autism and ASD for boys born after 1995. The correlation was weaker and the effect size was only one-sixth as large for boys born before 1995 when the drug wasn't routinely used for circumcision.

Both studies contained significant limitations and strong warnings about correlation not implying causation..."

https://www.medpagetoday.com/washington-watch/washington-watch/117885

>119 margd: which reminds me of this https://xkcd.com/552/

>120 bnielsen: :D

Astonishing that Secretary of HHS would speculate publicly with so little information. Populations who circumcise are quite possibly very different genetically and in lifestyle choices than those who don't, no? Never mind sorting out any effect of Tylenol from the experience of extreme pain in a neonate? Tylenol is not usually given so young? No anesthetic of any sort given until recent years? (Until recently, believe it or not, babies were not thought to experience "pain" as adults do -- then they did some bloodwork ...)

>121 margd: yes the current US way of doing things is quite amazing.

CDC Expands Access to COVID Shots for Pregnant Women
Kristina Fiore | October 10, 2025

"The CDC appears to have quietly expanded access to COVID shots for pregnant women.

The agency's adult immunization schedule now recommends shared clinical decision-making under the "pregnancy" column.

That's a change from even just last week, when pregnancy was still denoted by a grey box, which meant there was "no guidance/not applicable." ..."

https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19vaccine/117891

"Nature Reviews Earth & Environment: Atmospheric dryness is increasing as air temperatures rise because of climate change. This Review explores temporal trends and spatial heterogeneity in global atmospheric dryness and the implications for plant growth, productivity and terrestrial carbon cycling".

Yuan, W., Tian, J., Wang, M. et al. 2025. Impacts of rising atmospheric dryness on terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle. Nat Rev Earth Environ (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-025-00726-2 https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-025-00726-2

Abstract
"Rising atmospheric dryness is affecting the terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycle through its influence on plant physiology. In this Review, we synthesize historical and projected trends in atmospheric vapour pressure deficit (VPD), a proxy for atmospheric dryness, and the mechanisms by which it affects the terrestrial carbon cycle. Since the late 1990s, global mean VPD has increased ... . VPD-driven reductions in leaf area index ..., gross primary production ..., light use efficiency ... and net ecosystem production ... have been observed globally. However, attributing changes in the terrestrial carbon cycle to VPD is still challenging, owing to the confounding influence of other environmental factors, such as soil moisture, temperature and radiation. The mechanisms underlying plant responses to VPD — which include stomatal* closure, hydraulic failure, abscisic acid* biosynthesis, and cascading effects on fires and soil moisture deficits — are also poorly constrained, limiting the predictive capabilities of terrestrial carbon cycle models. Future research should prioritize establishing global VPD-manipulation experiments to enhance understanding of feedbacks between VPD, plants and the carbon cycle, and these mechanisms should then be integrated into terrestrial carbon cycle models."

* stomata are pores "found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange between the internal air spaces of the leaf and the atmosphere" (Wikipedia)

**"abscisic acid - a plant hormone which promotes leaf detachment, induces seed and bud dormancy, and inhibits germination." (Oxford Language)

Dr. Lucky Tran ‪@luckytran.com‬ | October 16, 2025 at 12:43 AM:
Scientist, science communicator, public health and climate justice advocate. WHO Fides member, Grist 50 Fixer, Creative Change alum. New Yorker/Aussie.

15 US states and territories have formed a new Public Health Alliance, which will counter the absence of federal leadership by tracking outbreaks, issuing guidance, buying vaccines and more.

Members of the new alliance include CA, CO, CT, DE, GU, HI, IL, MD, MA, NJ, NY, NC, OR, RI, WA.

Map: Governors Public Health Alliance * Guam is also a member of the alliance
https://bsky.app/profile/luckytran.com/post/3m3bx2jzldc2e

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-and-14-governors-launch-governo...

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/10/15/california-announces-coalition-of-governors-fo...

https://www.govsforhealth.org/

"... findings may have potential for the development of transmission-blocking vaccines against malaria parasites ..."

