Latest news with #U.S.CDC
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Exclusive-CDC expert resigns from COVID vaccines advisory role, sources say
By Julie Steenhuysen, Michael Erman and Dan Levine (Reuters) -Pediatric infectious disease expert Dr. Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos of the U.S. CDC resigned on Tuesday as co-leader of a working group that advises outside experts on COVID-19 vaccines and is leaving the agency, two sources familiar with the move told Reuters. Panagiotakopoulos said in an email to work group colleagues that her decision to step down was based on the belief she is "no longer able to help the most vulnerable members" of the U.S. population. In her role at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's working group of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, she co-led the gathering of information on topics for presentation. Her resignation comes one week after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-time vaccine skeptic who oversees the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, said the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women had been removed from the CDC's recommended immunization schedule. The move was a departure from the process in which ACIP experts meet and vote on changes to the immunization schedule or recommendations on who should get vaccines before the agency's director made a final call. The committee had not voted on the changes announced by Kennedy and the CDC does not yet have a permanent director. Two days after Kennedy's announcement, the CDC published a vaccine schedule online saying that COVID-19 vaccines remain an option for healthy children aged 6 months to 17 years when parents and doctors agree that it is needed. It had previously recommended updated COVID vaccines foreveryone aged six months and older, following the guidance ofthe panel of outside experts. Two sources said Panagiotakopoulos did not include a specific reason for her departure. Panagiotakopoulos did not return requests for comment. "Unfortunately for me, this is a personal decision," Panagiotakopoulos wrote in an email to members of the working group that was read to Reuters by a source who received it. "My career in public health and vaccinology started with a deep-seated desire to help the most vulnerable members of our population, and that is not something I am able to continue doing in this role." The committee is scheduled to meet on June 25-27 and is expected to deliberate and vote on recommendations for use of COVID-19 vaccines, according to one of the sources who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Biden Tries to Put MAGA Claims of a Cancer ‘Cover-Up' to Bed
President Joe Biden has responded to rampant speculation about a 'cover-up' of the true state of his health. Biden's office said Tuesday that his last known test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was in 2014. The blood test is used to screen for prostate cancer, which the 82-year-old former president was diagnosed with last week. 'Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer,' a statement by his office read. Biden's team said Sunday that he was diagnosed with a 'more aggressive form' of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. His tumor was 'characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5),' meaning that it ranked highly on the grading system for prostate cancer. Many of President Donald Trump's allies and supporters jumped on the news with wild claims that Biden and the Democratic Party had long been aware of the cancer diagnosis, but decided to cover it up to remain in power or evade pressing questions about his health. President Donald Trump boosted those conspiracies on Monday by urging people to 'try and find out what happened… Somebody is not telling the facts. That's a big problem.' But the revelation that Biden's last PSA test was 11 years ago, when he was just over 70 years old, aligns with longstanding medical guidelines about testing for prostate cancer. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts, 'recommends against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer in men 70 years and older.' 'Older men are more likely to have false positive test results,' the U.S. CDC says, adding that 'screening finds prostate cancer in some men who would never have had symptoms from their cancer in their lifetime.' The Harvard Medical School advises men over 70 to get a PSA test only if they're willing to get a prostate biopsy and undergo treatment immediately if the biopsy reveals cancer cells. 'If a man older than 70 answers 'yes' to both questions, is otherwise in good health and has a life expectancy of at least 10 years, getting a PSA test might be a reasonable choice,' it said. Yet some conservatives remained unconvinced by the latest statement from Biden's office. Nick Sortor, a right-wing influencer, called it 'absolute bulls–t.' 'SUBPOENA BIDEN'S DOCTOR!' he wrote on X. Republican Congressman Ronny Jackson, a former Trump physician, said it was 'unbelievable' that Biden's last PSA test was in 2014. 'Dr. Kevin O'Connor was his doctor the entire time,' he said. 'MALPRACTICE!!!' RedWave Press, a popular X account for 'conservative-based news,' wrote: 'I find this hard to believe.'
