ACIP recommends Merck's RSV shot for infants under 8 months old
CNBC's Angelica Peebles joins 'Squawk on the Street' with the latest news from the CDC.
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Los Angeles Times
40 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Trump administration restores funds for HIV prevention following outcry
The Trump administration has lifted a freeze on federal funds for HIV prevention and surveillance programs, officials said, following an outcry from HIV prevention organizations, health experts and Democrats in Congress. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health received notice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday that it had been awarded nearly $20 million for HIV prevention for the 12-month period that began June 1 — an increase of $338,019 from the previous year. 'Let's be clear — the Trump administration's move to freeze HIV prevention funding was reckless, illegal and put lives at risk,' said Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) in a statement. 'I'm relieved the CDC finally did the right thing — but this never should have happened.' The CDC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Friedman and other advocates for HIV prevention funding sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last month, warning that proposed cuts to these programs would reverse years of progress combating the disease and cause spikes in new cases — especially in California and among the LGBTQ+ community. The letter cited estimates from the Foundation for AIDS Research, known as amfAR, suggesting the cuts could lead to 143,000 additional HIV infections nationwide and 127,000 additional deaths from AIDS-related causes within five years. Los Angeles County, which stood to lose nearly $20 million in annual federal HIV prevention funding, was looking at terminating contracts with 39 providers. Experts said the dissolution of that network could result in as many as 650 new cases per year — pushing the total number of new infections per year in the county to roughly 2,000. 'Public Health is grateful for the support and advocacy from the Board of Supervisors, the Los Angeles County Congressional delegation, and all of our community based providers in pushing CDC to restore this Congressionally approved funding,' a spokeswoman for the county's health department said. 'Looking forward, it is important to note that the President's FY26 budget proposes to eliminate this funding entirely, and we urge our federal partners to support this critical lifesaving funding,' she said.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
With Flu Shot Vote, Kennedy's Vaccine Skepticism Comes Full Circle
A decade before he became President Trump's health secretary, the environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared on a talk show hosted by Dr. Mehmet Oz to promote his latest book, 'Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak.' The book, published in 2014, explored an obscure mercury-based preservative, thimerosal, that was removed from most vaccines, but not flu vaccines, more than two decades ago. Dr. Oz noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had deemed the vaccines that still contained thimerosal 'safe and effective' and said they did 'not present a public health risk.' Mr. Kennedy did not buy it. 'We found 500 peer-reviewed studies,' he insisted. 'Virtually every one of them said that thimerosal is a potent neurotoxin that should not be in vaccines.' On Thursday, the new members of the C.D.C.'s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, hand-selected by Mr. Kennedy after he fired all 17 members of the previous panel, decided it would longer recommend annual flu shots that contain it. Thimerosal's appearance on the committee's agenda in the first place shocked public health leaders, who have long considered the matter settled. But it was not a surprise to people who have followed Mr. Kennedy closely. Thimerosal started Mr. Kennedy down a path of questioning vaccine safety, and Thursday's vote was the culmination of a long personal journey. It offers a window into how, as secretary, he is pursuing his own passions and installing old allies in positions of influence. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Confused by changes in COVID and other vaccine policies? Here's what you should know.
At its first meeting this week, the new advisory committee announced it would review immunization schedules for children, potentially upsetting long-standing recommendations. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, earlier said he was ending the government's recommendation that healthy children get the COVID vaccine. Today, many people are confused about whether and when to get vaccines for themselves and their families. Advertisement Here's what you need to know: Are vaccines safe? Vaccines are 'very safe,' What's the history of vaccines? Vaccines date back hundreds of years. In 1955, Congress passed the Polio Vaccination Assistance Act, the first federal involvement in immunization activities. It allowed Congress to allocate funds to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, to help states and local communities acquire and administer vaccines. Advertisement What do American specialists in public health say about vaccine safety? The CDC says childhood vaccines 'are very safe.' The U.S., the agency says, 'has the safest vaccine supply in its history. Millions of children safely receive vaccines each year. The most common side effects are very mild, such as pain or swelling at the injection site.' Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, has taken steps to upend decades-old policies on vaccines. TIERNEY L. CROSS/NYT What do medical experts say about vaccines? Numerous respected medical centers, including Mass. General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the Mayo Clinic, cite the safety and importance of vaccines in preventing serious illnesses. Are vaccines mandatory? for public school attendance. Local school districts are responsible for ensuring compliance with the requirements. What changes has the new Trump administration made on vaccines? Since the beginning of the pandemic, the CDC has recommended that anyone six months and older should get the COVID vaccine. But Kennedy in May announced the CDC would no longer recommend it for healthy children, an abrupt change in policy apparently made without consulting the CDC. A couple days later, however, in an update on its website, the CDC modified that recommendation, saying, Any other changes regarding COVID vaccines? Kennedy also announced a proposal to no longer recommend the COVID vaccine for healthy pregnant women. Advertisement Are COVID vaccinations still necessary? How serious is COVID? The COVID pandemic ranks as one of the deadliest disasters in the country's history. The U.S. has had more than 100 million cases of COVID and more than 1 million deaths. Are COVID shots free? Yes, the COVID vaccine is available at no cost through most insurance plans, including Medicare Part B. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' recommendation of a vaccine is key to the costs being covered by insurance companies. That's one of the main reasons the advisory committee is so important. Its approvals also factor into decisions by state authorities on which vaccines to mandate for school-aged children. How do I get the COVID vaccine? Contact your doctor, pharmacist, or community health center, or visit their websites. What groups are most at risk for COVID? Older adults are at the highest risk of getting very sick from COVID-19, with more than 80 percent of COVID deaths occurring in people over 65. Anyone with obesity, diabetes, asthma, or chronic lung disease, sickle cell disease or who are immunocompromised can also be at increased risk for getting very sick from COVID. What other vaccines are recommended? In addition to the COVID vaccine, Advertisement Demonstrators rallied in support of the CDC during a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday. Mike Stewart/Associated Press What about RSV? Pneumonia? Shingles? What about childhood vaccinations? Got a problem? Send your consumer issue to