Melanie H. Dietrich et al. 2025. Cryo-EM structure of endogenous Plasmodium falciparum Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 fertilization complex. Science, 31 Jul 2025. Vol 389, Issue . DOI: 10.1126/science.ady0241 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ady0241

Editor’s summary
For malaria parasites, fertilization of gametes occurs in the midgut of female Anopheles mosquitoes. Inhibiting parasite fertilization in mosquitoes prevents malaria parasite transmission from mosquitoes to humans, so transmission-blocking vaccines are important tools for malaria elimination. Using cryo–electron microscopy, Dietrich et al. determined the structure of the Pfs230-Pfs48/45 core fertilization complex isolated from the sexual stages of malaria parasites. This structure provided insight into the domains that are critical for complex formation. The authors demonstrated the importance of these domains using Pfs230 nanobodies and mRNA-lipid nanoparticles that block transmission. The findings may have potential for the development of transmission-blocking vaccines against malaria parasites. —Stella M. Hurtley

ESMO 2025: mRNA COVID Vaccines Enhance Efficacy of Cancer Immunotherapy
Bioengineer | October 19, 2025

"... a comprehensive study involving over 1,000 patients treated between August 2019 and August 2023, encompassing diverse cancer types. The study’s retrospective design evaluated clinical outcomes associated with receiving mRNA vaccines such as those deployed against SARS-CoV-2, elucidating the vaccines’ unexpected yet profound immunomodulatory effects beyond infectious disease prevention. Notably, the result challenges long-standing paradigms by positioning conventional prophylactic vaccines as potential adjuvants that recalibrate anti-tumor immunity.

... cancer patients receiving mRNA COVID vaccines within 100 days of commencing immunotherapy were twice as likely to achieve survival at the three-year mark compared to their unvaccinated counterparts.

... In summary, the identification of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines as powerful modulators of tumor immunity redefines the therapeutic landscape, offering a scalable and effective method to augment immune checkpoint blockade. This novel intersection of vaccinology and cancer therapy embodies a remarkable leap forward, fostering optimism that more patients will achieve durable remissions and improved quality of life worldwide."

https://bioengineer.org/esmo-2025-mrna-covid-vaccines-enhance-efficacy-of-cancer...

Dr. Lucky Tran ‪@luckytran.com‬ | October 21, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Scientist, science communicator, public health and climate justice advocate.
WHO Fides member, Grist 50 Fixer, Creative Change alum.
New Yorker/Aussie.

The Big Cities Health Coalition, which serves over 60 million or 1 in 5 people in the US, has issued a statement condemning the federal government's moves to limit vaccine access and spread disinformation. The cities are working together to ensure people get vaccinated.

Map of Big Cities Health Coalition Highlighting:
Austin, TX Baltimore, MD Boston, MA Charlotte, NC Chicago, IL Cleveland, OH Columbus, OH Dallas, TX Denver, CO Detroit, MI El Paso, TX Fort Worth, TX Houston, TX Indianapolis, IN Kansas City, MO Las Vegas, NV Long Beach, CA Los Angeles, CA Louisville, KY Memphis, TN Milwaukee, WI Minneapolis, MN New York City, NY Oakland, CA Oklahoma City, OK Philadelphia, PA Phoenix, AZ Portland, OR San Antonio, TX San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA San Jose, CA Seattle, WA Tucson, AZ Washington, DC
https://bsky.app/profile/luckytran.com/post/3m3oifl2qok2q
-------------------------------------------------

2p statement, Big Cities Health Coalition
https://www.bigcitieshealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/VaxMemberStatement.Oc...

Tanushree Dangi et al. 2025. Development of a cross-protective common cold coronavirus vaccine. Vaccines, 22 October 2025. https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.01526-25 https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jvi.01526-25 Open access

ABSTRACT
Common cold coronaviruses, such as OC43 and HKU1, typically cause mild respiratory infections in healthy people. However, they can lead to severe illness in high-risk groups, including immunocompromised individuals and older adults. Currently, there is no clinically approved vaccine to prevent infection by common cold coronaviruses.

