The Trump administration cancelled about $500 million for research into mRNA vaccines. The move slows progress in using the technology to prevent a future pandemic or treat disease, experts say.
public health
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CDC to disburse delayed funds for fighting fentanyl and more, staffers say
Much of the public health agency’s $9 billion budget had been in limbo but funds are finally flowing, according to CDC staffers, including for a key overdose prevention program.
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An FDA panel spread misinformation about SSRI use in pregnancy, alarming doctors
A panel organized by the FDA cast doubts on the safety of antidepressants during pregnancy — drawing ire from doctors who say SSRIs are a crucial treatment option for women with perinatal depression.
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Senators introduce resolution supporting prevention task force RFK Jr. may disband
The task force makes recommendations for medical screenings that doctors’ groups rely on and that guide what preventive services most insurance covers without copay.
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How a friend’s overdose drove a leading addiction scientist to look for answers
After Nabarun Dasgupta lost a close friend to an overdose, he dedicated himself to addiction research and trying to empower drug users with lifesaving information.
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4 things to know about the vaccine ingredient thimerosal
Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against flu shots containing the ingredient thimerosal. Why is the additive, safely used since the 1930s, being questioned again?
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In effort to protect children, France bans smoking at parks and beaches
Smokers are no longer allowed to light up in public parks, at swimming pools, or at beaches, or “anywhere children may be present,” said French health and family minister Catherine Vautrin.
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RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisers raise disproven fears about the preservative thimerosal
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted on the flu vaccine, raising concerns about a rarely used preservative. Medical groups worry this will “sow distrust” in vaccines.
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Expert panel picked by RFK Jr. will scrutinize the vaccine schedule for kids
The advisory committee makes recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the nation’s vaccine schedule. Any changes could affect vaccinations for millions of children.
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RFK Jr.’s picks for CDC vaccine advisers meet this week amid controversy
For the first time since Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaced all the members of the vaccine committee, it is meeting in Atlanta.
