Latest news with #DepartmentofHealthandHumanService
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Health
- Toronto Star
RFK Jr.‘s reasons for cutting mRNA vaccine not supported by evidence
Although mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. incorrectly argued they are ineffective to justify the Department of Health and Human Service's recent decision to cancel $500 million in government-funded research projects to develop new vaccines using the technology. The longtime vaccine critic said in an X video posted Tuesday evening that mRNA vaccines do not adequately prevent upper respiratory infections such as COVID-19 and the flu, advocating instead for the development vaccines that use other processes.
Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Health
- Toronto Star
FACT FOCUS: RFK Jr.‘s reasons for cutting mRNA vaccine not supported by evidence
Although mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. incorrectly argued they are ineffective to justify the Department of Health and Human Service's recent decision to cancel $500 million in government-funded research projects to develop new vaccines using the technology. The longtime vaccine critic said in an X video posted Tuesday evening that mRNA vaccines do not adequately prevent upper respiratory infections such as COVID-19 and the flu, advocating instead for the development vaccines that use other processes.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
FACT FOCUS: RFK Jr.'s reasons for cutting mRNA vaccine not supported by evidence
Although mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. incorrectly argued they are ineffective to justify the Department of Health and Human Service's recent decision to cancel $500 million in government-funded research projects to develop new vaccines using the technology. The longtime vaccine critic said in an X video posted Tuesday evening that mRNA vaccines do not adequately prevent upper respiratory infections such as COVID-19 and the flu, advocating instead for the development vaccines that use other processes. COVID-19 is the only virus for which real-world data on mRNA vaccine effectiveness is currently available, as mRNA vaccines for other diseases, including the flu, are still under development. The two scientists whose discoveries enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 won a Nobel Prize in 2023 for their work. Kennedy's claim ignores how mRNA vaccines work, according to experts. They prevent against severe infection and death, but cannot completely prevent an infection from occurring in the first place. Plus, years of research supports the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines that use mRNA technology. Here's a closer look at the facts. KENNEDY: 'As the pandemic showed us, mRNA vaccines don't perform well against viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract.' THE FACTS: His claim is contradicted by scientific evidence. Countless studies show that vaccinated individuals fare far better against COVID-19 infections than those who are unvaccinated, while others have estimated that COVID-19 vaccines prevented millions of deaths during the global pandemic. The mRNA vaccines do not prevent respiratory diseases entirely, experts say. Rather, they can prevent more serious illness that leads to complications and death. For example, an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 may prevent an infection in the upper respiratory tract that feels like a bad cold from spreading to the lower respiratory tract, where it could affect one's ability to breathe. 'A vaccine cannot block a respiratory infection,' said Dr. Jake Scott, an infectious diseases physician and clinical associate professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. 'That's never been the standard for a respiratory virus vaccine. And it's never been the expectation, and it's never been that realistic.' He called Kennedy's claim 'misguided.' Jeff Coller, a professor of RNA biology and therapeutics at Johns Hopkins University, had a similar outlook. 'Vaccinations don't have to be neutralizing, meaning that you're not going to get COVID,' he said. 'But the important part of a vaccination is that they reduce hospitalization and death. And a reduction in hospitalization and death is proof of an effective vaccine.' Vaccines have traditionally required growing viruses or pieces of viruses called proteins and then purifying them. Then a small dose of the vaccine is injected to train the body how to recognize when a real infection hits so it's ready to fight back. But this method takes a long time. The mRNA technology speeds up the process and allows existing vaccines to be updated more quickly. The 'm' in mRNA stands for messenger because the vaccine carries instructions for our bodies to make proteins. Scientists figured out how to harness that natural process for vaccines by making mRNA in a lab. They take a snippet of the genetic code that carries instructions for making the protein they want the vaccine to target. Injecting that snippet instructs the body to become its own mini-vaccine factory, making enough copies of the protein for the immune system to recognize and react. Scott explained that mRNA vaccines are not a 