Despite Being Debunked, CDC Will Reinvestigate Vaccine, Autism Link
Under the direction of HHS head Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the CDC will reinvestigate vaccine data. In other news, the CDC announced a new tool to identify conflicts of interest; GOP lawmakers introduce legislation to ban mRNA vaccines; and the latest on the measles outbreak.
The New York Times:
C.D.C. Will Investigate Debunked Link Between Vaccines And Autism
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning to conduct a large-scale study to re-examine whether there is a connection between vaccines and autism, federal officials said Friday. Dozens of scientific studies have failed to find evidence of a link. But the C.D.C. now falls under the purview of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long expressed skepticism about the safety of vaccines and has vowed to revisit the data. (Baumgaertner Nunn and Gay Stolberg, 3/7)
CIDRAP:
CDC Launches Tool To Track Conflicts Of Interest For Vaccine Committee
Following the postponement of a regularly scheduled February meeting of its vaccine advisory committee, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on X today announced the launch of a new tool that it says is designed to increase transparency about current and past members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). (Schnirring, 3/7)
KFF Health News:
MRNA Vaccines, Once A Trump Boast, Now Face Attacks From Some In GOP
Researchers racing to develop bird flu vaccines for humans have turned to a cutting-edge technology that enabled the rapid development of lifesaving covid shots. There’s a catch: The mRNA technology faces growing doubts among Republicans, including people around President Donald Trump. (Armour, 3/10)
Updates on multiple measles outbreaks —
AP:
West Texas Reports Nearly 200 Measles Cases. New Mexico Is Up To 30
A historic measles outbreak in West Texas is just short of 200 cases, Texas state health officials said Friday, while the number of cases in neighboring New Mexico tripled to 30. Most of the cases across both states are in people younger than 18 and people who are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. Texas health officials identified 39 new infections of the highly contagious disease, bringing the total count in the West Texas outbreak to 198 people since it began in late January. Twenty-three people have been hospitalized so far. (Shastri, 3/7)
The Washington Post:
Md. Confirms Measles Case; Dulles Airport Travelers May Have Been Exposed
A positive case of measles was identified in Maryland, public health officials said Sunday. The highly contagious virus was detected in a Howard County resident who had recently traveled internationally, authorities said. The case comes as health officials monitor a growing number of cases across a dozen states. (Lumpkin, 3/9)
CNN:
During The Last Major Measles Outbreaks In The US, It Took Extraordinary Measures To Stop The Spread
Six years ago, two communities in New York – one in Brooklyn and one in Rockland County – were facing the worst measles outbreaks the United States had seen in decades. It was the closest the nation has gotten to losing elimination status for the extremely contagious disease, a milestone that was achieved in 2000. (McPhillips, 3/10)
