Opinion - Questioning the risks and benefits of vaccines isn't spreading misinformation
I expected her to climb on the 'misinformation' bandwagon but she said she didn't like the term at all. The way to discuss a vaccine, she said, is to ask your patient how they feel about it and go from there, addressing patient concerns and developing a risk-benefit analysis to discuss.
I couldn't agree more. And one of the first questions I always ask is what a patient's reaction has been to previous vaccines. I have found that there is a pattern, that those who don't tolerate one vaccine may not tolerate another.
In fact, a friend of mine who is a physician believes that there are so-called vaccine families who may be more susceptible to vaccine injuries by far than the general public. She believes that a close relative of hers may have gotten a neurological disease following a vaccine.
We should be using advances in genetic testing and artificial intelligence to help us ferret out who is most at risk for significant side effects from a particular vaccine. This would only help me as a physician to have the Heidi Larson-type of discussion in my doctor's office.
I could discuss risks and benefits in a more sophisticated way if I better understood a patient's risk versus their protection against a given virus or bacteria.
Consider that none other than Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett-Helair, co-developer of the COVID-19 vaccine and renowned viral immunologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, wrote an opinion piece last June in STAT saying that more empathy is needed for those who report experiencing long-term side effects from the COVID vaccines.
'People who speak out about how they feel after getting a vaccine should not be dismissed or assumed to be anti-vaxxers,' she wrote. 'For starters, they deserve empathy from their doctors and other health care providers, as well as from those who set and drive vaccine policy.'
Don't get me wrong, I believe strongly that vaccine use in the 20th and 21st centuries has cut down dramatically on death and disease and has saved hundreds of millions of lives, beginning with the smallpox vaccine which wiped the disease off the planet and on to the polio and measles vaccines which have also had enormous impact in terms of lives saved.
Even less impactful vaccines, such as flu or COVID vaccines, still decrease severity and visits to urgent care and hospitalizations by hundreds of thousands of cases in the U.S. per year.
Vaccines are not just a matter of personal choice, they are also powerful public health tools, where the goal is to protect a community from a pathogen including those who are unable to take a certain kind of vaccine (live virus) or are unable to mount a protective response.
But vaccines have side effects, and we need to consider who is more prone to these side effects and who isn't. Neither safety nor efficacy is one size fits all. And now we finally have the technology available to help us start to tell the difference.
I have written about the 1976 swine flu fiasco, when 40 million people received a hastily made flu vaccine for a virus that never took hold and about 1 in 100,000 recipients appeared to acquire Guillain-Barré syndrome as a result.
This tragedy shook public confidence in vaccines and led to far more study and transparency and a vaccine registry for reporting potential vaccine injury. But an important question that was never addressed (because the technology didn't exist at the time) is why some people got GBS while others didn't.
The COVID vaccines are very different because the virus was killing millions and a vaccine (to save millions) was desperately needed. However, the way that the vaccine was pushed and mandated also helped cause an erosion of confidence in public health.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a disrupter and a reformer. But he needs to respect the effectiveness of the amazing vaccines we have. At the same time, pushing for even more transparency and study is by no means a bad thing, provided that public confidence in one of our greatest public health tools is restored rather than further eroded.
