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Atlantic
5 hours ago
- Health
- Atlantic
‘I'm Not Quite Sure How to Respond to This Presentation'
The past three weeks have been auspicious for the anti-vaxxers. On June 9, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. purged the nation's most important panel of vaccine experts: All 17 voting members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which sets recommendations for the use of vaccines and determines which ones must be covered through insurance and provided free of charge to children on Medicaid, were abruptly fired. The small, ragtag crew of replacements that Kennedy appointed two days later met this week for the first time, amid lots of empty chairs in a conference room in Atlanta. They had come to talk about the safety of vaccines: to raise concerns about the data, to float hypotheses of harm, to issue findings. The resulting spectacle was set against a backdrop of accelerating action from the secretary. On Wednesday, Kennedy terminated more than $1 billion in U.S. funding for Gavi, a global-health initiative that supports the vaccination of more than 65 million children every year. Lyn Redwood, a nurse practitioner and the former president of Children's Health Defense, the anti-vaccine organization that Kennedy used to chair, was just hired as a special government employee. (She presented at the ACIP meeting yesterday.) A recently posted scientific document on the ACIP website that underscored the safety of thimerosal, an ingredient in a small proportion of the nation's flu vaccines, had been taken down, a committee member said, because the document 'was not authorized by the office of the secretary.' (A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services told me in an email that this document was provided to the ACIP members in their meeting briefing packets.) What's clear enough is that, 61 years after ACIP's founding, America's vaccination policy is about to be recooked. Now we've had a glimpse inside the kitchen. The meeting started with complaints. 'Some media outlets have been very harsh on the new members of this committee,' said Martin Kulldorff, a rangy Swedish biostatistician and noted COVID contrarian who is now ACIP's chair. (Kuldorff was one of the lead authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, a controversial proposal from the fall of 2020 to isolate seniors and other vulnerable people while reopening the rest of society.) In suggesting that he and Kennedy's other appointees are opposed to vaccination, Kulldorff said, journalists were misleading the public, weakening trust in public health, and fanning 'the flames of vaccine hesitancy.' This was, in fact, the most pugnacious comment of the two-day meeting, which otherwise unfolded in a tone of fearmongering gentility. Robert Malone, a doctor and an infectious-diseases researcher who has embraced the 'anti-vaccine' label and published a conspiracy-theory-laden book that details government psyops against the American people, was unfailingly polite in his frequent intimations about the safety of vaccines, often thanking CDC staff for their hard work and lucid presentations. With his thick white beard, calm affect, and soldierly diction—Malone ended many of his comments by saying, 'Over' into the microphone—he presented less as a firebrand than as, say, the commanding officer of a submarine. When Malone alluded to the worry, for example, that spike proteins from the mRNA-based COVID vaccines linger in the body following injection, he did so in respectful, even deferential, language, suggesting that the public would benefit from greater study of possible 'delayed effects' of immune-system activation. The CDC's traditional approach—its 'world-leading, rigorous' one, he clarified—might be improved by examining this question. A subject-matter expert responded that the CDC has been keeping tabs on real-world safety data on those vaccines for nearly five years, and has not detected any signs of long-term harm. Later, Malone implied that COVID or its treatments might have, through some unspecified, bank-shot mechanism, left the U.S. population more susceptible to other illnesses. There was a 'paradoxical, sudden decrease' in flu cases in 2020 and 2021, he noted, followed by a trend of worsening harm. A CDC staffer pointed out that the decrease in flu during those years was not, in fact, a paradox; well-documented shifts in people's health behavior had temporarily reduced the load of many respiratory illnesses during that same period. But Malone pressed on: 'Some members of the scientific community have concern that they're coming out of the COVID pandemic—exposure to the virus, exposure to various countermeasures—there may be a pattern of broad-based, uh, energy,' he said, his eyes darting up for a moment as he said the word, 'that might contribute to increased severity of influenza disease.' He encouraged the agency to 'be sensitive to that hypothesis.' Throughout these and other questions from the committee members, the CDC's subject-matter experts did their best to explain their work and respond to scattershot technical and conceptual concerns. 'The CDC staff is still attempting to operate as an evidence-based organization,' Laura Morris, a professor at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, who has attended dozens of ACIP meetings in the past and attended this one as a nonvoting liaison to the committee from the American Academy of Family Physicians, told me. 