Latest news with #RobertFKennedy
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Canada wants to kill 400 ostriches. Sadly, it's the right thing to do
On Dec. 31 of last year, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency declared an H5N1 outbreak at Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C. CFIA had been tipped that some ostriches at the farm had died, so sent investigators out to see what was going on. Indeed, 69 of the bird met their death from the avian flu, which set in motion decisions that continue to reverberate. When it comes to battling this disease, Canada follows guidelines set out by the World Organization for Animal Health. That policy insists that if birds or animals have been infected with the virus and have been part of a larger flock or group, then the most effective way of stamping out the disease and preventing it from spreading elsewhere, including to humans, is to eliminate them all. And in January of this year, that is what CFIA ordered take place – meaning 400 ostriches on the Edgewood farm were effectively placed on death row. They were scheduled to be destroyed by Feb. 1. Earlier this month, a Federal Court judge denied two judicial reviews brought by the farm against the CFIA directive. The farm owners have appealed again. They have received support in their battle from animal-rights activists, Indigenous leaders and some politicians. Some truly big names have also jumped to their defence. B.C. ostrich cull to go ahead despite RFK Jr. intervention Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, has become involved. In a call with CFIA president Paul MacKinnon this month, Mr. Kennedy urged Canada to halt the cull in the name of science. He argues there is much to learn from the immune response of the ostriches that survived the flu outbreak. If that wasn't enough, former Oprah Winfrey health expert and now administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz, has jumped into the fray, offering to relocate the birds to his ranch in Florida. The Universal owners have said they want to keep the birds in Canada. So, does CFIA have its head in the sand or what? From a purely scientific standpoint, I would say no. Avian flu is a potentially lethal virus. In November of last year, the B.C. Ministry of Health reported its first case of bird flu in a human – a teenager who fell dangerously ill but eventually recovered. But the risk it poses to the human population is real and deadly serious. Then there is the threat it poses to Canadian farmers, including the $6.8-billion domestic poultry industry. The federal government reports that 14.5 million birds on more than 500 farms have been affected by the H5N1 virus since 2022, including more than 8.7 million in B.C. This includes birds that have died from the virus or have been 'depopulated' – in other words, euthanized - by CFIA. The virus has also spread to cattle and other animals in North America, although in far fewer numbers. While I'm admittedly not an expert on pathogenic avian-influenza viruses, it seems to me that allowing a domestic poultry flock known to have been exposed to the H5N1 virus to subsist and therefore potentially allow the disease to persist, mutate and spread, would be a mistake. With 8.7 million birds dead, B.C. farmers assess avian flu toll and worry about the future The U.S. hasn't always been consistent in using this 'stamp out' approach. It paid the price late last year when avian flu infected poultry farms, resulting in the deaths of millions of birds and causing the price of eggs to spike. Canada did not see the same escalation in egg costs because we protected our flocks through culling. Of course, Canada's policy is not a cure-all. If it was, it would have stopped the spread of the disease already. But it's arguably the best method of preventing the virus from causing greater harm. It also offers the best hope of a farm returning to disease-free status and protecting Canada's export markets in the process. Mr. Kennedy's brainstorm is to just let the disease run its course and let the feathers fall where they may. I don't want to underestimate the psychological, emotional and financial toll this situation has taken on the owners of Universal Ostrich Farms. The idea of watching 400 of their ostriches killed through yet-to-determined means would be gut-wrenching, and the $3,000 per bird the government offers in compensation would hardly seem sufficient. If Dr. Oz is willing to take the birds to his ranch, and they can be shipped safely, that would seem to be a better option than putting the birds to death. But otherwise, granting a stay of execution based purely on emotional grounds would set a terrible precedent, pose a danger to the country and would likely lead to worse decisions on this front down the road.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US cancels over $700 mln funding for Moderna bird flu vaccine