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dr. Nirav Shah, former Maine CDC director, taking post at Colby College
Mar. 13—Dr. Nirav Shah, Maine's former CDC director and a top federal health official during the Biden administration, is returning to Maine to launch a public health education program at Colby College. Shah, 48, became a mini-celebrity in Maine during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was often on television and online explaining the coronavirus to the public and answering journalists' questions. Chocolate bars were named after him, coffee mugs were inscribed with the words "In Dr. Shah We Trust," and he enjoyed a large online fan club. Shah left Maine in 2023 after being tapped by the Biden administration to become principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Shah, in an interview with the Press Herald on Tuesday, said it was always his intention to return to Maine, as he and his wife kept their home in Brunswick to return to once his federal stint was over. "It was a tremendous opportunity," Shah said of the U.S. CDC job, where among other duties, he focused on the federal response to the bird flu. "It was an opportunity to help the CDC think about the big picture and develop a long-term strategy." Shah said he's excited to help stand up an undergraduate public health program at Colby College in Waterville, where he will be a visiting professor. "I will be leading an effort to create a public health undergraduate program, and help shape the future of public health training," Shah said. "Interest in public health is as high as it's ever been, especially among young people." David Greene, Colby College president, said in a written statement that Shah is a "natural teacher." "He has an extraordinary capacity to synthesize and communicate complex issues. And that he does so with humor, compassion, and a clear commitment to bettering the lives of others is all the more remarkable," Greene said. Shah helped during the transition from the Biden to the Trump administration, but his last day on the job was Feb. 28. Shah said he is not discussing what led to his departure at this time — other than changing administrations — or his thoughts on the Trump administration's approach to public health. Shah said he may at a later time make public comments about the Trump administration. Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who has made many false claims about vaccines, to oversee the U.S. CDC as health and human services secretary. Kennedy, in a Fox News interview this week, falsely claimed that the measles vaccine can cause the measles. This story will be updated. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Federal CDC worker in Maine laid off by Trump administration
Feb. 21—Hannah Reidel received the email at 5:30 p.m. last Saturday — she was one of thousands being fired by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the Trump administration. Reidel, 24, moved from Seattle to Maine in 2023 to take a job with the U.S. CDC, embedded in the Portland Public Health Division. "I wasn't surprised, but I was frustrated," said Reidel, who said she was given one month of paid leave. "There's a lot of chaos and confusion with my program and at the CDC." Reidel worked as a public health adviser for the CDC's Public Health Associates program, which brings in federal workers to assist local health departments. She helped a team of two working on Portland's emergency preparedness. She said they do a lot of behind-the-scenes work to prepare communities for emergencies like natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks. They are the staffers who make sure needed items are available — like vaccines and medicine — and educate the public on how to be prepared. "This work is so important," Reidel said. "We do a lot of groundwork, but if it doesn't get done, it's only going to be noticeable when it's too late." Reidel said beyond her job and that of her colleagues in the Public Health Associates program, the work that the CDC does for public health is essential, and she's distressed to see it cut back. "We are now dismantling more and more of our public health system," Reidel said. While thousands of federal health workers have been fired this month, it's unclear how many worked in Maine. Reidel and Scott Gagnon, the former New England regional director for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, have come forward publicly to say they've lost their jobs. Both have said they are unaware whether other federal health workers have been fired in Maine. Reidel said she believes she was the only person hired with the Public Health Associates program in the state. Others, including Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, have also said that they have so far been kept in the dark by the Trump administration on exactly what has been cut. In addition to Reidel and Gagnon, eight Acadia National Park workers were let go last week, representing 10% of the park's year-round workforce. About 10,000 federal workers so far have been fired, according to national news sources, but the scale of the cutbacks is likely to expand. Reidel, who lives in Portland, said she's not sure what her next steps will be. She, like many others, was issued a form email that said she was getting fired for performance-related reasons, even though she received an "outstanding" job evaluation from her boss. She could appeal her termination, or join class action lawsuits. Bridget Rauscher, Portland's public health director, said Reidel has done an "incredible job." "She's really been able to expand our reach and capacity for emergency preparedness," Rauscher said. "She's really contributed in such a positive way." Reidel has helped to educate hundreds of students and volunteers on emergency preparedness. Reidel said the public health job was her first long-term job — she taught English in Spain on a one-year contract — after graduating from the University of Seattle. Despite the distance from where she grew up, Reidel said she wants to stay in Maine. "I love Maine, and I love Portland," Reidel said. "I'm planning to stay here for the foreseeable future." Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Weekly influenza cases nearly double in Maine over last 3 weeks
Feb. 19—Influenza continues to spread rapidly in Maine, with more than 2,000 confirmed cases last week, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said. Maine recorded 2,028 cases of influenza for the week ending Feb. 15, the highest so far in the 2024-25 flu season, and about double the number of weekly cases Maine reported three weeks earlier. Flu season runs from October to May, and while the peak of the season can vary, February is often a month when Maine will experience the most new infections. For the previous week, ending Feb. 8, the Maine CDC reported 1,916 cases. Hospitalizations for influenza have also climbed, with 145 last week, and 711 total hospitalizations for the season. Most of the state is considered to be in the "moderate" to "high" category for influenza cases, with Piscataquis and Washington counties in the "very high" category. About 90% of influenza activity is the influenza A strain, and the remaining 10% is influenza B. There have not been any recorded human cases of bird flu in Maine and no reported domesticated animal cases in 2025. However, Maine has had some cases of bird flu reported in wild animals, and state officials have warned people with chickens, ducks or other domesticated birds to take precautions. Federal data lags state data by one week, but according to the most recent U.S. CDC data, Maine and much of the nation is considered to have "very high" levels of flu, with the only exceptions being some states in the Midwest and West, including Utah, Nevada and Arizona. The flu is circulating at the same time as other respiratory illnesses. Maine is reporting "high" levels of COVID-19 in wastewater, down from "very high" in late January. RSV and norovirus were also reportedly circulating at high levels in Maine this winter, although there is not a robust data tracking of those viruses. The best way to prevent influenza is to get a flu shot, and it is not too late to get vaccinated. Many places offer flu shots, including primary care offices, pharmacies and other health care settings. Public health experts say to take other measures to prevent illness and the spread of flu, such as frequent hand washing, staying home when sick and avoiding crowded, indoor gatherings. Influenza symptoms include fever and chills, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, headache, fatigue and a runny nose. Copy the Story Link
