Category: News

Delaware Joins Northeastern States in Regional Public Health Coalition

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DOVER, Del. (Sept. 5, 2025) – Governor Matt Meyer announced Delaware is joining other Northeast states in a regional public health coalition on Friday. This multi-state collaborative is focused on developing evidence-based recommendations on vaccinations, disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and supporting state public health labs. “Science must continue to determine how we keep our state healthy, and that science says vaccines save lives and protect our communities,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “We’re proud to join this regional public health collaborative to make sure science leads the development of all healthcare policy, so that every Delawarean can access safe public spaces, and Read More …

KFF: As Measles Exploded, Officials in Texas Looked to CDC Scientists.

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Amy Maxmen, August 25, 2025. As measles surged in Texas early this year, the Trump administration’s actions sowed fear and confusion among CDC scientists that kept them from performing the agency’s most critical function — emergency response — when it mattered most, an investigation from KFF Health News shows. The report details multiple crises, both in Texas, where health facilities became overwhelmed and misinformation surged, all while federal health agencies faced communications crackdowns, stalled reports, and staff and budget cuts. Texas officials only heard from the CDC after a child died on February 26, meanwhile the outbreaks spread to five Read More …

Texas Announces End of West Texas Measles Outbreak

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The Texas Department of State Health Services is reporting the end of this year’s measles outbreak centered in West Texas. It has been more than 42 days since a new case was reported in any of the counties that previously showed evidence of ongoing transmission. DSHS will continue to monitor for new cases but will cease updating the interactive outbreak dashboard. Read more

HHS Pulls the Plug on mRNA Vaccine Development

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U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced yesterday that HHS will cancel 22 federally funded mRNA vaccine development projects worth $500 million—a move infectious disease specialists and biosecurity experts warned was “dangerous” and “short-sighted,” reports the AP. The contracts were between the federal emergency preparedness agency, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and leading pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna to develop vaccines for respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu—building off the breakthroughs credited with slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic and saving millions of lives, reports Axios.  In a statement, Kennedy claimed the mRNA vaccines “fail to Read More …

AAP Files Lawsuit to Protect Immunizations

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On July 7, 2025, the American Academy of Pediatrics, joined by the American College of Physicians, the American Public Health Association, and others, filed suit in American Academy of Pediatrics v. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to restore science to U.S. vaccine policy development and ensure pediatricians are able to do their jobs taking care of patients. This is not the first time the AAP has sued the federal government in the name of protecting children’s health. In 1983, the AAP successfully sued along with other medical organizations to oppose federal regulations that intruded into the physician-patient relationship. We have also sued Read More …

Preserving Scientific Integrety in Vaccine Policy: The Role of, and Risk to, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

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On June 24, 2025, the Annals of Internal Medicine posted an opinion post authored by Jason M. Goldman, MD and Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD: In 1964, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services established the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) as a trusted, transparent, and evidence-based public body charged with making vaccine recommendations. Operating under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ACIP has played a vital role in ensuring the safety, effectiveness, and appropriate use of vaccines. Its recommendations influence public health policy, clinical practice, insurance coverage, and ultimately the lives of millions of Americans (1). Read More …

ICD’s Response to ACIP Disbanding

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Kate Smith, MD, MPH; Program Manager I wish I could say I was surprised. In an unprecedented and deeply alarming move, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr – a man with an established track record of ignoring scientific consensus – made the unilateral, ideologicial decision to remove every single member of the nation’s vaccine policy committee, and announced plans to handpick their replacements. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is one of the most trusted and effective pillars of the US’s vaccine infrastructure. For the past 64 years, ACIP has been the backbone of vaccine policy in the US, and Read More …

The MAHA Report: Our Thoughts

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Kate Smith, MD, MPHExecutive Director, Delaware Academy of Medicine Friday, May 23, 2025 — Yesterday, the White House released it’s long-awaited “MAHA Report,” outlining the government’s target areas for addressing childhood chronic disease. Executive Director Kate Smith, MD, MPH, of the Delaware Academy of Medicine responded here. Some quotes relating specifically to the vaccine section of the report: The report fails to mention that, although the number of recommended vaccines on the CDC childhood vaccine schedule has increased, vaccines today are more efficient and contain fewer stimulants to the immune system; that while original vaccines are trialed with a placebo Read More …

Global Vaccinations in Jeapordy

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What happens when you add health fuding cuts, misinformation, and humanitarian crises? A perfect storm in which vaccine-preventable diseases can thrive. Reuters: the UN reports global aid funding cuts are upending vaccination efforts almost as much as the pandemic did. These cuts are “severely limiting” UNICEF’s work to vaccinate 15 million children against measels. Guardian: the Global Vaccine Data Network – which has done the largest safety studies of COVID-19 vaccines – was terminated about 13 months short of its end date. WHO, UNICEF, GAVI: