Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
RFK Jr. Defends Decision To Roll Back Hepatitis B Vaccine For Infants
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: RFK Jr. Defends Hepatitis B Vaccine Rollback At Cleveland Forum
A family physician pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Thursday on one of the most contentious decisions of his tenure — the rollback of a longstanding recommendation that all newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth. The question at Cleveland’s City Club came from Dr. Patricia Kellner, who said she has practiced family medicine for 40 years. (Eaton, 5/7)
CIDRAP: Lawmakers Ask Kennedy About Blocked COVID Vaccine Study
Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers about the suppression of a study on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acting director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD. In a letter sent yesterday to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, ranking members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce said Bhattacharya’s decision to prevent the study from being published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the CDC’s flagship publication, “appears to be a deliberate effort to suppress evidence of vaccine effectiveness by your hand-selected ideological ally.” (Dall, 5/7)
On autism and vaccines —
CIDRAP: Aluminum In Vaccines Not Linked To Autism, Other Health Problems, Study Finds
Aluminum additives used in vaccines are not linked to serious medical problems or long-term conditions in children, according to a report published today in The BMJ. In particular, researchers found no increased risk of asthma, autism, or autoimmune conditions such as type 1 diabetes. The analysis, which included 59 studies conducted over many years, adds to a large body of research finding no ties between aluminum in childhood vaccines and serious health problems, including a 24-year study of more than 1.2 million Danish children published last year in the Annals of Internal Medicine. (Szabo, 5/7)
On the spread of measles —
Gothamist: Met Opera Patrons Warned Of Measles Exposure After La Bohème Matinee
Opera lovers who caught a matinee of La Bohème at the Metropolitan Opera House last month later received emails from the Met Opera letting them know that one of their fellow attendees had measles, the opera house has confirmed. (Lewis, 5/7)
Detroit Free Press: Measles Outbreak In Ottawa County Is Michigan's 2nd This Year Alone
Two new cases of measles were confirmed in Ottawa County this week – both tied to a person whose infection with the highly contagious but vaccine-preventable virus was identified April 21. (Shamus, 5/7)
KXAN Austin: First Measles Case Since 2025 Confirmed In Austin After International Travel
Austin Public Health has confirmed the first case of measles in Travis County since 2025, involving an unvaccinated adult who was exposed to the virus while traveling internationally. (Love, 5/7)
The Washington Post: As Measles Roars Back, Scientists Search For A New Therapy
Using the blood of a 56-year-old woman vaccinated against measles, scientists have isolated a fighting force of four potent virus-blocking antibodies that could pave the way toward a treatment for people exposed to the highly contagious respiratory disease making a comeback in the United States. A safe, highly effective vaccine for measles has been available since the 1960s, and the U.S. officially eliminated the disease in 2000, with sporadic cases and outbreaks. But dropping vaccination rates have sparked large outbreaks in multiple states, and the country is edging closer to the virus spreading freely again—which puts more people at risk. (Johnson, 5/7)
