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Medical groups' challenge to Kennedy-backed vaccine policies can proceed, US judge rules
A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that several major medical organizations can move forward with their lawsuit challenging policies adopted under U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy that they say will lower vaccination rates.
U.S. health officials reduce the number of vaccines recommended for all children
U.S. health officials have announced major changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, reducing the number of diseases children are routinely protected against from 17 to 11.
Health officials slash the number of vaccines recommended for all kids
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reducing the number of vaccines recommended for all children. The action follows a presidential memorandum ordering a review of the U.S. schedule.
Trump administration cuts number of vaccines it recommends for every child
Medical experts are slamming the move, saying it could lead to reduced uptake of important vaccinations and increase disease.
HHS will overhaul childhood vaccine schedule to recommend fewer shots
The US Department of Health and Human Services will recommend fewer vaccines for most American children, health officials said Monday.
Trump, RFK dramatically overhaul child vaccine schedule
The move is a public health gamble that assumes children's health won't be endangered by cutting the shots they get.
Kennedy Scales Back the Number of Vaccines Recommended for Children
Federal health officials now recommend that children be routinely inoculated against 11 diseases, not 17, citing standards in other wealthy nations.
Philosophy to the Rescue of Science
The pessimistic meta-induction—the argument that since past scientific theories have been shown to be false, we should expect that today’s will turn out false, too—makes the New York Times. . Elay Shech, professor of philosophy at Auburn University, takes up the topic in the context of current political disputes about science and our government’s seemingly increasing disregard of expertise: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services, made a version of this argument in August when defending his decision to halt hundreds of millions of dollars in mRNA vaccine development despite the objections of vaccine scientists. He said that “science is always evolving” and the experts could not always be trusted. Shech accepts that “many widely accepted [scientific] theories have been discarded” but that the question, “why should we trust the ones we have now?” is misleading. Why? It implies that the only possible attitudes toward science are naïve faith and wholesale pessimism. It assumes that science is a single global entity that rises or falls all at once, when in reality, science is an array of local domains of inquiry, each with its own standards of evidence and degrees of reliability. In place of skepticism, Shech recommends “disciplined trust.” The first step in the direction of disciplined trust is recognizing that “there is no single scientific method used in all of science.” Shech writes: Newton’s deduction from observed phenomena is very different from Darwin’s inference to the best explanation, which in turn differs radically from Einstein’s thought experiments with light beams, trains and elevators. What people call “the scientific method” is really many distinct ways of investigating the world—different strategies for representing, experimenting and classifying. Since different areas of science employ different methods and rely on different kinds of evidence, to make a case for skepticism “you need to look at the evidence and methods in a specific area of inquiry.” And that case will not be “a sweeping claim about all of science” but rather about that particular area of inquiry with, for example, what might turn out to be “well-understood methodological problems.” Shech’s piece is “Science Keeps Changing, So Why Should We Trust It?” (NYT gift link). Discussion welcome (readers are advised to keep in..
The biggest health storylines to watch in 2026
Rising health care costs, Medicaid changes, vaccines and more.
Flu cases surging in northern Virginia, health officials say
Get the flu shot, wash your hands and stay home if you’re sick — that’s the message coming from Virginia’s Health Department as data shows flu cases soaring in northern Virginia.
Local health officials warn of fast-spreading flu variant this season
Experts say symptoms may start mild but can still lead to serious illness
They cook organic, distrust science and oppose vaccines: America's 'crunchy moms' shift toward Trump
In the 1960s, the 'crunchy mom' was typically an American hippie trying to stay connected to nature. Today, she claims total freedom over health decisions, sometimes flirting with conspiracy theories.
Health Authorities Issue Measles Alert at Creationist Museum
In 2025, the U.S. had the most infections of the vaccine-preventable disease since 1992.
Dallas County sues feds over public health funding cut
Dallas is the second Texas county to sue over public health cuts after a judge ordered the Trump administration to return $20 million to Harris County last summer.
In a tumultuous year, U.S. health policy transforms under RFK Jr.
He has also promoted controversial views on vaccines, including removing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation for COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women.
In a tumultuous year, U.S. health policy transforms under RFK Jr.
He has also promoted controversial views on vaccines, including removing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation for COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women.
