Category: Vaccines

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met on April 15-16, 2025. This meeting was postponed from the regularly schedule February meeting. During this 2-day meeting, ACIP voted to recommend: ACIP received an update on the current measles outbreak in the United States and reviewed preliminary estimates of influenza and COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness during the current season. The committee received information updates on the planned use of self-administered LAIV vaccine in the 2025–26 season, an updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, and a new monoclonal antibody product for infant RSV prevention. The group also reviewed preliminary information on potential recommendation changes Read More …