'There was some tension in terms of the capacity of the committee to ask and understand the appropriate methodological questions. The CDC was trying to hold it down.' That task became more difficult as the meeting progressed. 'The new ACIP is an independent body composed of experienced medical and public health experts who evaluate evidence, ask hard questions, and make decisions based on scientific integrity,' the HHS spokesperson told me. 'Bottom line: this process reflects open scientific inquiry and robust debate, not a pre-scripted narrative.' The most vocal questioner among the new recruits—and the one who seemed least beholden to a script—was the MIT business-school professor Retsef Levi, a lesser-known committee appointee who sat across the table from Malone. A scruffy former Israel Defense Forces intelligence officer with a ponytail that reached halfway down his back, Levi's academic background is in data modeling, risk management, and organizational logistics. He approached the proceedings with a swaggering incredulity, challenging the staffers' efforts and pointing out the risks of systematic errors in their thinking. (In a pinned post on his X profile, Levi writes that 'the evidence is mounting and indisputable that mRNA vaccines cause serious harm including death'—a position entirely at odds with copious data presented at the meeting.) Shortly before the committee's vote to recommend a new, FDA-approved monoclonal antibody for preventing RSV in infants, Levi noted that he'd spent some time reviewing the relevant clinical-trial data for the drug and another like it, and found some worrying patterns in the statistics surrounding infant deaths. 'Should we not be concerned that maybe there are some potential safety signals?' he asked. But these very data had already been reviewed, at great length, in multiple settings: by the FDA, in the course of drug approval, and by the dozens of members of ACIP's relevant work group for RSV, which had, per the committee's standard practice, conducted its own staged analysis of the new treatment before the meeting and reached consensus that its benefits outweighed its risks. Levi was uncowed by any reference to this prior work. 'I'm a scientist, but I'm also a father of six kids,' he told the group; speaking as a father, he said, he personally would be concerned about the risk of harm from this new antibody for RSV. In the end, Levi voted against recommending the antibody, as did Vicky Pebsworth, who is on the board of an anti-vaccine organization and holds a Ph.D. in public health and nursing. The five other members voted yes. That 5–2 vote aside, the most contentious issue on the meeting's schedule concerned the flu shots in America that contain thimerosal, which has been an obsession of the anti-vaccine movement for the past few decades. Despite extensive study, vaccines with thimerosal have not been found to be associated with any known harm in human patients, yet an unspecified vote regarding their use was slipped into the meeting's agenda in the absence of any work-group study or presentation from the CDC's staff scientists. What facts there were came almost exclusively from Redwood, the nurse who used to run Kennedy's anti-vaccine organization. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that at least one citation from her posted slides had been invented. That reference was removed before she spoke yesterday. (HHS did not address a request for comment on this issue in its response to me.) The only one of Kennedy's appointees who had ever previously served on the committee—the pediatrician Cody Meissner—seemed perplexed, even pained, by the proceedings. 'I'm not quite sure how to respond to this presentation,' he said when Redwood finished. He went on to sum up his concerns: 'ACIP makes recommendations based on scientific evidence as much as possible. And there is no scientific evidence that thimerosal has caused a problem.' Alas, Meissner's warnings were for nought. Throughout the meeting, he came off as the committee's last remaining, classic 'expert'—a vaccine scientist clinging to ACIP's old ways—but his frequent protestations were often bulldozed over or ignored. In the end, his was the only vote against the resolutions on thimerosal. Throughout the two-day meeting, Kuldorff kept returning to a favorite phrase: evidence-based medicine. 'Secretary Kennedy has given this committee a clear mandate to use evidence-based medicine,' he said on Wednesday morning; 'The purpose of this committee is to follow evidence-based medicine,' he said on Wednesday afternoon; 'What is important is using evidence-based medicine,' he said again when the meeting reached its end. All told, I heard him say evidence-based at least 10 times during the meeting. (To be fair, critics of Kuldorff and his colleagues also love this phrase.) But the committee was erratic in its posture toward the evidence from the very start; it cast doubt on CDC analyses and substituted lay advice and intuition for ACIP's normal methods of assessing and producing expert consensus. 'Decisons were made based on feelings and preferences rather than evidence,' Morris told me after the meeting. 'That's a dangerous way to make public-health policy.'
