Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Casey Means Faces Senate Today Over Qualifications To Be Surgeon General
NBC News: Trump's Surgeon General Pick To Appear Before Senate In Highly Anticipated Hearing
Dr. Casey Means will appear before the Senate on Wednesday in a long-awaited hearing to discuss her highly scrutinized nomination for surgeon general. If confirmed to the role, Means would be an outlier among surgeons general: She does not hold an active medical license (her license lapsed in January 2024) and she did not complete her medical residency (she graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine but left a surgical residency program at Oregon Health and Science University in 2018, just months before she was due to complete it). (Bendix, 2/25)
In other news about vaccines, autism, covid, measles, HPV, and hep B —
The New York Times: 15 States Sue The Trump Administration Over Vaccine Schedule Revisions
Aiming to reverse recent changes to federal vaccine recommendations, 15 states led by Democrats announced on Tuesday that they were suing the Trump administration. The lawsuit, filed by a coalition of 14 attorneys general and the governor of Pennsylvania, asks the courts to nullify the administration’s decision in January to reduce the number of diseases children are routinely immunized against to 11 from 17. (Mandavilli, 2/24)
NBC News: Recent Studies Challenge Kennedy's Claims About Vaccines, Tylenol And Antidepressants
They’re prominent talking points for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his top officials: Taking Tylenol while pregnant could be linked to autism. Antidepressants may be harmful during pregnancy. Aluminum salts in vaccines might pose a health risk. And Covid shots don’t benefit healthy children. The remarks have sowed confusion over the past year, as scientists warn there isn’t evidence to back them up. Nevertheless, federal health agencies have pursued policies based on the assertions. (Bendix, 2/24)
The Hill: 56 Coast Guard Members Who Refused COVID Vaccine Reinstated
A group of former U.S. Coast Guard members who were discharged after refusing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine have been reinstated, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Tuesday. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said that this group of 56 servicemembers, who were removed under a vaccination requirement imposed by former President Biden in 2021, will receive back pay for the time period they were not allowed to serve. (Davis, 2/24)
CIDRAP: South Carolina’s Measles Outbreak Slows, As Total Reaches 979
The measles outbreak in South Carolina reached 979 cases today, but its growth seems to be slowing. Only six new cases were reported by the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) in an update today. This is the first time since January the state has reported fewer than 10 new cases in an update. (Soucheray, 2/24)
CBS News: Person With Measles Visited Car Dealership And Wawa In Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Health Officials Say
A person with measles visited a car dealership and Wawa in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, multiple times while contagious, the health department said. According to the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Public Health, the infected individual visited a Nissan dealership in Royersford and a Wawa in Limerick from Feb. 16-19, 2026. (Simon, 2/24)
CIDRAP: Cervical Cancer Rates Higher In States With Low HPV Vaccination Rates
Cervical cancer rates in young women have dropped dramatically in the United States since a vaccine for human pappilomavirus (HPV) became available. States with high vaccination rates have seen the biggest drop in cervical cancer, while states with low vaccination rates have had little to no progress, according to a new study from the American Cancer Society (ACS). HPV causes 90% of cervical cancers. (Szabo, 2/24)
CIDRAP: Birth-Dose Hepatitis B Vaccination Rates Plunged More Than 10 Percentage Points In Past 2 Years, Study Suggests
An analysis involving more than 12.4 million US newborns shows that after six years of growth, receipt of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine birth dose fell more than 10 percentage points in the past two years. Researchers from the University of California San Diego led the study, which was published yesterday in JAMA. (Van Beusekom, 2/24)