Here, we developed an mRNA vaccine expressing a stabilized spike protein derived from OC43 coronavirus and tested its efficacy in different challenge models in ... mice. This novel OC43 vaccine elicited OC43-specific immune responses, as well as cross-reactive immune response against other embecoviruses {a subgenus of coronaviruses in the genus Betacoronavirus}, including HKU1 and mouse hepatitis virus (MHV-A59).

Interestingly, this OC43 vaccine protected mice not only against a lethal OC43 infection but also against a distant embecovirus, MHV-A59. These findings provide insights for the development of common cold coronavirus vaccines, demonstrating their potential to protect against various coronaviruses.

Anti-science bills hit statehouses, attacking longstanding public health protections
Michelle Smith & Laura Ungar | Oct 21, 2025

"... In its analysis of legislation, AP focused on these three public health policies, which have clear medical evidence behind them and are targets of the Make America Healthy Again movement. AP searched 2025 legislation in all 50 states, analyzing more than 1,000 bills collected by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the bill-tracking software Plural for whether they undermined science-based protections for human health.

Anti-vaccine bills – 350 of them – were by far the most common. They come at the issue from various angles: barring discrimination against unvaccinated people, creating the criminal offense of vaccine harm, requiring blood banks to test for evidence of vaccinations and instituting a 48-hour vaccine waiting period.

... fluoride ... raw milk ... "chem trails" ...

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/anti-science-bills-hit-statehouses-attacking...

Bird flu vaxx works in macaques. Mucosal delivery, too!

Ninaad Lasrado et al. 2025. An intramuscular prime and mucosal boost vaccine regimen protects against lethal clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 challenge in cynomolgus macaques. Science Translational Medicine, 15 Oct 2025. Vol 17, Issue 820. DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.ady2282 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.ady2282

How vaccines changed the world and the public health challenges that persist
Mariel Ferragamo, Council on Foreign Relations | August 28, 2025

Summary
Vaccines have been effective in reducing the prevalence of an array of diseases.
In spite of some major successes, deep challenges still exist in guaranteeing equitable distribution of vaccines around the world, including a global North-South divide.
A rise in vaccine hesitancy and a U.S. administration that is withdrawing from global—and domestic—health programs cast doubt on the future of vaccination...

How do vaccines work?
Who oversees vaccine development and deployment?
What was ‘Operation Warp Speed’?
How have other vaccines been effective?
What are the challenges in vaccination efforts?
Why is vaccine skepticism on the rise?
How can countries contribute to global vaccination goals?
Is the United States shifting away from being a vaccine leader?

Recommended Resources
This CFR timeline looks at major pandemics of the modern era.
The WHO looks back on the first vaccinations and how far the world has come since then.
Our World in Data does a deep dive into immunization around the world.
The Kaiser Family Foundation charts out what to know about U.S. aid toward global health in ten graphics.
A team of experts covers how to protect a global pandemic treaty from disinformation for Think Global Health.
In their book When the World Closed Its Doors, CFR expert Edward Alden and Western Washington University’s Laurie Trautman explain how the COVID lockdowns forever changed geopolitical and social dynamics.
For Think Global Health, Anya Hirschfeld hands HHS a report card on the progress of the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/how-vaccines-changed-world

Jean Fisch @Jean__Fisch | 7:24 AM · Oct 26, 2025:

I just see that the Korean study in higher cancer rates among vaccinated is being reviewed: https://biomarkerres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40364-025-00831-w
No need for screaming "censorship", this is as clear a case of something gone wrong and in good faith) as it gets
In fact one look at the official data would have raised the alarm 1/