SBS Australia
6 hours ago
- Health
- SBS Australia
Former CDC staffers ring alarm bells over decisions of new US vaccine panel
Every week for a number of weeks, current and former employees of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have been blowing whistles and banging drums at a street intersection near the group's headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. They're protesting changes to the US Department of Health now led by Robert F Kennedy Jr, saying that he has brought his long history of vaccine scepticism into his role as the nation's top health official. Among the demonstrators is infectious diseases physician Peter Cegielski. "There have been rallies here every Tuesday maybe since March... The public needs to mobilise because, I mean, there's a clown show running this country and DHHS." The CDC protesters' appearance on the Atlanta corner this week was timed to coincide with the first meeting of the reconstituted US panel known as ACIP or the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices. Kennedy abruptly fired all 17 previous members earlier this month after accusing them without evidence of conflicts of interest, replacing them with seven handpicked others. Among them is new Committee chair Dr Martin Kulldorff, a biostatistician and epidemiologist who publicly criticised COVID-19 lockdowns and was fired from Harvard for refusing to take a COVID vaccine. Dr Kulldorff was one of five members at the meeting to vote for a recommendation that people aged 6 months and older get a flu vaccination only using a single dose formula which is thimerosal-free. "Even if the amount available in the vaccine, maybe that amount is safe - but does not amount for exposed to be exposed to mercury from other sources. So it's cumulative and there is a need. And if we care about public health we should try to minimise exposure to mercury." The reason why that's important is because the panel's recommendations influence the official US immunisation schedule, determine insurance coverage for vaccines, and act as an encouragement for people to get vaccinated. Thimerosal is widely used in lower income countries because they are more likely to use lower cost multidose containers that must be punctured repeatedly, raising the risk of contamination which thimerosal helps to prevent. But the preservative has also been at the centre of controversies and myths about vaccines for decades, with Robert F Kennedy involved in some of that debate. In 2014, when Kennedy was an environmental lawyer, he appeared on Fox 5 New York to promote a book he had published called 'Thimerosal' that alleged evidence had been covered up showing it could cause brain problems, including autism. "You know I've had all six of my children vaccinated. I want to see everybody taking their vaccines. We need full coverage. People don't take them (vaccines) because they no longer believe in the CDC. They can see the science." The CDC says it conducted nine separate studies since 2003 that found no link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder, and that multiple scientific studies have found no evidence of a link either. The CDC was not given an opportunity to present evidence before the committee's vote - but Lyn Redwood, the former president of what is now known as Children's Health Defense, an antivaccine group founded by Secretary Kennedy - did air her concerns about thimerosal. "Thimerosal is recognised as a developmental and reproductive toxicant, and is listed as a chemical in the California Proposition 65 list since 1990." Secretary Kennedy has maintained he has always just asked questions that are justifiable and necessary, arguing that the public's trust in vaccines has waned because those questions have not been answered satisfactorily. "We're living now in a time of upheaval, a time of popular revolt against established institutions that have lost the public trust - and that includes medicine. President Trump and I are committed to earning it back." But at least two CDC staff members have left over the changes, and major medical experts and former members of the panel have also expressed concern over its reconstitution. Georgia State Senator for District 42 Elena Parent says the panel is essentially embedding false information and vaccine scepticism into national policy. "This is the very body that has guided our nation's policies for vaccines for over 60 years. And by the way, this is what everyone said when they said 'do not confirm him'. Do not confirm him as the secretary of health. Anyone who knew anything about public health and vaccines said 'no'. These guy has peddled disinformation for years. And what did they do? Fell in line behind Trump and all the rest of them and put him in. And the worst fears are now coming true with this assault on the ACIP." The Secretary's views have also received a cool reception at a Brussels fundraising dinner for the GAVI global vaccine alliance, a group that facilitates immunisations in lower-income countries. In a video recording played to the gathering, Kennedy cast doubt on the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines — which the World Health Organisation and other agencies have long deemed to be safe and effective. He also announced the US will be cutting its funding to GAVI, on the basis that they have allegedly silenced dissenting views and what he has described as legitimate questions about vaccine safety. "Consider the best science available even when the science contradicts established paradigms. Until that happens, the United States won't contribute more to GAVI." GAVI says that's ridiculous. Chairman of the Board Jose