Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Surgeon General Nominee Touts Vaccines' Laurels To Senate Panel, But Doesn't Openly Rebut RFK Jr.
Roll Call: Surgeon General Nominee Won’t Renounce RFK Jr. Vaccine Decisions
Surgeon general nominee Nicole Saphier, seeking to be confirmed as the nation’s top health educator and spokesperson, on Wednesday declined to fully distance herself from the Trump administration’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule when pressed by a prominent Republican. (Cohen, 9/16)
CNN: What A Social Media Influencer Turned Surgeon General Could Mean For Public Health In The US
Wednesday’s Senate confirmation hearing wasn’t the first time much of the American public met Dr. Nicole Saphier and heard her perspective; President Donald Trump’s nominee for US surgeon general is a health and wellness influencer who has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers through her podcast and social media platforms. (McPhillips, 9/16)
Stat: HHS Nominee Chris Klomp Faces Scrutiny At Senate Hearings
Over two days, senators on two key committees focused on the authority Chris Klomp already wields, and how he would use this power should he be confirmed as second-in-command to health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Cirruzzo, 9/16)
Related news about measles, covid, and more —
The Washington Post: Sen. Cassidy Says Measles Surge Will Be Administration’s ‘Terrible Legacy’
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) on Wednesday said the nation’s worst measles outbreak in the United States in 35 years is “going to be a terrible legacy for this administration,” citing recent deaths in Pennsylvania. “Misinformation and misguided policies are leaving children and adults unprotected against disease that we know how to prevent,” Cassidy, a physician and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said at the outset of a hearing for three key administration nominees. (Roubein, 9/16)
The Washington Examiner: Shapiro Says He'll Spurn Federal Measles Aid Until CDC Confirms Four Deaths
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) said Wednesday he would refuse any federal aid for Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms the four measles deaths reported in the state. ... Shapiro accused HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of diminishing the severity of measles and recounted a phone call they had last month. “Look, he doesn’t believe that measles is an issue. When I spoke to him over the phone, he wanted to lecture me about natural measles, and, in many ways, making excuses. He blamed Joe Biden for all of this. I mean, he is someone who is not, I think, connected or grounded in reality," Shapiro said Wednesday. (Carter, 9/16)
NBC News: Kennedy To Give Speech To Anti-Vaccine Group He Founded
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will have a homecoming of sorts Thursday when he delivers the keynote address at a conference hosted by an anti-vaccine group he co-founded a decade ago. (Bendix, 9/16)
The New York Times: Covid Vaccines Delayed For Half Of U.S. Children
Nearly three weeks after the Food and Drug Administration approved updated Covid vaccines, about half of American children still cannot receive them, because the federal government has not made the doses available through the Vaccines for Children program. (Astor, 9/16)
CIDRAP: Vaccine Integrity Project Turns Its Eye To Meningococcal And Pneumococcal Vaccines
Today, the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP), based at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), announced it will examine existing scientific evidence on meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccines for children and young adults for its next independent review. CIDRAP publishes CIDRAP News. (Soucheray, 9/16)