Screenshot of a scientific journal article page from Biomarker Research titled COVID-19 1-year risks of cancers associated with COVID-19 vaccination a large population-based cohort study in South Korea by authors Jin Kim Min-Kyung Kim Myeong-Gyu Choi Eun-Mi Choi volume 13 article number 114 published 26 September 2025 showing open access correspondence details accesses 244 altmetric metrics and a note on concerns raised with editorial action planned for October 2025.

https://x.com/Jean__Fisch/status/1982408092890591504/photo/1

The study looked at a large part of Korea's pop (much of Seoul)
But the consolidated data for Korea shows no elevated cancer rate in 2022
You should see one if vaccines was the cause as suggested by the study (because 90% are vaxed)
So it was clear the study had a problem 2/
https://x.com/Jean__Fisch/status/1982408924021359084/photo/1

I don't think it's clear yet what was the "killing" issue
There are clearly biases from diagnosis and vaccinee effects but there are also questions about how representative the data is for Korea as @UncleJo46902375
found big discrepancies in it 3/

There are two bizarre things
a) the analysis is a full population (Seoul) ... yet the aggregated data is 20-30% below the official data (black line)
How can a pop based analysis yield rates 20-30% below those of said population?
(FWIW, Seoul is on national average)
https://x.com/Jean__Fisch/status/1973037351460041097/photo/1

But whatever the reason, the study HAS an issue as it stands as it comes to a conclusion not supported by real life data
So it's normal (not censorship) that the journal puts a warning until the authors will have been asked to explain the discrepancy with the national data 4

Of course, the journal does not really look good on this one as peer review obviously did not include the first basic check any analyst would do, namely "is this consistent with real life data?"
But "better late than never"
END

Rift Valley fever vaccine safe, immune-producing in adults, early-stage trial shows
Laine Bergeson | November 13, 2025

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/rift-valley-fever/rift-valley-fever-vaccine-safe-immu...
------------------------------------------------

Zacchaeus Anywaine et al. 2025. Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 RVF vaccine against Rift Valley fever among healthy adults in Uganda: a single-centre, single-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation, phase 1 trial. The Lancet, 11 Nov 2025. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(25)00565-1/fullt...

John Robert Warren et al. 2025. Childhood fluoride exposure and cognition across the life course. Science Advances, 19 Nov 2025. Vol 11, Issue 47. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adz0757 https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adz0757 OPEN ACCESS

Abstract
How are children’s fluoride exposures associated with cognitive test performance in adolescence and midlife? Whereas most prior research has estimated effects of exposure to extremely high levels of fluoride, we consider exposure to levels of fluoride within the range typical in most places and of greatest relevance to policy debates about government water fluoridation. We use data from the nationally representative (United States) High School and Beyond cohort, characterize fluoride exposure from drinking water across adolescence, adjust for confounders, and observe cognitive test performance in both secondary school and at age ~60. We find that children exposed to recommended levels of fluoride in drinking water exhibit modestly better cognition in secondary school, an advantage that is smaller and no longer statistically significant at age ~60.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 ‪@helenbranswell.bsky.social‬ | Nov 29, 2025, 6:48 PM:
I cover infectious diseases for STAT (www.statnews.com). 2020 Polk winner. Nieman '11...

"#FDA vaccines czar Vinay Prasad claimed in an email to staff late Friday that Covid vaccination had killed at least 10 children in the US. Experts suggest FDA should publish the data on the cases or put it to an independent body like the National Academy for study."
--------------------------------------------

Experts say top FDA official’s claim that Covid vaccines caused kids’ deaths requires more evidence
Matthew Herper and Helen Branswell | Nov. 29, 2025

"The FDA’s top vaccine regulator asserted in a staff email that the Covid vaccine caused at least 10 kids' deaths, but experts told STAT they are skeptical of the “extraordinary” claim because it was not presented with detailed data...'

https://www.statnews.com/2025/11/29/covid-vaccine-deaths-fda-memo-vinay-prasad/
___________________________________

ETA:

Ip, S., North, TL., Torabi, F. et al. Cohort study of cardiovascular safety of different COVID-19 vaccination doses among 46 million adults in England. Nat Commun 15, 6085 (2024). doi. org /10.1038/s41467-024-49634-x

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. @SenBillCassidy | 7:55 AM · Dec 4, 2025: {X.com}

"Aaron Siri is a trial attorney who makes his living suing vaccine manufacturers. He is presenting as if an expert on childhood vaccines. The ACIP {Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices} is totally discredited. They are not protecting children..."
----------------------------------------

CDC vaccine advisory committee meets to discuss hepatitis B shot, childhood immunization schedule
Mary Kekatos | December 4, 2025,

"The panel may vote to change the hepatitis B birth dose recommendation..."

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/cdc-vaccine-advisory-committee-meets-discuss-hepat...

Agenda: https://www.cdc.gov/acip/downloads/agendas/draft-posted-2025-12-01-508.pdf

Teresa M. Imburgia and Rachel A. Katzenellenbogen 2025. Benefiting Us All—Population-Level Impact of the HPV Vaccine (Editorial). JAMA Pediatr, Published Online: September 29, 2025. 2025;179;(12):1270-1272. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2025.3575 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2839028

"... one does not have to share a direct partner (secondary) with another to gain benefit from the HPV vaccination—adolescents may be connected to each other along a growing chain (tertiary), whether knowingly or unknowingly. As these networks and chains get larger and longer into their adult lives, high HPV vaccination rates achieved during adolescence may have the capability to decrease infection, precancers, and new cancer diagnoses for a much larger group of beneficiaries.

.... Studies suggest that an 80% HPV vaccination rate is needed to sustain herd immunity, so we need to consider any effects of preventive care disruption when formulating US cervical cancer elimination goals. ..."

Engineers transform dental floss into needle-free vaccine
Annika Inampudi | 22 Jul 2025

"... For many years, scientists have tried to develop alternatives to delivering vaccines via syringes by turning to the moist areas in your mouth and nose where most viruses enter. But it’s tough to develop an effective vaccine that can be administered through those entry points because they have naturally tough defenses against foreign molecules ...

The new approach could circumvent these defenses... the gingival sulcus—the pockets of gum between the sides of your teeth—could absorb molecules extremely well. “That sort of struck a spark,” says Gill, the new study’s senior author. “If it is highly permeable, could we not use it for vaccination?”

... mouse ... healthy volunteers ...

... William Giannobile, a periodontics researcher at the Harvard University School of Dental Medicine who was not involved in the work, ... was surprised to see such a systemic immune response in mice. ... “You could imagine going to the dentist,” he says, “and your provider administers one of these vaccines during your visit.”

https://www.science.org/content/article/engineers-transform-dental-floss-needle-...
---------------------------------------

Ingrole, R.S.J., Shakya, A.K., Joshi, G. et al. Floss-based vaccination targets the gingival sulcus for mucosal and systemic immunization. Nat. Biomed. Eng (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-025-01451-3 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41551-025-01451-3

CDC Acts on Presidential Memorandum to Update Childhood Immunization Schedule {Press Release}
HHS | 5 Jan 2026

"... CDC will continue to organize the childhood immunization schedule in three distinct categories, all of which require insurance companies to cover them without cost-sharing:
Immunizations Recommended for All Children
Immunizations Recommended for Certain High-Risk Groups or Populations
Immunizations Based on Shared Clinical Decision-Making

The first category will include vaccines for measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), pneumococcal disease, human papillomavirus (HPV), and varicella (chickenpox)... "

https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/cdc-acts-presidential-memorandum-update-childhood...
-------------------------------------------

Decision Memo (5 Jan 2026. 10 p)
https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/decision-memo-adopting-revised-childhood...
--------------------------------------------

Fact Sheet: CDC Childhood Immunization Recommendations
HHS | January 5, 2026

"... The CDC will continue to recommend that all children are vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (whooping cough), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), Pneumococcal conjugate, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and human papillomavirus (HPV), for which there is international consensus, as well as varicella (chickenpox)...

The immunizations recommended for certain high-risk groups or populations are for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, meningococcal ACWY, and meningococcal B...

The immunizations based on shared clinical decision-making are for rotavirus, COVID-19, influenza, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A, and hepatitis B..."

https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/fact-sheet-cdc-childhood-immunization-recommendat...
--------------------------------------------

RFK Jr. Slashes Number of Recommended Vaccines
— "It won't work and can't end well," one vaccine expert said
Joyce Frieden | January 5, 2026

Medical Groups Sound the Alarm
'It Won't Work'

https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/vaccines/119285
_______________________________

10p letter from CMS to state health officials
RE: 2027 Updates to the Child and Adult Core Health Care Quality Measurement
Sets and Mandatory Reporting Guidance
December 30, 2025
https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/sho25005.pdf
-------------------------------------------

CMS {Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services} Says States Won't Have to Report Childhood Vaccination Levels
— Immunization quality measures shouldn't be used in payment arrangements, agency notes
Terrence Rudd, Staff Writer, MedPage Today | January 5, 2026

"... Over 40% of children younger than age 6 years are covered by Medicaid and CHIP

... Just days after {this} CMS letter, the CDC announced Jan. 5 {above} that it would reduce the number of recommended vaccines on its childhood immunization schedule from 17 to 11.

The CMS quality measures change "could lead some states to deprioritize immunizations for children, adolescents, and pregnant women who rely on Medicaid, which would in turn likely lead to lower vaccine uptake and more outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases," Amanda Jezek, senior vice president of public policy and government relations at the Infectious Diseases Society of America ...

This change should be viewed within "the broader context of Secretary Kennedy's assault on vaccines ... This policy is not being enacted in isolation, but rather in conjunction with the dismissal of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, changes in vaccine recommendations that lack a clear scientific basis, and a campaign of misinformation that continues to sow unfounded doubt in lifesaving vaccines.""

https://www.medpagetoday.com/pediatrics/vaccines/119286

>140 margd:
Why does Denmark recommend so few childhood vaccines? A Danish scientist explains
Gretchen Vogel | 7 Jan 2026

"The U.S. plans to follow the Scandinavian country’s minimalist schedule. That may be a mistake, Jens Lundgren {an infectious disease specialist at the Copenhagen University Hospital and a member of the advisory board that makes recommendations to the Danish Health Authority about which shots to include in the country’s vaccine program, which means the shots are paid for by the government} says.

... we have very low rates of undiagnosed hepatitis B and a very effective prenatal screening program.

... we wanted to make sure parents didn’t get vaccine fatigue.

... The rotavirus vaccine is not currently recommended in Denmark, but it is being discussed... Rotavirus is not trivial, but it’s usually not a terribly serious condition... it’s actually not a very great vaccine, and there are others that we have prioritized. But it is one of those that is still on the table.

... meningococcal disease, where bacteria infect the bloodstream, the lining of the brain, or the spinal cord ... is not really a public health problem in Denmark ... If we had a meningococcal problem, we would reassess.

... The U.S. is much more diverse, and access to health care is much more varied. That inequality is not present in Denmark. That should influence your choice of vaccines. Vaccines are an excellent way to protect the population if you don’t have consistent access to health care. If I were in the U.S., where I know that a significant number of women get inadequate prenatal care, my opinion around the hepatitis B vaccine would be very different. In that context, compared to the situation we have in our country, broad vaccination can make sense.

... how good are you at communicating the benefits of the vaccination program? I’ve been listening to the communication that has been happening in the U.S., and I can see why parents would be uncertain about whether to get their kids vaccinated.

... you should leave the decision to the parents is fundamentally correct. But they need to have guidance, by health care professionals who actually have expertise in this area. And it should be those experts who say what is sensible or not sensible, not the politicians. Politicians sometimes have to weigh in in crisis situations. But they need to be well educated before they weigh in, because bad information can very quickly erode trust.