Parents who delay baby's first vaccines also likely to skip measles shots
Ahead of possible changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, a new report highlights growing confusion over the best time to protect infants from serious infectious diseases.
A One Health trial design to accelerate Lassa fever vaccines
Nature Medicine - We propose an interdisciplinary framework to address the considerable challenges that are restricting the development of vaccines for zoonotic diseases with epidemic potential.
6 Changes to National Health Policy to Watch in 2026
From the passage of a massive bill that reduced federal funds for Medicaid to a comprehensive overhaul of a federal vaccine advisory panel, Congress and the Trump administration delivered major changes to America’s public health system in 2025. Many of those changes are poised to reshape coverage,
Flu cases are rising with a new strain that makes older people sicker
Flu season is ramping up in the U.S., marked by a new strain that could make vaccines less effective. Covid cases remain down.
Health advances marked 2025, even as wars and funding cuts strained systems
From eliminating deadly infections to expanding access to lifesaving vaccines, 2025 delivered meaningful progress for global health, according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO), offering cautious optimism at the close of a year marked by both breakthroughs and strain.
Duke Health, WakeMed doctors report increase in flu cases
Flu cases at Duke Health more than doubled in a single week. A Duke Health doctor noted that a lower vaccination rate is contributing to a more severe season than last year.
Assessing health and vaccine skepticism in the U.S. ahead of 2026
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood vaccination rates continued to decrease during the 2024-2025 school year, and measles cases in the U.S. in 2025 exceeded 2,000 for the first time in more than 30 years.
Mission Health announces visitor restrictions, citing high rate of flu in WNC
WLOS News 13 provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of events and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for Asheville, NC and nearby towns and communities in Western North Carolina and the Upstate of South Carolina, including the counties of Buncombe, Henderson, Rutherford, Haywood, Polk, Transylvania, McDowell, Mitchell, Madison, Yancey, Jackson, Swain, Macon, Graham, Spartanburg, Greenville, Anderson, Union, Pickens, Oconee, Laurens, Greenwood, Abbeville and also Biltmore Forest, Woodfin, Leicester, Black Mountain, Montreat, Arden, Weaverville, Hendersonville, Etowah, Flat Rock, Mills River, Waynesville, Maggie Valley, Canton, Clyde, Franklin, Cullowhee, Sylva, Cherokee, Marion, Old Fort, Forest City, Lake Lure, Bat Cave, Spindale, Spruce Pine, Bakersville, Burnsville, Tryon, Columbus, Marshall, Mars Hill, Brevard, Bryson City, Cashiers, Greer, Landrum, Clemson, Gaffney, and Easley.
WA Department of Health's vaccine hotline now being used by scammers
Health officials see spike in flu cases in Cook County after Christmas holiday
Chicago health officials are urging residents to get the influenza vaccine to keep themselves safe as the region and nation are seeing an uptick in cases.
7 of the Biggest Moments in Public Health in 2025
The year 2025 was one of the most tumultuous ever for the healthcare industry. From the start of the second Trump administration on Jan. 20, change ensued immediately. From reconsiderations of vaccine mandates to overhauls in the makeup of a critical advisory panel to alterations of policy, public ...
State health agency urging South Carolina residents to get updated vaccines
The South Carolina Department of Public Health is urging all residents to make sure that they are updated on vaccines.
Experts Question Denmark’s Vaccine Program as a Model for the U.S.
The United States is expected to adopt the vaccine schedule used by Denmark, a much smaller country with universal health care.
Stanford scientists uncover why mRNA COVID vaccines can trigger heart inflammation
Stanford scientists have uncovered how mRNA COVID-19 vaccines can very rarely trigger heart inflammation in young men — and how that risk might be reduced. They found that the vaccines can spark a two-step immune reaction that floods the body with inflammatory signals, drawing aggressive immune cells into the heart and causing temporary injury.
Science Still Made Incredible Breakthroughs While Under Attack
It was a tough year for science in the US. Thousands of research grants, including more than 3,800 from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation alone, were frozen or canceled. NASA was threatened with sweeping budget cuts. Top scientists are leaving the US in search of better opportunities. And misinformation about vaccines and other important scientific matters continues to spread.
