Category: Vaccine Headlines
Vaccine Panel Gutted by Kennedy Loses a Member Ahead of First Meeting
NYT Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of the panel and appointed eight new ones. Now, the board is down to just seven. 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, […]
Jun 25, 2025
Kennedy’s New Advisers to Broaden Scrutiny of Childhood Vaccines
NYT The panel will revisit the hepatitis B shot given at birth, among others. The former head of an anti-vaccine group has been hired as a special employee at H.H.S. Just minutes into the first meeting of scientific advisers appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., it was clear that the skeptical panelists intended […]
Jun 25, 2025
CDC interim leaders, in first all-hands meeting, speak of ‘myth-busting’ and ‘resilience’
STAT Susan Monarez, nominee for director, was reported to be starting to meet with senators ahead of confirmation. In their first all-staff meeting since the start of the Trump administration, the interim leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attempted to sidestep controversy and rally troops at the storied but demoralized agency on […]
Jun 25, 2025
Presentation for CDC advisers appears to cite nonexistent study to support claims about risk of vaccine preservative
CNN A presentation slated to be shared at this week’s meeting of vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claimed that a study in animals suggested that use of the vaccine preservative thimerosal can have “long-term consequences in the brain.” But the study doesn’t appear to exist. Lyn Redwood, a former leader of […]
Jun 25, 2025
The U.S. Is Going Backwards on Vaccines, Very Fast
The Atlantic America’s vaccine advisory committee is now taking seriously a baseless anti-vaccine flash point. Vaccine experts in the United States have long considered the case on thimerosal closed. A chemical preservative that stamps out contamination in vaccine vials, thimerosal was removed from most U.S. shots more than two decades ago over worries that its […]
Jun 25, 2025
US CDC official in charge of COVID, RSV data resigns ahead of vaccine meeting
Reuters A U.S. government scientist who oversees the team responsible for collecting data on COVID-19 and RSV hospitalizations used to shape national vaccine policy has resigned, citing concerns over how such data would be used by the Trump administration. The scientist, Dr. Fiona Havers, told colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on […]
Jun 17, 2025
What Happens to Vaccines Now?
NYT Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s overhaul of an influential committee, including the appointment of new members, has created concern about vaccine access. The U.S. health secretary’s dismissal of an influential vaccine advisory committee this week sowed uncertainty about the future of vaccine recommendations nationwide. On Wednesday, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced eight new members of the Advisory Committee […]
Jun 17, 2025
Game theory explains why reasonable parents make vaccine choices that fuel outbreaks
The Conversation When outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles occur despite highly effective vaccines being available, it’s easy to conclude that parents who don’t vaccinate their children are misguided, selfish or have fallen prey to misinformation. As professors with expertise in vaccine policy and health economics, we argue that the decision not to vaccinate isn’t simply about misinformation or hesitancy. […]
Jun 11, 2025
Novavax’s COVID-flu combo vaccine shows strong immune response in trial
Retuers Novavax’s (NVAX.O), opens new tab experimental COVID-19-influenza combination and standalone influenza vaccines generated a strong immune response in adults aged 65 and older, similar to already approved shots against the viruses in a late-stage trial. Both the vaccine candidates were well tolerated with no new safety concerns, the biotech said on Wednesday. The study, which involved […]
Jun 11, 2025
Ousted CDC vaccine adviser says RFK Jr.’s message is clear: ‘Scientific expertise is no longer of use’
STAT Q&A with Helen Chu on the termination of ACIP members and future vaccine policy. Helen Chu went through a multi-year process to finally gain a seat on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccines experts panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. There was a lengthy application process, and extensive conflict-of-interest vetting, followed […]
Jun 10, 2025