Marc Siegel, M.D., is a professor of medicine and medical director of Doctor Radio at NYU Langone Health. He is a Fox News medical correspondent and author of 'COVID; The Politics of Fear and the Power of Science.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
With ‘monk on Miracle Mile,' visitors seek peace in this hidden Buddhist center
Most people who show up to meditation class over what used to be a popular Thai restaurant in Coral Gables are just looking to relieve some stress. The spiritual part may come later, says Buddhist monk and resident teacher Gen Kelsang Tashi. Or it may not. Either way, it's all good here. After all, the mission of the Kadampa Meditation Center Miami — a modern Buddhist center housed above the shuttered Lotus Garden restaurant on Miracle Mile — is to help people develop inner peace and overcome unhappiness. 'At the very heart of everything that we're doing is that wish to improve ourselves and benefit others,' said Tashi. 'To be able to do that, we need to develop our inner peace, we need to develop our wisdom, and we need to develop a good heart of kindness and compassion.' The tiny second-floor center is easy to miss amid the hustle and bustle along Miracle Mile but the center has been there since 2020, opening just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally started in 2013 at a different location on Coral Way, it's part of a Buddhist sect called the New Kadampa Tradition founded by a Tibetan monk named Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, who passed away in 2022. There are over 1,000 centers around the world and six other Kadampa centers in Florida, including a larger temple in Sarasota that can house monks and is used for retreats. Tashi came to Buddhism more than 15 years ago, where he said he worked for a boutique consulting firm in communications field in New York City. He was struggling with managing stress himself. He had never tried mediation before, but after seeing a flier with an image of Buddha's face on it at his local grocery store in Brooklyn, Tashi decided to give it a shot. The payoff, he said, was immediate. Now, after years of study, he's an ordained monk. 'From that first meditation, I started to feel positive change in my state of mind,' Tashi told the Miami Herald during a recent vist to the center. 'Some of that stress that I was just constantly feeling all the time started to reduce a little bit, and I started to get a feeling of calm and peacefulness that I hadn't really had in a long time.' New Kadampa, Tashi said, aims to make the teachings of Buddha and the practice of meditation more accessible to the world, particularly the West. The center, which is entirely volunteer-run, has a dedicated membership of about 85, though more people drop in to take weekly classes or join workshops and retreats. The space itself is calming and approachable — even for people with no knowledge of Buddhism. According to Tashi that's more or less the point of the New Kadampa Tradition. Meaning of mindfulness Despite the fact that there aren't many Buddhists in Florida, the membership at the center has grown, slowly and steadily, over the past decade, said Michelle Grillone, the administrative director of Kadampa Meditation Center Miami. This growth reflects a larger trend in Florida and Miami, according to a religious landscape study from Pew Research, which found that the Buddhist population in Miami and Florida doubled in the decade between 2014 and 2004. Still, just 2 percent of people identified themselves as Buddhist. Some people come to cope with emotional tragedies like heartbreak or the death of a loved one, but the majority find the center in an attempt to manage stresses of daily life. 'Step one is getting control over your mind, not letting your mind control you. That's usually the hardest step for most people, because it's almost like rewiring your brain,' said Grillone, who has been volunteering at the center for over 10 years. She said Buddhist teachings are interwoven with the mediation classes — about 30 minutes per class — which can look like 'tips and tricks on how to deal with that pain, suffering, attachment .. all these hot topics.' People are left with a better understanding of their own minds, she said. 'You start applying it and you start seeing how it works.' Grillone's own interest in meditation was prompted by the unexpected death of her mother when she was 33 years old. Meditation helped her deal with grief and anger, and made her 'overall, a happier person,' she said. Eventually after six months, she found herself wanting to learn more about Buddhism and began taking weekly in-depth study classes in addition to her one-hour meditation classes. Grillone said this is an option for those who want a deeper understanding of Buddhist philosophies, but that people can engage as much or as little as they want. General meditation classes, for example, begin with the teacher and students singing the 'liberating prayer' as a way to honor Buddha. Some people in the class sing while others just stand and listen. 'In no way is Buddhism, or Dharma, meant to judge or criticize. It's whatever your path is ... whatever works for you, whatever you're looking for, you can choose that,' she said, adding that many people who show up come from other religions — Catholicism or Judaism, for example. A common misconception about Buddhism, according to Tashi, is that all traditions are the same. Though founded on the spiritual teachings of Buddha, like any other religion, the practices of Buddhism can vary throughout the world. Grillone's day job is working in finance management, something she describes as 'high-stress.' But, she credits her meditation practice for helping her find peace throughout the day. 'That's what I love about it, is that little to-go that you have inside of you, and whenever you need a just tap into it,' she said. The mediation center — which is considered a religious non-profit organization — is very low profile. You won't find its members on street corners preaching about the benefits of meditation. Members say it's not in the Buddhist tradition to try and convince people to show up or promote the religion in any way. But word has gotten around. One writer for Coral Gable Magazine did a piece two years ago where she talked about her experience meditating with the 'monk on Miracle Mile,' and how she felt calmer after her first class. While you can download a meditation app on your phone, said long-time member Todd Ellenberg, that doesn't provide the same experience as coming to a center where there's community, or what Buddhists call 'Sangha.' 'I think what's missing is Sangha,' he said. 'Sangha is a very important source of support in order to exchange thoughts on our practice, to support each other in our practice, there's strength when people come together with a shared intention.' Ellenberg, who grew up Jewish, showed up to meditation classes with zero expectations years ago. Ultimately, he latched on to the philosophy of Buddhism and became a meditation teacher. He said the classes helped him develop a sense of empathy which caused him not to be so reactive to anger in his life. 'It isn't like you are asked to embrace a dogma, a set of beliefs. It's like, try it out if these practices work and you get some benefit out of it, wonderful. That's great. If not, that's okay too. Just let it go.' Kadampa Meditation Center Miami offers meditation classes on Sundays at 11 a.m., at 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays in Spanish at 7:30 p.m. and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. For the full schedule visit This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