Should the U.S. model its vaccine policy on Denmark's? Experts say we're nothing alike
The Trump administration wants to revamp U.S. childhood vaccination recommendations to align with some other peer nations, including one tiny country in northern Europe.
Aluminum salts emerge as likely target as health officials scrutinize childhood vaccines
The vaccine ingredient has long been a talking point for anti-vaccine activists. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made unsubstantiated claims that it is linked to allergies and autism.
RFK Jr. says the U.S. should look to Europe on vaccines. That could mean Americans get fewer.
Public health experts say Europeans can afford to vaccinate less because they have universal access to health care.
The best everyday health advice we learned from science in 2025
We certainly saw some major health-related breakthroughs in 2025, including a universal cancer vaccine and human trials for the world's first treatment to reverse spinal cord injuries. But the year was also filled with smaller findings that can still have a big impact on your day-to-day health.
As tetanus vaccination rates decline, doctors worry about rising case numbers
The harrowing, deadly infection could make a comeback, especially in states vulnerable to climate-linked natural disasters, like Florida and Texas, an NBC News investigation finds.
Sanofi to Buy Dynavax to Boost Vaccines Business
Sanofi to Buy Dynavax to Boost Vaccines Business
Trump administration’s plan to shrink vaccine schedule sends health sector scrambling
The health sector is working to navigate what could be the most significant changes to the U.S. vaccine program in decades.
This cancer-fighting molecule took 50 years to build
MIT scientists have achieved the first-ever lab synthesis of verticillin A, a complex fungal compound discovered in 1970. Its delicate structure stalled chemists for decades, despite differing from related molecules by only two atoms. With the synthesis finally complete, researchers created new variants that showed strong activity against a rare pediatric brain cancer. The breakthrough could unlock an entire class of previously unreachable cancer-fighting molecules.
Top science stories of 2025
In a year of funding chaos, ongoing climate change and pollution perils, we also saw the most powerful telescope yet, personalized gene therapy, and the next-best-thing to an HIV vaccine — not to mention a brand-new color
Exclusive | ‘No need to explain’: leading mRNA vaccine expert Hu Haitao leaves US for China
China is catching up fast in mRNA-related fundamental research and technological development, Hu says.
Inside RFK Jr.’s scrapped plan to adopt the Danish vaccine schedule in America
Legal and political concerns prompted the health department to cancel a planned announcement on Friday, officials said.
The New York Times
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is poised to make a seismic shift. He is expected to announce that American children should be immunized according to a different schedule with fewer vaccines,...
Washington West African Center to host community health fair
The center, along with local health departments, will provide health insurance enrollment assistance, free vaccines and other health services.
R.F.K. Jr. Likely to Swap U.S. Childhood Vaccine Schedule for Denmark’s
The shift would mean fewer shots recommended for children. But a Danish health official found the idea baffling, saying the United States was getting “crazier and crazier in public health.”
HHS to announce overhaul to child vaccine schedule, aligning with Denmark
The Trump administration is planning to announce an overhaul to the childhood immunization schedule early next year, recommending fewer shots and aligning U.S. policy with that of Denmark. A source…
HHS planning to overhaul childhood vaccine schedule to recommend fewer shots, source says
The US Department of Health and Human Services is planning to overhaul the schedule of recommended vaccines for children in the US, a person familiar with the plans told CNN on Thursday.
Republicans are trying to change the subject on health care affordability
In a spate of votes and announcements, the GOP is tacking hard to an issue where the party sees an advantage.
Chicago-area health officials expect bad flu season, push for vaccinations despite federal guidance
Chicago-area healthcare providers are stocked up with influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, but some doctors say it's been a tough sell this year.
HHS cuts millions in grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics
The move marks an escalation in the agency’s clash with the medical group, which is suing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy.
Francis Collins and Marc Siegel say medicine is a gift from God
“To have Christians be the group that was most resistant” to the Covid vaccine “really seems wrong here,” said former NIH Director Francis Collins.
‘We feel safer at church.’ Latino community works together to provide health care access amid fear, high costs
A recent health fair offering vaccines, physicals and more moved to a different Weld County location due to immigration enforcement fears.
