Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
WHO Adopts New Pandemic Treaty Without The US
Stat: WHO Members Adopt Pandemic Treaty, As U.S. Shuns Meeting
World Health Organization members on Tuesday adopted a treaty aimed at preparing for and responding to future pandemics, what countries say is both a tangible example of how they’re learning the lessons of Covid-19 and a marker for the continued importance of international collaboration. (Joseph, 5/20)
AP: After US Cuts Funding, WHO Chief Defends $2.1B Budget Request By Comparing It With Cost Of War
Stripped of U.S. funding, the World Health Organization chief on Monday appealed to member countries to support its “extremely modest” request for a $2.1 billion annual budget by putting that sum into perspective next to outlays for ad campaigns for tobacco or the cost of war. After nearly 80 years of striving to improve human lives and health –- which critics say it has done poorly or not enough -- the U.N. health agency is fighting for its own after U.S. President Donald Trump in January halted funding from the United States, which has traditionally been WHO’s largest donor. (Keaten, 5/20)
On covid and measles —
Bloomberg: FDA To Unveil Covid Shot Policy As RFK Jr. Eyes More Tests
President Donald Trump’s administration is slated to lay out its approach to Covid vaccination at an event Tuesday that could spell major changes in what is required to get regulatory approval for immunizations. The US Food and Drug Administration’s YouTube channel is featuring an upcoming town hall, set to begin Tuesday at 1 p.m. in Washington, titled “An evidence based approach to Covid vaccination.” The two speakers listed are FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Vinay Prasad, an outspoken critic of the drug industry who was recently appointed to lead the agency’s division that oversees vaccines. (Smith and Cohrs Zhang, 5/19)
Bloomberg: Texas Measles Outbreak Slows After Vaccine Shot Push
The rate of new measles infections in Texas has slowed as immunity to the virus builds and vaccinations rise. Texas – the epicenter of the outbreak in the US this year – reported just one new measles infection on May 16, bringing the state’s total to 718 cases. (Nix, 5/19)
CIDRAP: Poll: 83% Of Americans Say Benefits Of MMR Vaccines Outweigh Risks
A new Annenberg Poll shows that 87% of Americans say the benefit of childhood measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination outweighs the risk, and 67% say they know that MMR vaccines don't cause autism. 2025 may see the highest measles case count in the United States since the disease was officially eliminated in 2000. (Soucheray, 5/19)