The Teen Mom is Dying Out
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. While the birth rate has declined in general over the last 50 years, mothers aged between 15 and 19 have seen the most consistently steep fall. In 1975, there were 599,926 teen births in America – more than double the teen pregnancies recorded in 2024 (136,376), according to the U.N. Population Division. Among the teen births that do take place today, "the vast majority occur among folks who are 18 or 19," said Elizabeth Wildsmith, a family demographer and sociologist at Child Trends, a nonpartisan research organization. "Teen births have declined dramatically over the past several decades," she told Newsweek, citing a lower level of sexual activity among teenagers, a higher level of contraceptive use and wider social changes. "No easy answers," said Claire Brindis, co-director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Health National Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco. "No one factor can really explain the reductions," she told Newsweek, citing similar reasons to Wildsmith, along with improved access to education. Brindis also drew on the general trend of having children later, currently taking place across all age groups. "We have to give young people a lot of credit for being pregnancy-free," she said. Teenagers Are Having Less Sex Some 32 percent of high schoolers said they had ever had sex in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). This is a decrease from the 47 percent who said they had ever had sex a decade earlier, in 2013, and significantly lower than in 1991, when 54 percent said they had ever had sex. "I am not sure we have a clear understanding yet of the role that digital/social media is playing in shaping how and when youth form relationships, including sexual relationships, or their thoughts and behavior around parenthood," Wildsmith said. "There is likely a mix of positive and negative impacts. For example, online resources, especially reliable sources that use evidence-based information, may help youth learn about various contraceptive methods and more easily access them," she continued. "Similarly, they can provide access to content around what a safe and healthy romantic relationship looks like." "At the same time, we know that health misinformation on social media platforms is a serious concern," she added. She went on to align the decline in sexual activity with "a decline in the proportion of youth that have ever dated." Brindis also spoke about cultural shifts, pointing to the pandemic when she said: "Perhaps another factor is a residual of COVID, with more young people hanging out in groups, after long periods of isolation, and less likely to end up only in pairs." "Ironically, while more teens are exposed to pornography through social media, they are less likely to feel comfortable talking to each other and being in a relationship," she added. But she went on to speak about the impact of increased education and the choices this has provided. "Clearly, access to education has been shown to be a huge motivator," Brindis said, "as young women are surrounded by role models, including their moms, who have improved their own educational status and who hold great expectations that their daughters can break more glass ceilings than they were able to themselves." "Young women are more likely to explore how to protect themselves, including delaying having sex, having fewer partners, if they are sexually active (which reduces their risk as more steady partners will increase the likelihood of conversations about birth control protection in the context of all their other dreams," she added. Have Teen Pregnancies Changed For Everyone? While "the dramatic decline in the teen birth rate since the early 1990s has occurred across all race/ethnic and socioeconomic groups," as Wildsmith said, the declines "have been somewhat uneven across groups and there are still large disparities in the teen birth rate across race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status." For example, teen birth rates among Native (20.9), Hispanic (20.8), Pacific Islander (21.2), and Black (19.3) teens were more than double that of white teens (8.4) and over ten times higher than Asian teens (1.8) in 2023, according to a Congressional Research Service report published in April, which used data from the National Center for Health Statistics. "We should recognize that there continues to be segments who are more likely to be at risk-young people who are poor or low income, those who live in rural communities, with less education, and with less hope for economic opportunities continue to be more vulnerable," Brindis said. "The risks are that we don't continue to invest in young people across all groups, and especially women, if education opportunities are shut off, if economic options (as an alternative to going to college), if student loans are eliminated or more difficult to get, if families have more economic struggles, if access to birth control or other social support services, for example, many of these positive trends can evaporate," she added. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty/Canva People Are Having Children Later in General Last month, Newsweek broke down how birth rates have changed across all age groups over the past 50 years. While mothers between the ages of 50 and 54 had no babies in 1975, this number gradually increased to more than 100 over the years and was 159 in 2024. People in their twenties have had fewer babies, often delaying children to their thirties, which has meant the number of births in this age group has increased. America is one of many countries around the world struggling with falling birth rates. Fertility rates are projected to average 1.6 births per woman over the next three decades, according to the Congressional Budget Office's latest forecast released this year. This number is well below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman required to maintain a stable population without immigration. Many trying to tackle this issue have focused on public health policies and financial plans, often citing the 2008 financial crisis, its effect on housing, inflation and pay as a major contributor to why people delay having children, have fewer of them or to not have them at all. The Donald Trump administration has made this issue one of its priorities, with the White House exploring the possibility of giving women a "baby bonus" of $5,000, according to an April New York Times report.