'magic force field' that the immune system can use to block an infection, as it can't detect whether a virus is nearby. It can only respond to a virus that has already entered the body. In the case of COVID-19, this means that the virus could cause an upper respiratory tract infection — a cold, essentially — but would be significantly less likely to cause more severe consequences elsewhere. Myriad studies on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines have been published since they first became available in late 2020. Although protection does wane over time, they provide the strongest barrier against severe infection and death. For example, a 2024 study by the World Health Organization found COVID-19 vaccines reduced deaths in the WHO's European region by at least 57%, saving more than 1.4 million lives since their introduction in December 2020. A 2022 study published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases found that nearly 20 million lives were saved by COVID-19 vaccines during their first year. Researchers used data from 185 countries to estimate that vaccines prevented 4.2 million COVID-19 deaths in India, 1.9 million in the United States, 1 million in Brazil, 631,000 in France and 507,000 in the United Kingdom. The main finding — that 19.8 million COVID-19 deaths were prevented — is based on estimates of how many more deaths than usual occurred during the time period. Using only reported COVID-19 deaths, the same model yielded 14.4 million deaths averted by vaccines. Another 2022 study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, reported that two mRNA vaccines were more than 90% effective against COVID-19. Operation Warp Speed, the federal effort to facilitate the development and distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine, began under the first Trump administration. 'What I don't understand is why is President Trump is allowing RFK Jr. to undermine his legacy that led to a medical intervention that literally saved millions of lives?' Coller said. 'Why is Trump allowing RFK to undermine U.S. leadership in biomedical research and drug development?' ___ Find AP Fact Checks here:
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
HHS cancels funding for bird flu vaccine development because of RNA concerns
The Department of Health and Human Service is pulling millions of dollars in funding for a human bird flu vaccine developed by Covid vaccine-maker Moderna. Before President Donald Trump took office for his second term, the Biden administration had awarded $766 million to the Massachusetts-based drugmaker. They invested $176 million last summer, and tacked on another $590 million in January. "While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we are pleased by the robust immune response and safety profile observed in this interim analysis of the Phase 1/2 study of our H5 avian flu vaccine and we will explore alternative paths forward for the program," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement. "These clinical data in pandemic influenza underscore the critical role mRNA technology has played as a countermeasure to emerging health threats." HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon assured The Independent that the decision was made after a 'rigorous review.' 'This is not simply about efficacy — it's about safety, integrity, and trust,' he said. 'The reality is that mRNA technology remains under-tested, and we are not going to spend taxpayer dollars repeating the mistakes of the last administration, which concealed legitimate safety concerns from the public.' Nixon also said that the move signals a 'shift in federal vaccine funding priorities with better-established safety profiles and transparent data.' The department said Moderna's project does not meet the scientific standards or safety expectations required for continued federal investment, and that the decision reflects broader concerns about mRNA use. It noted that there are three other avian flu contracts under the National Prepandemic Influenza Vaccine Stockpile program. Researchers have been studying and working with mRNA vaccines for decades, for flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccines work by using mRNA, a type of RNA, that is created in a laboratory to teach our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. The news comes amid the continued and pervasive spread of H5N1 bird flu, which has killed millions of birds, mammals, and other animals across the U.S. in recent years. In response to infections that resulted in a nationwide egg shortage, the Trump administration's Department of Agriculture included vaccine investments in its $1 billion-dollar plan, allocating up to $100 million for research in that area. 'USDA will be hyper-focused on a targeted and thoughtful strategy for potential new generation vaccines, therapeutics, and other innovative solutions to minimize depopulation of egg laying chickens along with increased bio-surveillance and other innovative solutions targeted at egg laying chickens in and around outbreaks,' it said. Of course, that proposal came before vaccine-skeptic and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., made his own: mass infections. Experts said that was a bad idea. Since then, however, reports of new human cases have stopped. That's been puzzling to experts. To date, 70 people have been infected, most of whom are farm workers. 