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Straits Times
12-06-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Kennedy replaces fired US CDC panel members, includes anti-vaccine proponents
US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr alleged that the prior panel members had conflicts of interest. PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON - US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr named eight members to serve on a key panel of vaccine advisers on June 11, including several who have advocated against vaccines, after abruptly firing all 17 members of the independent committee of experts. They will sit on the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee for Immunisation Practices, which advises the agency on who should get the shots after they are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The group of eight - the minimum number allowed by the ACIP founding charter - includes four who have previously worked on committees associated with either the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, or both. Others have published papers, posted on social media, or written online biographies with anti-vaccine views, including against the mRNA vaccine technology used in some of the newest immunizations such as the Covid-19 vaccine. Among them is Mr Robert Malone, one of the most prominent voices opposing mRNA vaccines. He is aligned with Mr Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement. The group also includes Mr Joseph Hibbeln, Mr Martin Kulldorff, Mr Retsef Levi, Mr Cody Meissner, Mr James Pagano, Mr Vicky Pebsworth and Mr Michael Ross. Mr Kennedy, who has long questioned the safety of vaccines contrary to scientific evidence, alleged that the prior panel members, many of whom were appointed by President Joe Biden, had conflicts of interest, without providing evidence of specific members' conflicts. He said the move was necessary 'to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science'. Committee members said their ACIP work follows rigorous vetting of their financial ties and that they must abstain from votes on any vaccine for which they have a conflict. Mr Kennedy said on X that the panel would attend the committee's June 25 meeting. Advisers had been expected to deliberate and vote on who should receive a number of vaccines, including the flu shot and 2025-26 Covid-19 vaccine boosters, and the meeting had been slated for June 25-27. No agenda has been published yet. Shares of vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer, which both produced mRNA Covid vaccines, fell marginally while those of Novavax, which did not utilise mRNA in its vaccine, rose marginally in after-hours trading. New members It is unclear how new members of the panel have been vetted for conflicts of interest, or when the vetting process began. Mr Meissner and Mr Pebsworth have served on the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, and Mr Meissner also previously served on ACIP. Mr Pebsworth is now associated with the National Vaccine Information Centre, a group that advocates for vaccine exemptions and educates about vaccine injury. Mr Kulldorff is an architect of the Great Barrington Declaration, which called for a lighter public health response to Covid-19 in October 2020, and previously served on an ACIP vaccine safety subgroup. Mr Levi has in the past said mRNA vaccines can cause serious harm and death, especially among children, and called for their immediate withdrawal. Mr Ross, a professor at George Washington University, is an operating partner of Havencrest Capital Management, a firm focused on healthcare investments, according to its website. The FDA has found that the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines are generally safe and effective, but Commissioner Marty Makary has questioned the benefit of repeated annual shots for healthy, younger Americans. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
New Straits Times
07-06-2025
- Health
- New Straits Times
Brain-eating amoeba linked to camper's death
TEXAS: A woman from the United States (US) died from an infection after using tap water from a recreational vehicle's water system at a campsite in Texas with a nasal irrigation device. US news outlet CBS News reported that the 71-year-old woman had previously been healthy before developing severe symptoms, including fever, headache and altered mental status, within four days of using the device. According to a report published by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rare but often fatal brain infection, called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), was caused by the Naegleria fowleri organism. Despite medical treatment for a suspected PAM infection, she developed seizures and died eight days after the onset of symptoms. The US news outlet also reported that PAM is typically associated with recreational water activities, as the amoeba thrives in warm freshwater lakes, rivers and hot springs. Infection may occur if water containing the amoeba enters the nose and reaches the brain. The CDC recommends using distilled, sterile, or previously boiled and cooled tap water for nasal irrigation. When engaging in freshwater activities, the agency also advises using a nose clip or keeping one's head above water. The agency noted that the infection cannot be spread by drinking contaminated water or through person-to-person contact.
NDTV
04-06-2025
- General
- NDTV
US Woman Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba After Using Tap Water For Nasal Rinse
A 71-year-old woman in Texas has died after contracting a rare but deadly brain infection linked to a nasal irrigation device, according to a report by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The woman, previously in good health, developed severe neurological symptoms days after rinsing her sinuses with water from an RV's supply at a campground in Texas. The water, which had not been boiled or sterilised, was likely contaminated with Naegleria fowleri - commonly known as the brain-eating amoeba, the People reported. According to the CDC, the woman began showing symptoms such as fever, headache, and confusion within four days of using the nasal rinse. Despite receiving treatment for primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), the infection progressed rapidly. She suffered seizures and died eight days after the first symptoms appeared. PAM is an extremely rare but almost always fatal infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, a microscopic amoeba that typically enters the body through the nose when people swim or bathe in warm freshwater. It can also infect individuals who use tap or untreated water for nasal rinsing. Although the amoeba was not directly found in the RV's water system, the CDC noted that the water was "inadequately disinfected." This case serves as a warning about the importance of using only sterile, distilled, or properly boiled and cooled water for nasal irrigation. The CDC has documented just 164 PAM infections in the US between 1962 and 2023. Only four people have survived. Health officials advise the public to avoid using untreated tap water for sinus rinses and to be cautious when swimming in warm freshwater lakes or hot springs, where the amoeba thrives.
