Iowa HHS reports second case of measles in state this year
According to the Iowa HHS website, the second case was confirmed in a vaccinated adult male between the ages of 18 to 40 in eastern Iowa in June. It is unknown at this time whether the patient traveled outside of the state.
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In May HHS announced the first confirmed case of measles in the state since 2019. The infected individual was an unvaccinated adult female and had traveled outside of the state and internationally.
The announcement comes as the highly contagious disease continues to spread across the country, with 34 states reporting cases. According to the CDC, over 1,100 cases have been reported in the country as of June 5, a majority of them occurring in Texas.
Measles is a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease. It spreads through the air when a person infected with the virus coughs or sneezes. Symptoms appear roughly 7-21 days after infection and include: cough, red and/or watery eyes, nasal congestion, fever, rash, and Koplik spots. If you believe you've been exposed to measles or may have measles HHS says to call your healthcare provider as soon as possible.
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The Hill
4 hours ago
- The Hill
Leading pediatric group breaks with RFK Jr., recommends COVID shots for young kids
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on Tuesday recommended that parents vaccinate all infants and young children against COVID-19, a break from Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his criticism of widespread vaccination. The group recommended all infants and children 6 months through 23 months get vaccinated against COVID-19 to help protect against serious illness. Children under 2 years old are especially vulnerable to severe COVID-19 and should be prioritized for vaccination, AAP said, unless they have a known allergy to the vaccine or its ingredients. The COVID recommendations were part of AAP's broader guidance for parents and pediatricians ahead of respiratory virus season and come as medical groups fight against what they see as Kennedy's efforts to undermine childhood vaccinations, including against the coronavirus. Kennedy in May announced in a video posted on X that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would no longer recommend routine COVID-19 shots for healthy children because of a lack of any clinical data to justify yearly vaccines. 'The AAP will continue to provide recommendations for immunizations that are rooted in science and are in the best interest of the health of infants, children and adolescents,' AAP President Susan J. Kressly said in a statement. 'Pediatricians know how important routine childhood immunizations are in keeping children, families and their communities healthy and thriving.' The CDC did not go as far as Kennedy wanted on COVID shots and instead recommended 'shared decision making' between parents and clinicians to decide whether a healthy child should get a shot. AAP also advised shared decision making for children ages 2-18 whose parent or guardian desires them to have the protection of the vaccine. But the Food and Drug Administration did not approve Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for use in healthy young children, only those with a health condition that puts them at increased risk of severe illness. Since it was founded in 1930, AAP has published evidence-based vaccine guidance to support pediatricians. But it has not traditionally differed substantially from federal recommendations. AAP and HHS have been at odds for months, and tensions reached a head when Kennedy dismissed all the members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and replaced them with his own handpicked representatives, including some outright vaccine skeptics. AAP's recommendation 'differs from recent recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the CDC, which was overhauled this year and replaced with individuals who have a history of spreading vaccine misinformation,' the group said in a statement. AAP chose not to participate in the reconstituted panel's first meeting in June, calling it 'illegitimate.' Kennedy later excluded AAP along with other top medical organizations from working with the panel to research and help influence vaccination recommendations. For decades, ACIP recommended which shots Americans should get and when. The Affordable Care Act requires all insurance companies to cover, for free, the vaccines recommended by the panel. Those recommendations also help states decide which shots should be mandated for schoolchildren. The panel has yet to vote on COVID-19 shot recommendations. Kennedy's shake-up is throwing that system into chaos. Outside physician and public health groups have been pressuring insurance companies to continue covering vaccines, no matter what ACIP does. 'The AAP urges every insurer to cover all the vaccines that are included in this immunization schedule,' Kressly said in the statement. 'AAP is committed to working with our partners at the local, state and federal levels to make sure every child, in every community has access to vaccines.'