'We just don't know why there haven't been cases,' Jennifer Nuzzo, director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University, told NPR. 'I think we should assume there are infections that are occurring in farmworkers that just aren't being detected.' It may also be tied to seasonality, with cases peaking in the fall and winter as bird migrate. So, the need for a vaccine for humans, such as Moderna's mRNA-108, likely remains. The administration's decision comes as Moderna announced positive interim results from an early-stage trial of the vaccine. "What we learned clearly during the last influenza pandemic is there are only a few companies in the world that make flu vaccines, which means in a pandemic there won't be enough to go around,' Nuzzo said, reacting to the news. 'If the U.S. wants to make sure it can get enough vaccines for every American who wants them during a pandemic, it should invest in multiple types of vaccines instead of putting all of our eggs in one basket." With reporting from The Associated Press
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Notorious vaccine skeptic RFK Jr finally urges people to get measles jab after deadly outbreak
Longtime vaccine skeptic Robert F Kennedy Jr has urged people to get the measles jab after a deadly outbreak in Texas – having initially downplayed the rapid spread of the infectious disease. Writing in a Fox News op-ed Sunday, the freshly-confirmed Department of Health and Human Service secretary championed the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, touting its efficacy against the deadly virus. 'Measles outbreak is call to action for all of us,' reads the title, with the standfirst stating: 'MMR vaccine is crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease.' In the article's opening line, RFK Jr stated he is 'deeply concerned about the recent measles outbreak.' He reflected on the days before the first measles vaccine was licensed for public use in the U.S. in 1963. 'Prior to the introduction of the (MMR) vaccine in the 1960s, virtually every child in the United States contracted measles,' RFK Jr citing that from 1953 to 1962, there were an average of 530,217 confirmed cases and 440 deaths – a one in 1,205 cases fatality rate. The Kennedy scion said that it is the government's responsibility to ensure that accurate information is relayed about vaccine safety and efficacy, and pledged to 'make vaccines readily accessible for all those who want them.' He added: 'Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons. RFK Jr did, however, emphasize that the decision to vaccinate is 'a personal one.' According to the latest figures from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services released Friday, 146 measles cases have been identified since late January – a majority of whom appear to be unvaccinated. An unvaccinated school-age child in Lubbock marked the first death from the highly contagious virus last week and twenty other people have been hospitalized. After the death Wednesday, the nation's top health official appeared to downplay the situation in Texas and described the outbreak as 'not unusual.' 'There have been four measles outbreaks this year in this country. Last year there were 16. So it's not unusual," he said during Donald Trump's first cabinet meeting. 'We have measles outbreaks every year.' RFK Jr's latest remarks appear to mark a U-turn from his previous peddling of vaccine skepticism and conspiracy theories, including his promotion of the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Along with his comments about vaccines and autism, the HHS secretary has made other historic inflammatory remarks, including suggesting in January 2022 that Anne Frank was in a better situation when she hid from Nazis than Americans were under Covid-19 mandates. He also baselessly claimed that Covid-19 was a 'bioweapon' that targets 'Caucasians and Black people' while sparing Ashkenazi Jewish and Chinese people. Spreading Covid-19 misinformation resulted in Meta deactivating his Instagram account in 2021. During his Senate confirmation hearings last month, he attempted to clean up his previous remarks and insisted he is not anti-vaccine, but 'pro-safety.' RFK Jr denied Oregon Senator Ron Wyden's accusations that he 'embraced conspiracy theories, quacks, charlatans, especially when it comes to the safety and efficacy of vaccines,' and noted his own children are vaccinated. Vaccine hesitancy was already a concern before the Covid-19 pandemic and worsened during the vaccination campaigns, experts told the Washington Post. According to a survey from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center last June, nearly one in four respondents believed that the MMR vaccine caused autism. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said there is no evidence linking the measles vaccine and autism. In August 2024, the findings from an Annenberg Science and Public Health survey suggested that more than a quarter of Americans believe that Covid-19 vaccines have caused thousands of deaths.