AsiaOne
31-05-2025
- Health
- AsiaOne
US CDC continues to recommend Covid-19 vaccines for children, contradicts Kennedy, World News
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said Covid-19 vaccines remain an option for healthy children when parents and doctors agree that it is needed, stopping short of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s announcement that the agency would remove the shots from its immunization schedule. In a schedule published late on Thursday (May 27), the CDC said any Covid-19 vaccination in healthy children aged 6 months to 17 years should follow "shared clinical decision-making" between a child's parents and their healthcare provider. It had previously recommended updated Covid-19 vaccines for everyone aged six months and older, following the guidance of its panel of outside experts. "Where the parent presents with a desire for their child to be vaccinated, children 6 months and older may receive Covid-19 vaccination, informed by the clinical judgment of a healthcare provider and personal preference and circumstances," the CDC notice said. It provides instructions for administering the shots to healthy children by age group, from infants to teenagers. Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic who oversees the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, had said on Tuesday the recommendations would be dropped. "As of today, the Covid-19 vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule," Kennedy said in a video posted on the X platform. A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said there was no contradiction between Kennedy's statement and the CDC schedule, which no longer provides a broad recommendation for healthy children. Kennedy's announcement prompted criticism from medical experts who said the health secretary circumvented the government's decision-making process on vaccines and could prevent health insurance coverage for Covid-19 shots to vulnerable Americans. The Infectious Diseases Society of America said on Tuesday that removing the recommendation "does the opposite of what Americans have been asking for when it comes to their health - it takes away choices and will negatively impact them." It added infants and children may "develop severe disease and may suffer from prolonged symptoms due to long Covid-19, which can negatively impact their development." [[nid:718567]] Nearly 1,900 children up to 18 years of age died of Covid0-19 in the US, according to CDC estimates updated in 2023. The makers of Covid-19 vaccines available in the US - Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax - did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Traditionally, the CDC's Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices would meet and vote on changes to the immunization schedule or recommendations on who should get vaccines before the agency's director made a final call. The committee had not voted on the changes announced by Kennedy. Last week, the FDA said it plans to require new clinical trials for approval of annual Covid-19 boosters for healthy Americans under 65, effectively limiting them to older adults and those at risk of developing severe illness.
IOL News
23-05-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Myocarditis and the Covid vaccine: Global cover-up exposed in new US report
South Africans were kept in the dark over heart risks linked to mRNA vaccines, says a new US report. Image: File picture As the world scrambled to roll out Covid-19 vaccines in 2021, millions of South Africans received mRNA jabs with confidence — unaware that top US health officials were sitting on growing concerns about serious heart-related side effects. A damning new report by US Senator Ron Johnson reveals that American authorities were alerted to a potential link between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and conditions like myocarditis and pericarditis as early as February 2021, yet delayed warning the public for months. Implications for South Africa Now, as South Africans report similar complications, questions are being raised about whether local authorities were also kept in the dark — and what that has meant for informed consent. As many South Africans continue to report post-vaccine complications, the findings have reignited concerns around the adequacy of information provided to the public during the country's rollout. For those who experienced symptoms like heart inflammation, the silence from health authorities now feels like a betrayal. According to the 54-page interim report, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were aware of 'large reports of myocarditis' among young vaccine recipients, but only moved to update the vaccine safety labels in late June 2021. This means millions of people across the globe — including in South Africa — received mRNA shots without being informed of these potential risks. 'Even though CDC and FDA officials were well aware of the risk of myocarditis following Covid-19 vaccination, the US administration opted to withhold issuing a formal warning to the public for months about the safety concerns,' the report states. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ What is Myocarditis? Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, inflammation of the sac around the heart, can cause chest pain, irregular heart rhythms, and in rare cases, long-term cardiac damage. Myopericarditis, a combination of both, has also been reported. While these side effects are rare, they appear more frequently in young males and often emerge shortly after the second dose of the vaccine. South Africa relied heavily on Pfizer's mRNA vaccine during its national rollout. The US report raises concerns about whether international partners like South Africa received the necessary data to make timely and transparent decisions about public health messaging. If US authorities withheld warnings, were local health departments in a position to issue appropriate guidance — or were they operating under incomplete information? One pivotal moment came on 28 February 2021, when an Israeli health official contacted the CDC and FDA to flag 40 cases of post-vaccination myocarditis in young people. Despite the warning and Israel's significantly higher vaccination rate at the time, the US chose not to act publicly for several more months. During this silence, frontline doctors who attempted to raise red flags about the potential risks were reportedly censored or discredited. 'Around the time of internal CDC deliberations over myocarditis,' Senator Johnson writes, 'his office received a growing number of letters from doctors and other healthcare professionals who experienced suppression and censoring of this information they were experiencing.' Eventually, on June 25, 2021, the FDA added warnings to the Pfizer and Moderna labels about the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis. But by then, millions of people — including many South Africans — had already been vaccinated without that knowledge. The report's release comes just a day after the FDA announced tighter requirements for booster shot administration, adding further fuel to the debate about transparency, trust, and accountability in the global vaccine effort. This report is not just about what the US did or didn't do — it's a global wake-up call about the need for honesty and accountability when it comes to public health, especially when the stakes are life and death. IOL Lifestyle Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