Manuel Barroso says the organisation has multiple safeguards and processes in place to prioritise the health and safety of children. "Gavi is indeed a unique organisation in global health with a public-private model that has brought together national governments, donors, vaccine manufacturers, scientific institutes and grassroot organisations to vaccinate more than 1 billion children in low income and middle income countries. And I have to say that Gavi has done it always following the best scientific advice." Doctors Without Borders is among the medical groups to say they believe countless children will die from vaccine-preventable diseases as a result of the U-S withdrawing support for Gavi. The charity's global health advocacy director, Mihir Mankad, has called it cruel and reckless to invoke misleading and inaccurate claims about vaccine safety as the pretext for cutting all global vaccine funding. But GAVI says it will be able to continue much of its work, and has plenty of other willing donors. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said in a statement that Australia is sending $386 million over five years, while European Union President Ursula von der Leyen has also committed money. "Today I am pleased to pledge 360 million Euros to GAVI at this summit, and this is part of a total Team Europe pledge of 2 billion Euros or even more." Meanwhile, back in the US, some doctors are taking matters into their own hands. The influential American Academy of Paediatrics boycotted A-C-I-P's first meeting in protest, saying it will now publish its own vaccine schedule for children and do so independently of the vaccine panel, calling it 'no longer a credible process.' And the CDC demonstrators - which include former Division of Overdose Prevention public servant, Abby Tighe - say they will keep ringing their protest bells on that Atlanta corner for as long as they can. "Let's make it a non political conversation. We have to do the work to de-politicise public health. And I know it's hard and it sucks, but we have to do it because people's lives are at stake."
Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Michigan announces second measles as US hits 1,227 cases
Michigan has its second measles outbreak of the year, Utah has seven cases and health workers in New Mexico are rushing to contain an outbreak in a county jail. Measles It is preventable through vaccines and has been considered eliminated from the US since 2000.(Representational/AFP) But for the first time in months, Texas confirmed no additional measles cases this week tied to a major outbreak that raged through the late winter and spring. There have been 1,227 confirmed measles cases this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. There are three other major outbreaks in North America. The longest, in Ontario, Canada, has resulted in 2,212 cases from mid-October through June 24. The province logged its first death June 5 in a baby who got congenital measles but also had other preexisting conditions. Another outbreak in Alberta, Canada, has sickened 1,122 as of Friday. And the Mexican state of Chihuahua had 2,485 measles cases and eight deaths as of Thursday, according to data from the state health ministry. Other U.S. states with active outbreaks — which the CDC defines as three or more related cases — include Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota and Oklahoma. In the U.S., two elementary school-aged children in the epicenter in West Texas and an adult in New Mexico have died of measles this year. All were unvaccinated. Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that's airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000. How many measles cases are there in Texas? Texas held steady Tuesday with 750 outbreak-related cases across 35 counties, most of them in West Texas, state data shows. Throughout the outbreak, 97 people have been hospitalized. State health officials estimated less than 1% of cases — fewer than 10 — were actively infectious as of Tuesday. Fifty-five percent of Texas' cases are in Gaines County, where the virus started spreading in a close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite community. The county has had 413 cases since late January — just under 2% of its residents. The state also noted in its Tuesday update that there are 34 cases across 18 counties that don't have a clear link to the outbreak now, but may end up added to it after further investigation. The April 3 death in Texas was an 8-year-old child, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Local health officials said the child did not have underlying health conditions and died of 'what the child's doctor described as measles pulmonary failure.' A unvaccinated child with no underlying conditions died of measles in Texas in late February; Kennedy said the child was 6. How many measles cases are there in New Mexico? New Mexico had 86 measles cases Friday. Five new cases were confirmed this week in a jail in Luna County, which prompted health officials to urge locals to get vaccinated and halted in-person visits. Seven people have been hospitalized since the outbreak started. Most of the state's cases are in Lea County. Sandoval County near Albuquerque has six cases, Eddy County has three, Doña Ana County has two. Chaves, Curry and San Juan counties have one each. An unvaccinated adult died of measles-related illness March 6. The person did not seek medical care. How many cases are there in Oklahoma? Oklahoma held steady Friday for a total of 17 confirmed and three probable cases. The state health department is not releasing which counties have cases. How many cases are there in Arizona? Arizona