Trinity, MyMichigan Health pledge to offer hepatitis B vaccine at birth
Trinity Health Michigan and MyMichigan Health say their hospitals will join five others in the state to offer the hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
Debating Science: No Thanks
Anti-vaccine activists RFK Jr., Aaron Siri, and Steve Kirsch have asked that I debate them on vaccine safety. One of them offered me $1 million to do it. Here’s why I declined.
FDA Commissioner on Covid Vaccine Safety and Men’s Health
FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary says the agency has no plans to put a black box warning on Covid-19 vaccines. He says a recommendation was made, but it won't be adopted since the vaccines have changed since they first came out. He speaks with Romaine Bostick and Katie Greifeld on "The Close." (Source: Bloomberg)
5 Michigan health systems continue hepatitis B vaccines for newborns
FDA commissioner on growing public mistrust of government health advice
FDA Commissioner Martin Makary discusses vaccine policy, COVID-era decisions and the erosion of trust in government health guidance.
2025 Has Been a Year of Unraveling Progress in Health
From vaccine hostility to the dismantling of USAID, the consequences of this year’s retrenchments will be felt for years to come.
Vaccines and access to health insurance: Taking stock of 2025's biggest health news
We review the biggest local headlines in health care for 2025 with WBUR senior health reporter Priyanka Dayal McCluskey and Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers' Michael Curry.
FDA commissioner on public's growing mistrust in the government's health advice
NPR's Steve Inskeep asks FDA Commissioner Marty Makary about recent controversies around the COVID and Hepatitis B vaccines, and the lack of trust in the government's medical advice.
How NIH-Funded Science Supports US Biopharmaceutical Innovation
NIH-funded research supports the foundation for industry to develop vaccines and therapies, exemplifying deep public-private R&D complementarity. As global competition intensifies, expanding NIH funding will be key to protecting American health, supporting U.S. biopharmaceutical competitiveness, and ensuring national power and security.
This vaccine adviser to RFK Jr. has some choice words for his critics
MIT business professor Retsef Levi teaches about how health care decisions are made, but isn’t a doctor.
5 Years Ago I Received America’s First Covid Vaccine
The COVID pandemic "taught me the importance of public health and hope," writes Sandra Lindsay.
5 Michigan health systems defy federal vaccine panel's advice
Controversy erupted when a CDC panel changed recommendations for hepatitis B vaccines. These Michigan health systems say they won't follow it.
Doctors: Florida plan to repeal vaccine rules a 'direct threat' to health
Florida’s medical community came out in force on Friday at a Department of Health workshop in Panama City on vaccine requirements in Florida.
Health Experts Slam Possible FDA ‘Black Box’ Warning for COVID Vaccines
The FDA is reportedly considering the addition of high-level warning labels to COVID vaccines, a move that some experts say may cause unfounded concerns over safety
FDA intends to put its most serious warning on Covid vaccines, sources say
The US Food and Drug Administration intends to put a “black box” warning on Covid-19 vaccines, according to two people familiar with the agency’s plans.
The federal government is blurring the lines between politics and medicine
As a family physician, I work every day to earn the trust of my patients. I see lines being blurred between politics and medicine and, despite the high trust the public has in their own physician, it is becoming harder to separate medical and scientific information from misinformation. I hear this concern from my patients, […]
CDC study says Covid shots continue to protect healthy kids from severe illness
Researchers found that Covid vaccines reduced the risk of emergency room and urgent care visits by 56% to 76%. It comes as some federal health officials have sowed doubt in the shots.
In search for autism's causes, look at genes, not vaccines, researchers say
After more than 50 years of research, scientists still don't know exactly what causes autism. But the data make clear that genetics are an essential piece of the puzzle.
Moderna Founder Warns US Doubts on Science Threaten Biotech Edge
The US risks falling behind in biotechnology as the government cuts funding and skepticism over vaccines grows, according to Moderna Inc.’s co-founder and Chairman Noubar Afeyan.