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Grand Forks Rep. Emily O'Brien resigns her legislative spot to take job with state Health and Human Services
Aug. 19—GRAND FORKS — Emily O'Brien, who has represented Grand Forks in the Legislature since 2017, has resigned her seat in District 42 to take a job with the state Department of Health and Human Services. O'Brien will start her new position as the HHS deputy commissioner on Wednesday. Serving in the Legislature has "definitely had its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, the public service piece I provided to the state, I'm grateful and humbled for all the work that goes into it, whether it's for the citizens you serve or those who serve in the public sector," O'Brien told the Grand Forks Herald. In a letter she sent Monday evening to House Majority Leader Mike Lefor, R-Dickinson, and John Bjornson, director of the North Dakota Legislative Council, she said serving in the Legislature has been among her greatest honors. "I want to sincerely thank you and my colleagues for the opportunity to work alongside such dedicated public servants. I am especially grateful to the Legislative Council staff for their tireless support, expertise, and professionalism in helping legislators serve our constituents effectively," she wrote in the letter. "The collaborative spirit between the Legislature and the Department of Health and Human Services has always been a point of pride, and I look forward to continuing and strengthening that partnership in my new role." The resignation from the House is effective Wednesday. O'Brien first came into the Legislature in 2017 after earning a win in the November 2016 general election. In the years since, she won reelection campaigns in 2020 and 2024. At present, her standing committee assignments are Appropriations and Appropriations-Human Resources Division. That connection — serving on the HR section of Appropriations — led her to have an interest in the HHS position, she said. "There are a lot of great things that we're doing and some areas we can improve," she told the Herald in a telephone interview. "How do we streamline? How do we make it the most efficient way possible and ensure timely communication between local entities and state entities?" She knows of people who use HHR services, and that has made her realize that "it's important to keep moving the needle and improving the processes. I love being a part of a team and an environment that wants to do that." Behind Republican Rep. Mark Sanford, whose first session was 2011, O'Brien is tied as the second-longest-serving Grand Forks lawmaker with Republican Sen. Scott Meyer. Her online campaign biography notes she is a Lakeville, Minnesota, native, as well as a UND graduate with a degree in entrepreneurship. In the past, she has been the chief operating officer of the Bioscience Association of North Dakota. She has served on the board of directors for The Chamber of Grand Forks-East Grand Forks, the North Dakota Women's Business Center, and the LISTEN Center. "Emily is a hard worker. She'll be missed in the House Appropriations Committee, specifically dealing with the Health and Human Services budget, which is the biggest budget in the state," Meyer, R-Grand Forks, said. "She is one who really dug into it and devoted a lot of time to the budgets ... to get the inside scoop on everything. We'll miss that. She really worked hard." Of her time in the House, O'Brien said "you learn to appreciate and go into things with an open mind. I definitely learned a lot and I'm just grateful for the opportunity and hopefully get to continue that." O'Brien plans to move to Bismarck, which leaves open her seat in District 42. She did not immediately know the process to fill the seat. A call by the Herald to the District 42 Republican Party was not returned. In 2019, District 42 Rep. Jake Blum, R-Grand Forks, resigned his seat when he moved to the Twin Cities. His position was filled in the short term by an interim member until the next election opportunity. Since North Dakota's Legislature only meets every other year — and most recently met earlier this year — it means O'Brien's replacement will not be in an actual session until 2027. District 42 generally includes far western Grand Forks, on the west side of I-29, along with a strip of land that reaches to Grand Forks Air Force Base. It also includes an area that juts eastward into Grand Forks, between DeMers Avenue and Gateway Drive. Tuesday morning, O'Brien's hiring by the HHS was announced. "We are thrilled to welcome Emily as our new deputy," interim Commissioner Pat Traynor said in a statement sent to the media. "She brings a proven track record of leadership, deep experience in public service, and a strong commitment to using data to guide decisions. With Emily's expertise and vision, we are confident our agency will continue advancing health and well-being for the people we serve." The release said that as deputy commissioner, "O'Brien will focus on aligning HHS programs and services with the agency's strategic vision for North Dakota to be the healthiest state in the nation." Solve the daily Crossword
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
Top Scientist Issues Stark mRNA Vaccine Warning to U.S.