has four cases in Navajo County. They are linked to a single source, the county health department said June 9. All four were unvaccinated and had a history of recent international travel. How many cases are there in Colorado? Colorado has seen a total of 16 measles cases in 2025, which includes one outbreak of 10 related cases. The outbreak is linked to a Turkish Airlines flight that landed at Denver International Airport in mid-May. Four of the people were on the flight with the first person diagnosed — an out-of-state traveler not included in the state count — while five got measles from exposure in the airport and one elsewhere. Health officials are also tracking an unrelated case in a Boulder County resident. The person was fully vaccinated but had "recently traveled to Europe, where there are a large number of measles cases,' the state health department said. Other counties that have seen measles this year include Archuleta and Pueblo. How many cases are there in Georgia? Georgia has an outbreak of three cases in metro Atlanta, with the most recent infection confirmed June 18. The state has confirmed six total cases in 2025. The remaining three are part of an unrelated outbreak from January. How many cases are there in Illinois? Illinois health officials confirmed a four-case outbreak on May 5 in the far southern part of the state. It grew to eight cases as of June 6, but no new cases were reported in the following weeks, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The state's other two cases so far this year were in Cook County, and are unrelated to the southern Illinois outbreak. How many cases are there in Iowa? Iowa has had six total measles cases in 2025. Four are part of an outbreak in eastern Johnson County, among members of the same household. County health officials said the people are isolating at home, so they don't expect additional spread. How many cases are there in Kansas? Kansas added one more case this week for a total of 80 across 11 counties in the southwestern part of the state, with three hospitalizations. All but three of the cases are connected, and most are in Gray County. How many cases are there in Michigan? Health officials in Grand Traverse County in northern Michigan confirmed an outbreak of three cases Tuesday. The state declared an earlier outbreak of four cases in Montcalm County, near Grand Rapids in western Michigan, over June 2. The state has had 16 cases total in 2025. How many cases are there in Montana? Montana had 23 measles cases as of Friday, an increase of one this week. Fifteen were in Gallatin County, which is where the first cases showed up — Montana's first in 35 years. Flathead and Yellowstone counties had two cases each, and Hill County had four cases. There are outbreaks in neighboring North Dakota and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. How many cases are there in North Dakota? North Dakota, which hadn't seen measles since 2011, was up to 34 cases as of June 6, but has held steady since. Two of the people have been hospitalized. All of the people with confirmed cases were not vaccinated. There were 16 cases in Williams County in western North Dakota on the Montana border. On the eastern side of the state, there were 10 cases in Grand Forks County and seven cases in Cass County. Burke County, in northwest North Dakota on the border of Saskatchewan, Canada, had one case. How many cases are there in Utah? Utah had seven total measles cases as of Friday. At least three of the cases are linked, according to the state health department. State epidemiologist Dr. Leisha Nolen said she is aware of at least three different measles clusters in the state. She expects to see more cases because there are other unvaccinated people who were exposed. At least two of the people infected had to be hospitalized. Two are pregnant. Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.? Measles cases also have been reported this year in Alaska, Arkansas, California, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. Health officials declared earlier outbreaks in Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania over after six weeks of no new cases. Tennessee's outbreak also appears to be over. Cases and outbreaks in the U.S. are frequently traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. The CDC said in May that more than twice as many measles have come from outside of the U.S. compared to May of last year. Most of those are in unvaccinated Americans returning home. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles. What do you need to know about the MMR vaccine? The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old. Getting another MMR shot as an adult is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says. People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don't need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective vaccine made from 'killed' virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. People who have documentation that they had measles are immune and those born before 1957 generally don't need the shots because so many children got measles back then that they have 'presumptive immunity." Measles has a harder time spreading through communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — due to 'herd immunity.' But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots. What are the symptoms of measles? Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash. The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC. Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death. How can you treat measles? There's no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.
