All articles tagged with #vaccine policy
A flu outbreak at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas sickened more than 200 airmen and trainees, prompting vaccination efforts after the Pentagon ended the annual flu vaccine mandate; the base sought exemptions to mandate vaccines, but has begun vaccinating and isolating affected personnel, with medical teams treating patients with antivirals like Tamiflu and monitoring close contacts to protect readiness.
A Washington Post investigation shows RFK Jr.’s vaccine-skeptic allies are quietly retooling the federal vaccine ecosystem by pursuing a revived vaccine advisory panel, creating a CDC Office of Science, and directing vaccine-safety research to study schedules and potential links to conditions like autism. The effort aims to embed his agenda within NIH, FDA, and CDC decision-making, while the White House pushes to reduce childhood vaccines and a court blocks some changes. The moves suggest Kennedy’s influence could shape vaccine policy long after public controversies.
US insurers will continue covering routine vaccines through 2027, signaling industry belief in vaccines’ safety and cost-effectiveness even as the Trump administration revisits immunization schedules amid measles and pertussis outbreaks and ongoing disputes over ACIP changes.
The Trump administration is vetting Norman Sharpless, a former director of the National Cancer Institute and former acting FDA chief, to lead the FDA, signaling a move away from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine-policy agenda toward more conventional leadership ahead of the midterms. Sharpless has criticized certain FDA vaccine-policy changes, and other candidates include Alkermes CEO Richard Pops and acting commissioner Kyle Diamantas as officials seek stability at the agency amid turnover and policy fights, including debates over abortion-pill access.
Former President Donald Trump endorses a study advocating narrower vaccine guidance, signaling a shift in U.S. vaccination policy debates and how public health recommendations may be framed.
FDA withdrew the publication of safety studies on COVID-19 and shingles vaccines after authors drew broad conclusions not supported by the underlying data, a move the agency says preserves scientific integrity; the piece also notes vaccine-policy shifts tied to RFK Jr.’s stance, while health officials reiterate that vaccines remain safe and effective.
A UNC-Chapel Hill study of all 50 states found 31 strengthened COVID-19 vaccine infrastructure/access, 13 weakened it, and five did both during April–December 2025, amid missing federal guidance. States used standing orders, insurance directives, executive actions, and legislation to shape access; many expanded pharmacist vaccination authority and issued their own recommendations, with 28 states no longer relying solely on CDC guidance as of January 2026. The paper warns continued state-level policy divergence could determine how vaccines are accessed until a stable national framework is established.
The White House nominated Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general and Coast Guard veteran, to lead the CDC to restore stability after a year of leadership turnover and vaccine-policy fights under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., aiming for swift confirmation and a reset ahead of the midterms.
President Donald Trump nominated Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general and Coast Guard rear admiral, to lead the CDC, ending a months-long search. Schwartz must win Senate confirmation to take the job. She brings MD, JD, MPH credentials and a background in Navy and Public Health Service, and would replace acting director Jay Bhattacharya, whose tenure ended under the Vacancies Act after Susan Monarez’s brief tenure amid vaccine-policy clashes. The move comes amid ongoing public-health leadership turmoil and vaccine policy debates at the agency.
President Donald Trump nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz, a former deputy U.S. surgeon general, to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and named three other health officials, as the agency confronts ongoing vaccine policy changes and legal challenges under Health Secretary Kennedy. If confirmed, Schwartz would be the CDC’s permanent director, succeeding acting leadership after the position has been vacant since August, amid debates over vaccine schedules and scientific integrity.
President Trump nominated Erica Schwartz to be the director of the CDC, a role that would require Senate confirmation as the agency faces leadership upheaval under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general with Coast Guard service, would take over as acting leadership terms and vaccine policy debates continue to shape the agency’s direction.
Congress kicks off a grueling seven-hearing sprint to scrutinize RFK Jr.’s first year heading HHS and his 2027 budget, with Democrats pressing vaccine policy and Medicaid implications while Republicans weigh his MAHA reform agenda and NIH funding. Kennedy plans to spotlight nutrition reforms, drug-price moves, and budget transparency as he defends his policies and tries to show the receipts of his reforms ahead of the midterms.
A POLITICO/PUBLIC FIRST poll maps the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) coalition around Robert F. Kennedy Jr., profiling figures like Mehmet Oz, Marty Makary, Calley Means, Gwyneth Paltrow, and others who are shaping federal health policy—emphasizing nutrition over vaccines and revealing mixed public opinions about Kennedy and his aides.
After a court ruling paused Kennedy’s overhaul of the ACIP, the HHS-signed charter updates broaden the panel’s mandate to include vaccine safety risks and research gaps, expands membership expertise to include toxicology and vaccine-injury recovery, and allows non-voting liaisons from groups skeptical of vaccines. The changes come as Kennedy, who previously fired ACIP members, seeks to align policy with his anti-vaccine views; critics say the move advances “junk science” while HHS calls it a routine renewal. The charter also tasks ACIP with evaluating international vaccination schedules and enhancing safety surveillance.
Robert Malone, a Kennedy ally and member of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee (ACIP), resigns after a federal court blocked the panel’s controversial changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, effectively sidelining ACIP as questions linger over its future and a new CDC director is being nominated.