The New WHO Pandemic Treaty and Global Health Governance: Incorporating Common but Differentiated Responsibilities into PABS - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
On May 20, 2025, the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement, an international treaty designed to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The product of three years of arduous negotiations, the treaty marks a new era of global cooperation in public health. However, core aspects of the agreement remain unresolved—notably the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, which is intended to ensure equitable access to pandemic-related materials and benefits. To support the successful implementation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Introduction For the first time, an international treaty has enshrined the principle of “One Health,” the compelling idea that the health of animals, humans, and the environment all contribute to pandemic risks. SARS (2003), H1N1 (2009–10), Ebola (2014–16), and COVID-19 all emerged through zoonotic spillover from animal hosts—respectively, civets, hogs, and bats. Together, they underscore the need for a coordinated, cross-sectoral approach. The Pandemic Agreement responds to this call, requiring state parties to acknowledge the ecological interplay and commit to a comprehensive “One Health” strategy. Specifically, Article 5 charges governments to address “the drivers of pandemics and the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease at the human-animal-environment interface,” including wild animal markets, deforestation, and antibiotic overuse. Yet the effectiveness of this “One Health” vision depends equally on the free flow of scientific information and data among countries and institutions. Just as environmental and animal health factors have been neglected in past global frameworks, so too has data sharing been marginalized, despite its centrality to timely detection and response. The Pandemic Agreement takes an important step by requiring governments to enhance data collection and cooperate with the World Health Organization (WHO). However, these provisions will remain aspirational without a robust Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex. The PABS system will determine whether countries and researchers can rapidly exchange pathogen samples and genetic data while ensuring equitable access to resulting research and development, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. Without such mechanisms, the treaty’s promise to operationalize “One Health” and strengthen global preparedness will risk becoming largely symbolic, echoing earlier failures to translate shared principles into coordinated action. Equity Concerns When the 2025 Health Assembly adopted the Pandemic Agreement, it left the difficult question of access to pathogens and the sharing of resulting benefits to be addressed in a separate agreement. Negotiations on this separate agreement, PABS, are now underway in Geneva. Yet governments remain divided over fundamental questions of equity between the countries that primarily contribute to the system and those that primarily draw from it—and consequently benefit. For example, wildlife in countries bordering the equator is likely to produce PABS materials, but companies in Europe are likely to use them to develop lucrative products. The most likely contributor countries are likely to be those biodiverse countries around the equator, such as Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia, where the number of human-mammalian viral host interactions is large. Conversely, countries most likely to benefit from this material are those with the technology, investors, and infrastructure to capitalize on genomic data, such as the United States, EU member states, and Japan. This imbalance reflects a broader pattern seen in prior international frameworks. Now, as in the past, the wealthiest countries in the world (a useful heuristic is membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)) disproportionately benefit from systems in which pathogens and genomic sequencing data are contributed to a common source. Under the International Agreement on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the “Plant Treaty” or “Seed Treaty”) and the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework, companies from Europe and North America disproportionately withdraw biological samples and data for development into lucrative medical products. Their governments and companies have both statutory and contractual claims to the products that those companies correspondingly produce. PABS appears poised to follow the same pattern. The text calls for strong language on access to pathogens and associated data, but the corresponding benefits that should flow to poorer countries are couched in equivocal or non-binding language. Common but Differentiated Responsibilities To address these inequities, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Common but differentiated responsibilities are often a feature of climate change negotiations. The basic principle is that, even though all countries should reduce carbon emissions, governments that became rich and powerful through massive carbon emissions (e.g., France, the United Kingdom, the United States) should have a greater obligation to address the resulting crises. Applied to PABS, it would require that governments hosting and supporting companies developing lucrative products carry greater obligations toward the cost of running the PABS system; share benefits or final medical products; and transfer technology to help countries worldwide develop their own capacities to innovate and manufacture vaccines during an emergency. For example, an annex could mandate that any company based in an OECD country that withdraws PABS material would be obligated to donate the resulting diagnostics, therapeutics, or vaccines to the WHO during a public health emergency or pandemic. Questions remain about how robust those donations would be, but the principle is that they should deliver highly significant lifesaving benefits to be equitably shared. Theoretically, this approach mirrors the PIP Framework, in which companies withdrawing influenza samples are required to pay half of