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. Rick Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has warned that Department of Health and Human Services' decision to cut funding for mRNA vaccine development could threaten American national security. "BARDA wasn't the only government agency making early investments in mRNA research," Bright wrote in an opinion piece for The New York Times. "The Department of Defense and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency had already recognized mRNA's potential for swift action against emerging biological threats, including those that might be weaponized." It comes after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the termination of 22 mRNA development investments and the reallocation of roughly $500 million at the beginning of this month. Why it Matters Bright said the mRNA platform had been central to the fast response to COVID-19 and that abandoning the technology would undermine the nation's ability to respond quickly to future biological threats. Multiple scientists and doctors have spoken out against this decision, including infectious diseases expert Dr. Thomas A. Russo, who told Newsweek that mRNA vaccines "will be critical when the next, inevitable infectious diseases crisis rears its ugly head." What To Know On August 5, the HHS confirmed it would cancel $500 million in mRNA vaccine development contracts, impacting research teams and proposals—including those from Emory University, Tiba Biotech, Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur and others. The projects reportedly targeted respiratory viruses including seasonal influenza, COVID-19, RSV and H5N1 and included work by major industry and academic teams. Secretary Kennedy argued that the data showed mRNA vaccines had not met expectations for preventing upper respiratory infections and that HHS would shift funding toward other vaccine platforms. But Bright praised mRNA technology, saying that the "unprecedented speed" with which a COVID-19 vaccine was developed in 2020 "was possible only because years earlier, the United States had invested" in it. "This decision undercuts one of the most significant medical advances in decades, technology that could protect millions more people from the threats ahead," Bright said. "I know the stakes because I was BARDA's director when the United States made the decision to invest heavily in mRNA," he said. "That investment did not begin with Covid-19. It began in 2016, when we faced the Zika virus outbreak." "We needed a way to design a vaccine in days, not years, to protect pregnant women and their babies from devastating birth defects. Older vaccine approaches were too slow," Bright continued. "The solution was mRNA: a flexible, rapid-response technology that could be reprogrammed for any virus once its genetic sequence was known. That early investment laid the groundwork for the lightning-fast Covid-19 response four years later." Kennedy said in a post on X the time: "We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted. BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu," Kennedy said in a post on X. "We're shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate." Newsweek has contacted the HHS, via online inquiry form, for a response to Bright's comments. File photo of an employee of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) preparing the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 for vaccination in a vaccination center, taken in Bavaria, Germany, in January 2021. File photo of an employee of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) preparing the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 for vaccination in a vaccination center, taken in Bavaria, Germany, in January 2021. AP What People Are Saying Former BARDA director Rick Bright said in his NYT op-ed: "Like every technology, mRNA has limitations. Vaccines meant to protect against respiratory infections, whether developed through mRNA or older technologies, are generally better at averting severe disease than preventing infection. It is a scientific challenge we can address with next-generation vaccines. The answer to limitations is improvement, not abandonment. "Political narratives about mRNA have fueled confusion, which leads to mistrust, yet the scientific evidence consistently shows that this technology is safe and effective and holds enormous potential for future vaccines and treatments." Children's Health Defense, an anti-vax nonprofit founded by Kennedy Jr. which focuses on childhood health epidemics, said in a post on X: "CHD applauds this most recent announcement to defund 22 mRNA vaccine projects under BARDA. While we believe that the mRNA shots on the market are unsafe and should be off the market, this is a welcome step in the right direction. The pandemic preparedness industry as it exists today is a threat to human welfare." What Happens Next HHS said it would shift funding toward other vaccine platforms but did not provide detailed timelines or specify which programs would receive redirected support. Scientific organizations, industry groups and public-health leaders said they would assess the impact and consider next steps, while some public-health advocates announced initiatives to defend vaccine science and provide public information.
