Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Official Downplays Potential Loss Of Measles Elimination Status In US
Stat: Lost Measles Elimination Status 'A Cost Of Doing Business,' CDC Official Says
With measles transmission in the United States at levels that haven’t been seen in decades, the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that he would not view the loss of the country’s measles elimination status as a significant event. (Branswell, 1/20)
The Hill: Healthcare Group Projects Anti-RFK Jr. Messages Onto HHS Building
Protect Our Care, a healthcare advocacy group, on Tuesday projected two critical messages onto the facade of the Health and Human Services (HHS) building in Washington, D.C., blaming HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for policies they say are making Americans sicker. “RFK JR: MAKING AMERICA SICK AGAIN,” read one message, projected outside the building. Another message read: “MEASLES HQ.” (Fortinsky, 1/20)
In related news —
CIDRAP: South Carolina Measles Outbreak Expands By 200+, Reaches 646 Cases
In the past week, South Carolina officials have confirmed 212 new measles cases, raising the state total to 646 and threatening to overtake last year’s West Texas outbreak as the largest in decades in the United States. There are currently 538 people in quarantine and 33 in isolation, the South Carolina Department of Public Health said today. Six schools have recent public exposures that have resulted in new quarantines. (Soucheray, 1/20)
The Washington Post: Another Virginia Child Comes Down With Measles After Travel Abroad
A week after reporting a child with measles traveled through the region while contagious, Virginia public health officials on Tuesday reported the case of another young child with the illness and warned of possible public exposures. Both children were 4 or younger and contracted the disease after traveling internationally, but the cases are unrelated, according to the Virginia Department of Health. (Portnoy, 1/20)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
Jackie Fortiér reads the week’s news: Parents are confused by an overhaul of U.S. childhood immunization guidelines, and while people 65 and older make up the fastest-growing homeless population in the country, traditional homeless shelters often can’t accommodate them. (Cook, 1/20)
In other vaccine news —
Pharmaceutical Technology: Pfizer And Novavax Ink $530M Vaccine Delivery Licensing Deal
Pfizer has signed a deal worth up to $530M with US-based vaccine technology company Novavax. This agreement will see Pfizer hand over $30M upfront for the non-exclusive rights to Novavax’s proprietary Matrix-M vaccine adjuvant, which is designed to boost and prolong the immune response when added to an injectable formulation. (Allen, 1/21)
MedPage Today: Ixchiq Vaccine Pulled From U.S. Market Amid Safety Concerns
Vaccine maker Valneva will pull its chikungunya vaccine (Ixchiq) from the U.S. market after the FDA announced it would take further action to investigate the live-attenuated shot. The FDA recently put the investigational new drug application for a post-marketing study on clinical hold while the agency investigated a newly reported serious adverse event in a vaccine recipient abroad, according to Valneva. The company said the event "involved a younger adult who received three concomitant vaccines, including Ixchiq." (Rudd, 1/20)
CIDRAP: Shingles Vaccine May Slow Biological Aging In Older Adults
In addition to helping protect against a painful viral illness, the shingles (herpes zoster) vaccine may help slow biological aging in older adults, according to a new observational study by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Biological age differs from chronological age in that it reflects how well the body’s tissues and organ systems are working. (Bergeson, 1/20)