the operating costs. In practice, however, the framework has fallen short. The PIP Framework Secretariat has struggled to secure payments from companies, with companies often disagreeing over how much is owed. Additionally, without another pandemic influenza to test the strength of the agreement during a public health emergency, corporate compliance with sharing mechanisms remains unknown. Even if these limitations did not characterize the PIP Framework, partially paying for operating expenses does not address the inequity in access to genetic data and pathogen samples that left less developed countries last in line for COVID-19 vaccines (and, before them, H1N1). Common but differentiated responsibilities would go further, addressing governments’ legitimate grievances regarding information sharing. It would make withdrawals of PABS material and resulting products more transparent, building trust across the board. Enforcement and Enduring Success A key implication of this approach is that the governing mechanism of the PABS must have real enforcement authority. The WHO Pandemic Agreement delegates its core governance responsibilities to a Conference of the Parties (COP)—a governing body composed of one representative from each participating government, similar to those established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The proposed WHO Pandemic Agreement COP is charged with oversight functions but ultimately possesses no real authority to compel a government to take any action it does not wish to take. The text does not give the COP the ability to, for example, sanction a party that does not comply with either textual obligations or PABS provisions. In other words, there are no effective mechanisms in place to ensure compliance. Perhaps just as significant, establishing a meaningful enforcement mechanism within the PABS system would strengthen the WHO’s credibility and its ability to ensure compliance across global health governance. By setting a precedent for accountability, such a mechanism could enhance the organization’s authority not only within the Pandemic Agreement but also in enforcing the revised International Health Regulations and other frameworks for public health emergencies. Conclusion The PABS annex can—and should—be different. It should establish clear responsibilities for funding as well as for sharing the diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines that result from contributions to the system. The system, in turn, must include a dedicated body empowered to hold governments and the corporations they sponsor accountable for their responsibilities before, during, and after pandemics. Doing so would restore trust in the broader agreement, which was eroded as commitments were repeatedly diluted while parties scrambled to meet their own self-imposed deadlines during the Pandemic Agreement negotiations. A robust PABS Annex would cement a grand social bargain. Wealthier countries and their corporations would gain unimpeded access to scientific information essential for developing and manufacturing lifesaving medical products. As such, they would stand to gain considerable economic benefit. Yet that privilege must be matched with responsibility. The grand bargain must include not only the right to innovate, but also the duty to ensure that innovation serves all. As medical products are developed and produced through collective contributions, every person must have equal access. All human beings deserve an equitable chance to survive—to save their own life, the lives of their families, and the well-being of their communities. … Sam Halabi, JD, MPhil, is the Bette Jacobs Endowed Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Health and the Director of the Center for Transformational Health Law at Georgetown Law. He serves as the co-lead for the WHO’s Working Group on Regulatory Consideration on AI and Health’s training workstream. He earned his JD from Harvard, his MPhil from Oxford, and undergraduate degrees from Kansas State University. Lawrence Gostin, LLD (Hon.), JD, BA, is University Distinguished Professor and Founding Director and Timothy and Linda O’Neill Professor of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. He is the author of Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future (Harvard University Press, 2021); Global Health Law (Harvard University Press, 2014); Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2016); Public Health Law and Ethics: A Reader (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2018); Law and the Health System (Foundation Press, 2014); Principles of Mental Health Law & Practice (Oxford University Press, 2010). He also directs the WHO Collaborating Center at Georgetown University. Image Credit: United States Mission Geneva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
US health officials re-examine RSV shots despite documented safety and efficacy
Officials from RFK Jr’s HHS are scrutinizing vaccines that have dramatically lowered infant hospitalizations
Manlius pediatrician, who draws vaccine skeptics, faces felony over her kid’s vaccine records
New York put the doctor on its vaccine fraud awareness list. She’s now suing the state in federal court.
RFK Jr. succeeds in changing hepatitis B recommendation
A vaccine panel led by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has voted to end the recommendation for hepatitis B shots for all newborns.
Vaccine divide helps Trump overturn accepted policies
Trump's push for a vaccine overhaul feeds off of a divide — small but growing — over who should have the final say.
Opinion: Our responsibility to science communication
When we think of global threats, we don’t think of poor science communication. We think of climate change, of pandemics or perhaps of terrorism. I would be shocked if science communication cracked your top 10. And yet, we all lived through the COVID-19 pandemic. Think of how 20 years ago, vaccines were largely apolitical, but...
Insurance coverage of hepatitis B vaccine won’t change, industry and officials say
Parents will still be able to get the hepatitis B vaccine for their children at no cost even though the US Centers for Disease and Control Prevention’s vaccine advisers recommended a major change to the immunization practice.