Adherence to vaccines is related to what I call the vaccine saturation effect: If you put too many vaccines into the schedule, at least if you do that too quickly, you could see a situation where parents start to pick and choose between them. And then parents tend to lose perspective on which ones are most important. They will turn to Facebook and other unreliable sources to decide which vaccines to give their babies.

Vaccination fatigue among parents is a real issue that you need to take seriously, and it’s on us as experts to prioritize with that in mind. We can’t just put more vaccines into the program.

https://www.science.org/content/article/why-does-denmark-recommend-so-few-childh...

JAMA Oncology | 1/10/2026 {FB}

"The 2025 federal #Medicaid restrictions are projected to cause over 1 million missed #CancerScreening exams and over 150 excess #cancer deaths within 2 years, with substantial impact on younger and vulnerable adults..."

Sarah P. Shubeck and Adrian Diaz 2026. Projected Cancer Screening and Outcomes Under the 2025 Federal Medicaid Eligibility Restrictions. JAMA Oncol, Published Online: January 8, 2026. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.5774 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2843269

Maternal flu, Tdap vaccination cuts risk of infant hospitalization, ED visits 70% to 89%, researchers estimate
Mary Van Beusekom | January 9, 2026

... Rates of severe flu and pertussis were 392 and 51 cases per 100,000 person-years, respectively. Infants born to vaccinated mothers were at 70% lower risk for hospitalization or an ED visit for flu (vaccine effectiveness VE, 69.7%, but with a wide confidence interval CI, indicating considerable uncertainty) and an 89% lower risk for these outcomes for pertussis (VE, 88.6%, but also with a wide CI).

“These findings suggest support for the current recommendations for administering the Tdap and influenza vaccines during pregnancy and underline the urgent need to implement strategies to improve their acceptance,” the study authors wrote.

They noted that the vaccine coverage was suboptimal, particularly for the flu vaccine. “In this context, providing evidence about vaccine effectiveness and increasing public awareness were particularly important,” they wrote. And the influence of maternal sociodemographic factors “highlighted the importance of implementing targeted public health strategies to improve vaccine uptake, particularly among vulnerable populations who may be less likely to receive vaccinations,” they added.

- The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), U MN
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/diphtheria/maternal-flu-tdap-vaccination-cuts-risk-in...
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Gabriella Morabito et al. 2026. Maternal Vaccine Receipt and Infant Hospital and Emergency Visits for Influenza and Pertussis. JAMA Netw Open, Published Online: January 8, 2026. 2026;9;(1):e2553179. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.53179
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2843534

Will mpox go global again? Research shows it’s evolving in curious ways
Max Kozlov | Jan 8, 2026

"A study published in December 2025 found that the strain that caused the 2022 outbreak persisted in the testes of mice for weeks after infection and caused tissue damage1, highlighting the possibility that the virus could affect male fertility. This has not yet been studied in people.

... the virus continues to evolve. In December, health officials reported a strain of the monkeypox virus that combines genetic elements of two existing types, or clades, for the first time. Although it is normal for viruses such as monkeypox to evolve, the more opportunities they are given to spread, the more likely they are to eventually evade protection from vaccines and treatments ..."

References
Swan, C. L. et al. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.64898/2025.12.16.694558 (2025).

Kaiser, F. K. et al. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.64898/2025.12.09.693236 (2025).

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-04154-6
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-04154-6

Yikes: predictably, Mickey Measles?

"Type in your ZIP code below or search your county to see vaccination levels and the risk in your area. Move your cursor over your neighborhood for results."

