800,000 U.S. taxpayer-funded vaccine doses may expire, lawmakers say
Forty-eight Democratic members of the House of Representatives, led by Reps. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin and Sara Jacobs of California, signed the letter, saying that the vaccines may expire as they sit in warehouses, wasting the U.S. taxpayer dollars that paid for them.
The letter said 800,000 doses of the vaccines are at risk, and that some 220,000 doses could be viable if the State Department begins shipping them immediately.
"This is a moral, strategic, and public health failure in the making," the letter said.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Republican U.S. President Donald Trump has made sharp cuts to foreign aid programs since beginning his second term six months ago, firing thousands of aid agency employees and contractors and throwing global humanitarian operations into chaos.
The Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives passed legislation this month approving Trump's request for about $8 billion in foreign aid cuts.
Trump has said the U.S. pays disproportionately for foreign aid, and he wants other countries to shoulder more of the burden.
The World Health Organization first declared the outbreak of mpox in August 2024, when an outbreak of a new form of the disease spread from the badly-hit Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries.
Uganda and Burundi also have been significantly affected.
Mpox is a viral infection that spreads through close contact and typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild, but can be lethal.
The WHO said last month that the outbreak was still a public health emergency of international concern, its highest form of alert.
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Japan Times
24-07-2025
- Japan Times
800,000 U.S. taxpayer-funded vaccine doses may expire, lawmakers say
Hundreds of thousands of doses of mpox vaccine that the United States had promised to send to African nations are in danger of going to waste, dozens of congressional Democrats said in a letter to the U.S. State Department on Wednesday. Forty-eight Democratic members of the House of Representatives, led by Reps. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin and Sara Jacobs of California, signed the letter, saying that the vaccines may expire as they sit in warehouses, wasting the U.S. taxpayer dollars that paid for them. The letter said 800,000 doses of the vaccines are at risk, and that some 220,000 doses could be viable if the State Department begins shipping them immediately. "This is a moral, strategic, and public health failure in the making," the letter said. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Republican U.S. President Donald Trump has made sharp cuts to foreign aid programs since beginning his second term six months ago, firing thousands of aid agency employees and contractors and throwing global humanitarian operations into chaos. The Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives passed legislation this month approving Trump's request for about $8 billion in foreign aid cuts. Trump has said the U.S. pays disproportionately for foreign aid, and he wants other countries to shoulder more of the burden. The World Health Organization first declared the outbreak of mpox in August 2024, when an outbreak of a new form of the disease spread from the badly-hit Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries. Uganda and Burundi also have been significantly affected. Mpox is a viral infection that spreads through close contact and typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild, but can be lethal. The WHO said last month that the outbreak was still a public health emergency of international concern, its highest form of alert.
NHK
21-07-2025
- NHK
Researchers: Delayed treatment of bird flu may raise risk of drug-resistance
A group of researchers says delayed treatment of a type of bird flu now spreading on dairy farms in the United States may increase the virus's drug-resistance. The group is led by Professor Kawaoka Yoshihiro of the University of Tokyo Pandemic Preparedness, Infection and Advanced Research Center. It has been studying the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus that has spread rapidly among US dairy cattle since early 2024. There have been reports that the virus appears to have been transmitted from cows to humans in 41 cases. The researchers gave the antiviral drug Xofluza, or baloxavir marboxil, to mice infected with bovine H5N1 virus and examined its efficacy. They say that of the five mice treated with Xofluza from 24 hours after infection, three died within 21 days. They say a Xofluza-resistant virus was found in one dead mouse. The researchers say all five mice that were given Xofluza from 48 hours after infection died. Three of them reportedly had drug-resistant viruses. But the group says none of the mice given the drug starting one hour after infection died, and no drug-resistant viruses were found in them. Professor Kawaoka says there is a possibility that the virus multiplies so quickly that the emergence of drug-resistance might be facilitated. He says there is need to explore ways to respond, such as extending the period of drug administration and increasing dosage, in case humans are infected.
Japan Times
04-07-2025
- Japan Times
WHO pushes countries to raise prices on sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco by 50%
The World Health Organization is pushing countries to raise the prices of sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco by 50% over the next 10 years through taxation, its strongest backing yet for taxes to help tackle chronic public health problems. The United Nations health agency said the move would help cut consumption of the products, which contribute to diseases such as diabetes and some cancers, as well as raising money at a time when development aid is shrinking and public debt rising. "Health taxes are one of the most efficient tools we have," said Jeremy Farrar, WHO assistant-director general of health promotion and disease prevention and control. "It's time to act." The WHO launched the push, which it called "3 by 35" at the U.N. Finance for Development conference in Seville, Spain. The agency said that its tax initiative could raise $1 trillion by 2035 based on evidence from health taxes in countries such as Colombia and South Africa. The WHO has backed tobacco taxes and price rises for decades, and has called for taxes on alcohol and sugary drinks in recent years, but this is the first time it has suggested a target price rise for all three products. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the conference that the taxes could help governments "adjust to the new reality" and bolster their own health systems with the money raised. Many low and middle-income countries are coping with cuts to aid spending led by the United States, which is not attending the Seville conference. The U.S. is also in the process of withdrawing from the WHO. As an example, the initiative would mean a government in a middle-income country raising taxes on the product to push the price up from $4 today to $10 by 2035, taking into account inflation, said WHO health economist Guillermo Sandoval. Nearly 140 countries had already raised tobacco taxes and therefore prices by over 50% on average between 2012 and 2022, the WHO added. Sandoval said the WHO was also considering broader taxation recommendations, including on ultra-processed food, after the agency finalizes its definition of that type of food in the coming months. But he added that the agency expected pushback from the industries involved. "It's deeply concerning that the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to disregard over a decade of clear evidence showing that taxing sugar-sweetened beverages has never improved health outcomes or reduced obesity in any country,' said Kate Loatman, executive director of the International Council of Beverages Associations, adding that the industry was working on options to support health. "The World Health Organization's suggestion that raising taxes will prevent alcohol-related harm is misguided,' said Amanda Berger, senior vice president of science and research at the Distilled Spirits Council, adding that it would not prevent alcohol abuse. The International Food and Beverage Alliance's Secretary General, Rocco Renaldi, said in a statement that it welcomed the WHO's drive to strengthen health systems but "warns against grouping sugar-sweetened beverages alongside inherently harmful goods like tobacco." The tax initiative is backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and involves support for countries who want to take action.