Confusion, Anxiety for Parents as Vaccine Guidelines for Children are Upended
Conflicting recommendations leaves parents with more questions than answers when it comes to vaccines for their newborn children.
‘Babies are at risk’: Health reporter breaks down CDC panel’s new Hepatitis B vaccine rules
The health community is in an uproar following a Friday vote by a federal vaccine committee ending a decadeslong recommendation that all newborns be immunized at birth against hepatitis B.
West Coast health experts reject RFK Jr. panel, say hepatitis B vaccines at birth should continue
“The West Coast Health Alliance grounds its decisions in facts, data and expert consensus,” Gov. Tina Kotek said.
The Unexpected Ways Vaccines Could Boost Your Health
As political leaders question vaccine safety, scientists point to studies that show the shots might have unrelated benefits.
Trump orders overhaul of U.S. vaccine schedules
Trump's order suggests he's not trying to distance himself from RFK Jr.'s vaccine agenda — at least for now.
Trump asks RFK Jr. to ‘fast track’ vaccine schedule review
The president weighed in after the health secretary’s vaccine advisers recommended a major change to the shots routinely given to children.
Vermont health officials reaffirm importance of hepatitis B vaccine after federal advisory panel recommends delays
“All I can say is, it's clearly not based in science,” new state Health Commissioner Rick Hildebrant says of the federal change to the 30-year standard immunization schedule.
US health panel ditches guidance to give hepatitis B vaccine to newborns
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has faced swift backlash for its change to government guidance.
Colorado health leaders react to CDC limiting hepatitis B vaccine recommendations
CDC vaccine advisory panel overturns decades-long guidance on the hepatitis B, a move the state health department does not support.
CDC advisers vote to overturn decades-long policy on hepatitis B vaccine for infants
In a controversial move, the vaccine advisory group reversed a recommendations for universal immunizing of newborns intended to protect them from a virus that attacks the liver.
CDC advisory panel expected to vote on hepatitis B vaccine for newborns
The vote was delayed on Thursday because of disagreements and confusion over the voting language.
The new normal: Fighting misinformation now consumes 90% of Mass.’ top health official’s time
As the Trump administration questions vaccine science, Dr. Robbie Goldstein says combating disinformation rivals disease prevention as his primary responsibility.
Health officials worried about the CDC changing vaccine recommendations
Public health officials across the country are worried about a possible change in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine recommendations. Health insurance providers could stop covering the cost of immunizations if that happens, and the change could lower vaccination rates and access.
FDA chief says Biden administration withheld data on heart risk from Covid vaccines
Myocarditis is a known — but small — side effect of the mRNA Covid vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, information that federal agencies have discussed openly since 2021.
The GOP Still Can’t Agree on a Health Plan
Senate Democrats were promised a vote by mid-December on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, but Republicans still can’t decide whether they want to put forward their own alternative or what that might include. Meanwhile, the CDC and FDA are roiled by debates over vaccines. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Aneri Pattani about her project tracking opioid settlement payments.
Cassidy calls ACIP ‘totally discredited’ ahead of vaccine guidance votes
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on Thursday called a federal vaccine advisory committee “totally discredited” ahead of a vote on whether to change hepatitis B vaccine guidelines, an issue ver…
Live updates: CDC vaccine advisors meeting to discuss childhood vaccine schedule
Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are meeting today, and they could vote on possible changes to the childhood vaccination schedule. Follow here for live updates from the meeting.
The brain’s 5 eras, the vaccine that protects against dementia, altruistic ants
Science editor Ian Sample sits down with co-host Madeleine Finlay and science correspondent Hannah Devlin to hear about three eye-catching stories from the week
A dozen former FDA commissioners condemn plan to tighten vaccine approvals
In a New England Journal of Medicine article, the former FDA commissioners wrote they were “deeply concerned” by the top vaccine regulator’s approach to raising the bar for approvals.
Why American Health Care Is Still a Mess
Jonathan Gruber on the broken American health-care system, Obamacare, the Trump administration’s war on vaccines and science, and being on the wrong end of Republican outrage. Plus: David on Donald Trump’s Ukraine “peace plan,” recent scandals, and They Thought They Were Free, by Milton Mayer.
CDC's vaccine advisers meet to question long-used vaccines
Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control Prevention will scrutinize the childhood vaccine schedule and may start to upend it.