Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Why Are So Many Dismissing The Science About Vaccines?; Benefits Of Early Vaccines Point To Potential Success Of Gene Therapy
The New York Times: My Fellow Hasidic Jews Are Making A Terrible Mistake About Vaccinations
My community faces a grave threat. I am not talking about the measles spreading throughout our Hasidic neighborhoods in Brooklyn. I am referring to the scientific denialism that has infected our community and has put the lives of children here and elsewhere at risk. ... According to health officials, the most recent outbreak is a direct result of disinformation efforts: Like tens of thousands of Americans, many Hasidic Jews have fallen under the sway of anti-vaccination propaganda — spread by people within our community — and have refused to inoculate their children against measles and other diseases. (Moshe Friedman, 4/23)
WBUR: Protect Our Children From 'Stupid Deaths' By Mandating Vaccines
Eliminating measles — a victory the U.S. declared in 2000 — was an incredible accomplishment, the direct result of an effective national vaccination program. Today that work is threatened as vaccine-preventable diseases resurge across the country: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports ongoing measles outbreaks in New York, Washington, California, New Jersey and Michigan. (Nicholas Cuneo, 4/24)
Stat: Early Treatment With Gene Therapy: Lessons From Vaccines
The concept of modifying the human genome to treat or cure disease was once the stuff of science fiction. Today there are products on the market to do just that. This amazing leap has come with a hefty price tag. Currently marketed gene therapies hover around $500,000 or more per course of therapy and future agents may top $3 million to treat a single patient. Providers and payers must ask themselves a two-pronged question about gene therapy: Who should be treated and when? (Jeremy Schafer, 4/23)