CBC
10 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
U.S. vaccine panel rejects flu shots with a specific preservative, despite safety data
The Trump administration's new vaccine advisers on Thursday endorsed this fall's flu vaccinations for just about every American — but only if they use certain shots free of a preservative that has been safely used in vaccines for decades. What is normally a routine step in preparing for the upcoming flu season drew intense scrutiny after U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly fired the influential 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)and handpicked replacements that include several vaccine skeptics. The seven-member panel bucked another norm Thursday as it discussed the safety of a preservative used in less than five per cent of U.S. flu vaccinations: It deliberated based only on a presentation from an anti-vaccine group's former leader — without allowing the usual public airing of scientific data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The preservative, thimerosal, has been used for decades in certain vaccines that come in multi-dose vials, to prevent contamination as each dose is withdrawn. Its controversy stems from containing a small amount of a particular type of mercury. However, the CDC's own data shows it is safe, and on Friday the World Health Organization stated in a press briefing that there was no evidence of risk. "Thimerosal has been reviewed multiple times by multiple agencies, including WHO, and it's clear from the evidence that there is no evidence of harm from the use of thimerosal," Dr. Katherine O'Brien from WHO told reporters in reaction to the U.S. panel decision. Thimerosal contains a minute amount of ethyl mercury, which breaks down quickly in the body and is swiftly removed, unlike methyl mercury, the type of mercury found in the environment which can build up in the body and cause harm. In Canada, a handful of multi-dose influenza vaccines approved for use by Health Canada contain thimerosal, but the vast majority of routine childhood vaccines do not. Single-dose flu shots unaffected Study after study has found no evidence that thimerosal causes autism, a myth long pushed by anti-vaccine groups, or poses any safety risks. Yet since 2001, all vaccines routinely used for U.S. children age 6 years or younger have already come in thimerosal-free formulas. The advisory panel voted to back the usual U.S. recommendation that nearly everyone age six months and older get an annual flu vaccination, but then voted 5-1 with one abstention that these had to be thimerosal-free formulations. This would include single-dose shots that already are the most common type of flu vaccination, and would rule out the subset of flu vaccine dispensed in multi-dose vials. "There is still no demonstrable evidence of harm," one panelist, Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, a psychiatrist formerly with the National Institutes of Health, said in acknowledging the committee wasn't following its usual practice of acting on evidence. But he argued that "we have to respect the fear of mercury" that he said might dissuade some people from getting vaccinated. Panel blocked CDC's analysis Lyn Redwood, formerly of the Kennedy-founded anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, gave the presentation on thimerosal in front of the panel, arguing that it was a neurotoxin. The version of Redwood's presentation posted to the CDC's website earlier this week initially included a reference to a study that does not exist. The report she gave to the committee was significantly shorter, removing a reference to that study and another slide saying she did not have any conflicts of interest. "With the vote on thimerosal this afternoon, the new committee has turned the ACIP process into a farce," said former CDC vaccine adviser Dr. Fiona Havers, who resigned last week over Kennedy's changes to vaccine policy. Medical groups decried the panel's lack of transparency in blocking a CDC analysis of thimerosal that concluded there was no link between the preservative and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. The data had been posted on the committee's website Tuesday, but was later removed — because, according to ACIP member Dr. Robert Malone, the report hadn't been authorized by Kennedy's office. Panel members said they had read it. The ACIP helps the CDC determine who should be vaccinated against a long list of diseases, and when, and its recommendations have a big impact on availability and insurance coverage of vaccines in the U.S. Normally the CDC's director would decide whether to accept ACIP's recommendation, but the Senate has not yet confirmed nominee Susan Monarez. Administration officials said Kennedy would make that decision. While Thursday's debate involved only a small fraction of flu vaccines, some public health experts contend the discussion unnecessarily raised doubt about vaccine safety. Already, fewer than half of Americans get their yearly flu vaccinations, and mistrust in vaccines overall is growing. "Selective use of data and omission of established science undermines