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/new-map-shows-spot-measles-risk-level-zip/story?id...

https://healthmap.org/measles/

New US map of MMR vaccine uptake reveals considerable gaps, potential for more measles
Mary Van Beusekom | January 16, 2026

"... “Declining MMR coverage, fuelled by multifaceted vaccine hesitancy and pandemic-related disruption, has left national coverage below thresholds required to prevent sustained transmission,” the researchers wrote. “Differences in vaccination coverage by geographic, socioeconomic and demographic factors have further contributed to pockets of vulnerability, particularly in communities with lower MMR vaccine rates.” ..."

https://www.
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Eric Geng Zhou et al. 2025. Assessing MMR vaccination coverage gaps in US children with digital participatory surveillance. Nature Health volume 1, pages138–144 (Jan 15, 2026) https://doi.org/10.1038/s44360-025-00031-8 https://www.nature.com/articles/s44360-025-00031-8 OPEN ACCESS

https://healthmap.org/measles/

Dennis Nordvall et al. 2026. COVID-19 vaccination carries no association with childbirth rates in Sweden. Commun Med (1 January 2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-026-01396-x https://www.nature.com/articles/s43856-026-01396-x Open access

"Plain Language Summary
Early, unfounded rumors spread during the COVID-19 pandemic claimed that mRNA vaccination could cause infertility. Later, suspicions were raised regarding whether reductions in childbirth observed during the pandemic were associated with the novel COVID-19 vaccines. We therefore study effects of COVID-19 vaccination in a representative population of Swedish women, and adjust for any confounding effects. No association is observed between COVID-19 vaccination and childbirth, or between vaccination and recorded miscarriages. We thus find no evidence for any connections between COVID-19 vaccination and the observed decrease in childbirth. Our results are relevant for consideration when vaccination policies involving women of childbearing age are determined."

The U.S. Has Pulled Out of the WHO. Here’s What That Means for Public Health
Alice Park | Jan 22, 2026

"... One major dataset involves tracking influenza strains as they emerge around the world—an important tool for determining which strains of the virus are dominating in a particular year, and therefore which strains vaccine makers should target in the annual flu shot. The WHO makes public recommendations each year to guide manufacturers’ decisions, and it’s unclear how much access the U.S. will continue to have to this data in advance of the WHO’s recommendation.

“By pulling out, we are not just losing our ability to provide data, but also to contribute to the dialogue and make sure we have a say in understanding why the flu vaccine is being composed in the way it is every year,” says Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, CEO of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “It takes the seat at the table away from us. And those tables are where global health decisions are made.” ...”

https://time.com/7357180/us-withdrawal-who-world-health-organization/

Local note: I noticed today that in my local grocery "fluoride-free" toothpastes now dominate, probably due to the MAHA madness.

If this reflects a broader trend, then we're likely to see Americans experiencing more dental health issues, which can reasonably be expected to impact other areas of health, particularly for those without access to good dental care.

File under "adding injury to insult".

>149 kiparsky: Considering that most people don't have dental insurance, and dislike going to the dentist in the first place, I would expect that the denturists will be busy about 10-15 years from now.

Good news for women who truly need a painkiller during pregnancy. I would still avoid meds during pregnancy unless truly necessary, having read another article linking acetaminophen (aka paracetamol & tylenol) with hypospadias -- and bussed in my youth with a child forever marred by thalidomide. Embryology is a complex, beautiful dance of life.

Gold-standard review denies link between autism, ADHD risk and Tylenol use in pregnancy
Katharine Lang | January 21, 2026

"Acetaminophen (Tylenol), also referred to as paracetamol, is an over-the-counter medication that is widely used to treat pain and fevers worldwide.
However, in September 2025, the United States Government warned of a link between acetaminophen use in pregnancy and autism.
Now, a wide ranging meta-analysis of high quality studies has found no evidence that taking paracetamol as directed during pregnancy increases the risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability in children.
Experts from many countries agree that the findings should reassure pregnant individuals that, when used as directed, paracetamol is the safest painkiller for them to use during pregnancy..."

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/gold-standard-review-denies-link-betwe...
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Francesco D'Antonio et al. 2026. Prenatal paracetamol exposure and child neurodevelopment: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health (January 16, 2026). https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanogw/article/PIIS3050-5038(25)00211-0/fullt... Open access