STORY: Bird flu is spreading through U.S. poultry flocks and cattle herds. It's infected 70 people in the country over the past year, mostly farm workers. But drug maker Moderna says the Trump administration has cancelled funding for development of a vaccine. The firm was originally awarded $590 million by the Biden administration to advance work on the treatment. That was on top of an earlier $176 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Now Moderna says the funding has been withdrawn. An HHS spokesperson said a review showed the project did not meet standards required for federal investment. But a medical expert at Johns Hopkins University said the government was discarding what could have been an effective and fast tool to combat the disease. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has questioned the use of vaccines. He drew criticism earlier in the year after suggesting poultry farmers should let bird flu spread, to allow the study of chickens that stayed immune. Moderna now says it will seek alternative ways to develop and manufacture the vaccine. It has been banking on revenue from new shots to make up for waning post-pandemic demand for its COVID inoculations. Bird flu has also been detected in other countries, including Brazil - the world's top exporter of chickens. This week, officials there said they were investigating a possible new case on a commercial farm. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
CBS News
6 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Health experts fear potential public health impacts from RFK Jr. halting COVID vaccine recommendations for kids, pregnant women
Health experts are raising concerns about the potential public health impacts after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is rolling back COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for kids and pregnant women. Just one week after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced they are limiting access to who can get the COVID-19 vaccine, Kennedy said he would remove the CDC's recommendation for healthy children and healthy pregnant women to get vaccinated. Kennedy called the latest move common sense and good science, but some health experts said the restrictions could have some significant public health impacts. "I couldn't be more pleased to announce that as of today the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule," Kennedy announced in a video posted on X. But experts said the latest policy will create a barrier between those who are not in these pre-specified groups and insurance companies, possibly deterring insurance providers from wanting to pay for something that is not required by the FDA or CDC. "The one issue that comes up is whether or not all the insurance companies will pay for the vaccine based on these very incorrect guidelines that RFK Jr. released," said Dr. Tina Tan, professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, and a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Lurie Children's Hospital. While most insurance companies said they are still covering COVID-19 vaccines as preventive care, health experts said they're concerned about how the new change will impact healthy children and pregnant women. "From a physician perspective, yes, pediatricians should definitely still continue to recommended COVID-19 vaccines to all their patients," Tan said. Many doctors in the Chicago area are concerned the decision to roll back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant women did not go through the right process within the CDC, and fear the negative impacts it could have on public health. "We were assured during the kind of confirmation hearings for the HHS director that vaccines would not be taken away from people, and that's essentially what this is doing," University of Illinois Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Katrine Wallace said. "HHS has made this recommendation, and it's not clear if that's a CDC recommendation or if that's an HHS recommendation. They seem to be taking it off the official list, but I don't know under what authority they actually did that," said Dr. Emily Landon, an infectious disease expert at University of Chicago Medicine. "All of the countries that have COVID vaccines recommend that pregnant women get the COVID vaccine in order to pass that protection onto newborns." Last week, the FDA said it would continue approving COVID-19 vaccine updates for seniors and people with an underlying medical condition, including pregnancy and diabetes, but would require vaccine makers to conduct major new clinical trials before approving them for wider use. The decision means many Americans without underlying conditions might not have access to updated shots this fall. University of Illinois Chicago epidemiologist Dr. Katrine Wallace said it's more difficult to assess risk factors for children than it is for adults. "In fact, the CDC has presented data that, of children that are hospitalized for COVID-19, about 50% of those kids had no underlying condition putting them at risk for that hospitalization. So vaccination becomes important, because it's not easy to risk profile children like it is with adults," she said. Wallace said, during the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season, more than 300,000 people were hospitalized for COVID-19, and more than 30,000 people died from COVID-19. She said the latest data shows COVID-19 is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., and is among the top 10 causes of death in children. As far as Chicago Public Schools are concerned, for the current school year, the COVID-19 vaccine is only recommended and not required for students. District officials said the COVID-19 vaccine will remain a part of the federal and state vaccines for children program, despite the clinical eligibility guidelines that have recently changed. If the Illinois Department of Public Health updates its guidelines, CPS will follow suit.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Covid vaccine no longer recommended for children and pregnant women in US
