Medical Groups Mobilize As A Check On RFK Jr.’s New Vaccine Advisers

NBC News: Outside Groups Organize To Form Unbiased, Independent Vaccine Panel
In the wake of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to shake up a key federal vaccine advisory committee, outside medical organizations and independent experts are looking for alternate sources of unbiased information and even considering forming a group of their own. A leading contender is a new group led by Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert and the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. (Edwards, 6/22)

Politico Pro: RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Shakeup Injects Uncertainty Into Insurance Coverage
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s overhaul of the federal government’s approach to vaccines is complicating health insurers’ decisions on which shots to cover. Some national insurers told POLITICO they worry Kennedy’s firing of 17 members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel and hiring of eight others — some of whom have called into question the safety and efficacy of immunizations — could erode public trust in vaccines. And they are unclear of how to proceed, uncertain about whether their coverage will change if the government no longer recommends certain vaccines. (Hooper, 6/23)

The 19th: How Doctors Are Preparing For RFK Jr.’s Shifts On Vaccine Policy 
When it comes to vaccines, there are two kinds of parents coming into Dr. Megan Prior’s office in Washington, D.C., these days. One set are parents who pepper the pediatrician with increasingly panicked questions about the future availability of vaccines and whether their children can get any shots early. Then there are the parents who feel vindicated in their decision not to vaccinate their kids, despite vaccines’ overall safety and record of disease prevention. (Rodriguez, 6/20)

KFF Health News: Many Older People Embrace Vaccines. Research Is Proving Them Right.
Kim Beckham, an insurance agent in Victoria, Texas, had seen friends suffer so badly from shingles that she wanted to receive the first approved shingles vaccine as soon as it became available, even if she had to pay for it out-of-pocket. Her doctor and several pharmacies turned her down because she was below the recommended age at the time, which was 60. So, in 2016, she celebrated her 60th birthday at her local CVS. (Span, 6/23)

On the spread of measles, covid, and flu —

CIDRAP: US Adds 17 More Measles Cases As Georgia, Iowa Report New Infections 
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 17 more measles cases today in its weekly update, bringing its total for the year to 1,214 confirmed cases from 36 jurisdictions. Although measles cases have slowed since peaking in late March, the uptick in cases brings the country closer to surpassing the 1,274 cases reported in 2019, which to date is the highest number reported in a single year since the disease was eliminated from the United States in 2020. There were 285 confirmed measles cases in 2024.  (Dall, 6/20)

The New York Times: ‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Lied To’: When A Measles Outbreak Hits Home 
From a lone clinic in Texas to an entire school district in North Dakota, the virus is upending daily life and revealing a deeper crisis of belief. (Saslow, 6/22)

CIDRAP: Fungal Spores May Help Predict COVID-19, Influenza Activity
New findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology suggest increased levels of fungal spores in the air are strongly linked to surges in cases of influenza and COVID-19. The study was based on daily spore samples taken in 2022 and 2024 in San Juan and Caguas, Puerto Rico, where fungal spores and pollen are endemic and present year-round. The data on spores was matched to data on the daily incidence of people diagnosed with COVID-19 and flu. (Soucheray, 6/20)