12 hours ago
FDA vaccine official restricted COVID vaccine approvals against agency advice
WASHINGTON -- The government's top vaccine official working under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently restricted the approval of two COVID-19 vaccines, disregarding recommendations from government scientists, according to federal documents released Wednesday. The new memos from the Food and Drug Administration show how the agency's vaccine chief, Dr. Vinay Prasad, personally intervened to place restrictions on COVID shots from vaccine makers Novavax and Moderna. Both vaccines were approved by the FDA in May after months of analysis by rank-and-file FDA reviewers. But internal correspondence show Prasad disagreed with staffers who planned to approve the shots for everyone 12 and older, similar to previous COVID vaccines. The scientists had concluded the benefit from the vaccines and the risk of COVID-19 outweighed the risk of possible side effects, which are rare. Instead Prasad decided the shots should be limited to those who face special risks from the virus— seniors or children and adults with underlying medical issues. Prasad explained that the COVID vaccine benefits must be reconsidered in light of falling rates of death and hospitalization and the possibility for vaccine side effects. It's the latest in a series of vaccine restrictions imposed by officials working under Kennedy, who has long questioned the benefits of vaccines. 'Even rare vaccination related harms both known and unknown now have higher chance of outweighing potential benefits' Prasad wrote in a five-page memo explaining his decision. COVID-19 remains a public health threat, resulting in 32,000 to 51,000 U.S. deaths and more than 250,000 hospitalizations since last fall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most at risk for hospitalization are seniors and children under 2 — especially infants under 6 months. Top FDA leaders are typically not involved in the review of individual products. Officials like Prasad can overrule staffers, but such cases are rare and often controversial. News of the FDA documents was first reported by the New York Times. Prasad was hired to lead the FDA's vaccine center in May, after the previous director, Dr. Peter Marks, was forced to resign over disagreements with Kennedy. An academic researcher specializing in cancer therapies, Prasad came to prominence during the pandemic for criticizing public health measures, including the FDA's approval of COVID boosters for healthy adults and children. Since arriving at the agency he has worked with FDA Commissioner Mark Makary on new guidelines that will limit approvals of future COVID boosters to higher-risk Americans, mainly seniors and those with medical conditions like asthma and obesity. Those limits match the terms FDA recently approved for Novavax's shot, Nuvaxovid and Moderna's mNexspike. Novavax's vaccine is the only protein-based coronavirus vaccine available in the U.S. Moderna's vaccine is an updated, lower-dose version of its existing mRNA-based vaccine. The review team for the Novavax vaccine pointed to data from a study in 30,000 adults, concluding that 'the risk-benefit assessment for this vaccine technology remains favorable.' FDA staff reached a similar conclusion for the Moderna vaccine, deeming it similar in safety and effectiveness to the company's original shot. Last week, the FDA finalized new warning labeling about the risk of myocarditis, a rare form of heart inflammation, on shots from Moderna and Pfizer, the other maker of an mRNA-based shot for COVID. In his 'override memo,' reversing FDA staff's decision on the Moderna shot, Prasad pointed to the ongoing risk of myocarditis and questions about its frequency. The agency ordered Moderna to conduct further studies of the risk as a condition for the approving its updated shot. A spokesman for the administration said Prasad 'has raised serious concerns' about the issue. 'We will not ignore these risks and will ensure that the gold standard of science is used for any decisions,' said Andrew Nixon, in an emailed statement. Outside researchers have noted that cases of the heart condition tend to resolve quickly and are less severe than those associated with COVID infection itself, which can also cause myocarditis. ___