The Covid-19 vaccine is no longer recommended for children and pregnant women in the US, Robert F Kennedy Jr has announced. On Tuesday, Donald Trump's health secretary said the vaccines have been removed from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) recommended jabs for these groups. 'I couldn't be more pleased to announce that as of today, the Covid vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunisation schedule,' Mr Kennedy said in a video shared to X. It is the latest effort by Mr Kennedy, a vaccine sceptic, to reform the department of health to align with his Make America Healthy Again (Maha) agenda. Today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from @CDCgov recommended immunization schedule. Bottom line: it's common sense and it's good science. We are now one step closer to realizing @POTUS 's promise to Make America Healthy Again. — Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) May 27, 2025 Under current guidance, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark and Switzerland all recommend annual Covid jabs for those aged 65 or older, and those at high risk. UK researchers at the University of Huddersfield have published a study showing that Covid vaccines for young children are 'not essential'. The World Health Organisation only recommends the Covid jab for children who have comorbidities. The CDC previously recommended updated Covid vaccines for everyone aged six months and older. Studies with hundreds of thousands of people around the world show that being vaccinated for Covid-19 before and during pregnancy is safe, effective, and beneficial to both the pregnant woman and the baby, according to the CDC's website. Pregnant women are deemed to be at high risk from Covid, while young children face a similar risk of hospitalisation to older adults, paediatricians told The New York Times. 'Time to move forward' However, Marty Makary, the US food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, said in the video that there was no evidence that healthy children need routine Covid shots. Most countries have stopped recommending it for children, he added. In the UK, children under the age of 12 are eligible for the jab, but it is only recommended for children with a weakened immune system. 'With the Covid-19 pandemic behind us, it is time to move forward,' the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. The decision has faced backlash from medical professionals, with one doctor saying the edict could put pregnant women in danger. 'With Covid still circulating, pregnant women and their babies who are born too young to be vaccinated are going to be at risk for Covid and for the severe complications,' Dr Jamieson told The New York Times. Kennedy at odds with FDA officials The announcement goes beyond the recommendations of CDC advisers, who had been planning to include pregnant women as among those who remain eligible for Covid-19 jabs, according to CBS. The move also puts Mr Kennedy at odds with officials at the FDA, who recently said pregnancy warranted continued eligibility for the vaccine. The FDA last week laid out plans to require new clinical trials to approve annual Covid-19 booster jabs for those under 65, effectively limiting the shots to older adults and those at risk of developing severe illness. Mr Kennedy has long campaigned against giving children the Covid-19 vaccine and previously threatened to sue the FDA over the issue. Despite promising not to alter the childhood vaccine schedule in his confirmation hearing, Mr Kennedy has since said that 'nothing is off limits'. Upon taking over leadership of US health policy, he pledged to set up a strategy around children's health within six months of taking over to investigate 'formerly taboo' issues, including childhood vaccinations.
Arab News
6 days ago
- Health
- Arab News
Argentina ratifies WHO withdrawal during US health chief's visit
BUENOS AIRES: Argentina has ratified its decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) and reaffirmed its collaboration with Washington, during a visit to Buenos Aires by US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. The decision to pull out of the WHO was initially announced in February by Argentina's President Javier Milei, following in the footsteps of his US counterpart Donald Trump who had said in January the United States would withdraw. Milei's government justified its departure from the UN agency in a statement Monday. 'The WHO's prescriptions do not work because they are not based on science but on political interests and bureaucratic structures that refuse to review their own mistakes,' the statement said. Buenos Aires has previously accused the agency of 'disastrous' management during the Covid pandemic with its 'caveman quarantine.' The announcement came as Kennedy and Argentine Health Minister Mario Lugones met to define 'a joint work agenda that will strengthen transparency and trust in the health system.' 'Together with Robert Kennedy, we believe in the future of collaboration in global health. We have similar visions about the path forward,' Lugones said. Kennedy, a controversial Trump pick for health secretary given his vaccine skepticism, is also expected to meet with Milei during his visit. In a video broadcast at the WHO's annual assembly last week, he urged other governments to withdraw from the agency and create other institutions. In his speech, Kennedy alleged that the UN health agency was under undue influence from China, gender ideology, and the pharmaceutical industry. The Argentine government also announced a 'structural review' of national health agencies to 'organize, update, and make transparent the structures and processes' of the health system 'that for years operated with overlaps, outdated regulations, and limited oversight.'