public trust and fuels misinformation," said Dr. Sean O'Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). He said of the new panelists, "Nothing about their recent actions have been science-based or transparent." WATCH: Misinformation one of the factors behind decline in childhood vaccination globally: Decline in childhood vaccination fuelled by global conflicts, misinformation: Lancet 3 days ago Duration 2:01 A new study published in the Lancet medical journal suggests childhood vaccinations have stagnated or declined since 2010. The authors say geopolitical instability is fuelling the drop in some countries, but misinformation is largely driving the decline in high-income countries. The pediatrics group announced Wednesday that it would no longer be participating in the ACIP meetings, with president Sue Kressly saying in a video statement that "with the committee dismissals, it is no longer a credible process." The AAP will continue publishing its own vaccination recommendations. The flu votes marked the final step of a two-day meeting that alarmed pediatricians and other doctors' groups, who pointed to new panelists' lack of expertise in how to properly track vaccine safety — and a shift in focus which appears to boost anti-vaccine messaging. Of special concern was the announcement by panel chairman Martin Kulldorff to reevaluate the "cumulative effect" of the children's vaccine schedule — the list of immunizations given at different times throughout childhood. That reflects the scientifically debunked notion that children today get too many vaccinations for their immune systems.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
As new variant spreads, what's the latest COVID-19 vaccine guidance? It's complicated.
As a new COVID-19 variant takes over in the U.S., guidance surrounding vaccines has become increasingly confusing. Changes in vaccination guidelines, ever-evolving variants and strains, along with threats to health insurance, have sent average Americans looking for the latest recommendations as members of the federal government often conflict with independent medical agencies and healthcare professionals. In the two weeks leading up to June 21, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported just shy of 14,500 positive COVID tests, and while hospitalizations and deaths are fortunately down significantly since the pandemic's peak, vulnerable people are still grappling with limiting their risk amid changing practices. Having trouble keeping track of variants and vaccines? Here's what we know. NB.1.8.1 is one of the latest variants of COVID-19, a "slightly upgraded version" of the LP.8.1 variant that is prominent right now, Subhash Verma, microbiology and immunology professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, previously told USA TODAY in May. Verma previously stated that NB.1.8.1 may be transferred more easily than LP.8.1. Additionally, he noted that NB.1.8.1 can evade antibodies created by vaccines or past infections more easily than LP.8.1. In early April, NB.1.8.1 accounted for 0% of COVID cases in the U.S. In the two weeks ending June 21, it accounted for the majority of cases at 43%, according to the CDC. The variant has similar symptoms to other strains, including fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, sore throat, congestion or a runny nose, new loss of taste or smell, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, nausea or vomiting. One of its more unique features is "razor blade throat," reported by patients as an exceptionally sore throat. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on May 27 that the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be included in the CDC's recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women, a move that broke with previous expert guidance and bypassed the normal scientific review process. Under the changes, the only people who will be recommended for COVID-19 vaccines are those over 65 and people with existing health problems. This could make it harder for others who want the COVID-19 vaccine to get it, including health care workers and healthy people under 65 with a vulnerable family member or those who want to reduce their short-term risk of infection. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), among other organizations, issued statements condemning the change, with the ACOG saying it was "...concerned about and extremely disappointed by the announcement that HHS will no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy." "It is very clear that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic and lead to major disability, and it can cause devastating consequences for families. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe during pregnancy, and vaccination can protect our patients and their infants after birth," President Steven J. Fleischman said in a statement. Insurance coverage typically follows federal recommendations, so anyone who is healthy and under 65 is likely to have to pay out of pocket to get the shot, which runs about $200, if they can get it. It's not clear what insurance companies will do about the new recommendations. The American Medical Association (AMA) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in partnership with other professional medical organizations, broke from RFK and HHS after this announcement, sharing plans to develop their own guidelines independent of the government organization. In an open letter signed by 80 medical organizations across the country and published on June 25, the AMA called for physicians, healthcare networks and insurance companies to continue supporting "evidence-based immunizations to help prevent severe disease and protect public health." "Vaccines for influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 remain among the best tools to protect the public against these illnesses and their potentially serious complications—and physicians are among the most trusted voices to recommend them. We come together as physicians from every corner of medicine to reaffirm our commitment to these lifesaving vaccines," the letter said. "Recent changes to federal immunization review processes raised concerns across the medical and public health community. In this moment of uncertainty, physicians must align around clear, evidence-based guidance for patients." The AAP likewise said in a June 26 statement that it will "continue to publish its own evidence-based recommendations and schedules." AAP President Susan J. Kressly said the creation of federal immunization policy is 'no longer a credible process," adding, "...we're not stepping back, we're stepping up. The AAP will continue to publish our own immunization schedule just as we always have, developed by experts, guided by science, trusted by pediatricians and families across the country.' These latest independent guidelines have yet to be released. Meanwhile, the new Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) gathered for the first time on June 25 in a meeting that drew criticism from some experts. RFK fired all 17 original members of the committee on June 9, replacing them with members that critics have called unqualified. Some of the members, like Kennedy, have a history of anti-vaccine advocacy, prompting backlash that had doctors and organizations calling for a delay in the meeting. Anti-vaccine sentiments were repeated by ACIP Chair Martin Kulldorf at the meeting, who said the panel will be "investigating" MMR and childhood vaccines. The CDC panel also reviewed data about COVID-19 vaccines, questioning their safety and effectiveness. They also raised questions about the study design, methodologies and surveillance monitoring systems behind the data, which Dr. Pamela Rockwell, clinical professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, addressed as a standard of medical research. "Our efforts, through a very robust system of checks and balances, are to create vaccines and vaccination programs that result in the most benefit with the least harm," said Dr. Gretchen LaSalle, a family physician in Spokane, Washington, who represented the American Academy of Family Physicians. Despite this, the committee didn't vote on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for the fall and isn't expected to reconvene until 'September/October,' according to the CDC website. ACIP commitee: Inside the unusual, RFK-appointed panel that's deciding on childhood vaccines The FDA likewise announced updated requirements for mRNA COVID-19 vaccine warning labels on June 25, which apply to Comirnaty by Pfizer Inc. and Spikevax by ModernaTX Inc. Prescribing information will now include warnings of the connection between the vaccines and a rare side effect that causes inflammation of the heart muscle and lining. The new warning label discloses the risk of myocarditis, which appeared in 8 cases per 1 million people who got the 2023-2024 COVID shots between the ages of 6 months and 64 years old, mostly commonly among males aged 12 to 24. The previous label, which also disclosed the risk, said the problem mostly occurred in minors aged 12-17. Despite the back-and-forth in the U.S., the World Health Organization (WHO) has kept its recommendation consistent. Currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective against the NB.1.8.1 variant, it said. In a webpage dated Jan. 7, the CDC advised that everyone over the age of six months get the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, specifically the 2024-2025 Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. The page has since been updated with a banner, reading "COVID-19 vaccine recommendations have recently been updated for some populations. This page will be updated to align with the updated immunization schedule." The original recommendations align with the WHO's current guidelines. WHO, AMA, AAP and existing standards recommend that people who have never received a COVID-19 vaccine, are age 65 and older, are immunocompromised, live at a long-term care facility, are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant, and/or want to avoid getting long COVID, should get the vaccine, especially. Contributing: Greta Cross, Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What are the latest COVID vaccine guidelines for this summer?
