Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social

3 hours ago

“We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” Secretary Kennedy said earlier this week, when he announced he was discontinuing #BARDA investments in #mRNA vaccines. More on the science he relied on. www.statnews.com/2025/08/08/k...

HHS cites list of studies as scientific justification for cancellation of mRNA vaccine contracts

HHS officials are citing an extensive list of studies purported to document harms caused by mRNA vaccines as scientific justification for canceling contracts.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social

3 hours ago

#FDA 's new drug czar (who is also acting biologics czar) tried to reassure the regulatory agency's concerned staff in meetings this week. But it sounds like George Tidmarsh may not be the salvation of FDA's advisory committees. @lizzylawrence.bsky.social reports. www.statnews.com/2025/08/08/f...

In internal FDA town hall, employees raise concerns about staffing, impromptu expert meetings

Exclusive: FDA employees, in a town hall after the ouster of Vinay Prasad, asked about unusual meetings and staff shortages. "We are struggling," one said.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social

8 hours ago

Actually, getting flu vaccine too early isn't the best idea, unless there is evidence of an early start to flu season. My local pharmacy is urging me to get a shot now; "Beat the rush." Given that flu activity generally peaks around Christmas or later in the N. Hemisphere, better to wait till Oct.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social

8 hours ago

#CDC has been informed of another pediatric #flu death in the 2024-25 season. That makes 267 children who died from flu this season. Such a tragedy. 90% of these kids (of those for whom vax status is known) weren't vaccinated, up from 82% in 2023-24. www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social

1 day ago

Yes, it is.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social

1 day ago

Axing #BARDA funding for research on #mRNA vaccines is not just a problem for pandemic preparedness, it's a national security threat, experts in that area tell STAT. “We're unilaterally disarming ourselves" — and advertising that fact. www.statnews.com/2025/08/07/k...

Kennedy’s rejection of mRNA vaccines thwarts scientific progress — and threatens national security, experts say

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to discontinue funding for mRNA vaccines has alarmed scientists. But it is also a matter of national security, experts say.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social

3 days ago

Pandemic preparedness in the US has been leveled a crippling blow with the cancellation of multiple #BARDA contracts to help develop mRNA vaccines. No other vaccine platform produces vaccine so quickly; without mRNA, Americans will have a long wait for pandemic vax. www.statnews.com/2025/08/05/m...

Health secretary RFK Jr. shuts door on U.S. investment in mRNA vaccine research

Vaccine experts and people steeped in pandemic preparedness expressed horror at the news that RFK Jr. has shut the door in U.S. investment in mRNA vaccine research.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social

4 days ago

The #USPSTF, which is under fire from the HHS secretary, lowered the age at which it recommended colorectal cancer screening to 45 from 50 in 2021, because more cases of advanced cancer were being seen in younger adults. New studies suggest the new policy is working. www.statnews.com/2025/08/04/c...

Screening guideline change led to more colorectal cancers being detected early in younger adults

Two new studies show that colorectal cancer screening sharply increased for people ages 45 to 49 after the age recommendation changed in 2021.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social

4 days ago

The @gatesfoundation.bsky.social will spend an additional $2.5B on women's health issues over the next 5 years. @matthewherper.bsky.social has the details. www.statnews.com/2025/08/04/b...

Gates Foundation pledges $2.5 billion to women’s health initiatives

Breaking: The Gates Foundation said it would commit $2.5 billion through 2030 to support women’s health initiatives, its largest funding commitment ever to the issue.

Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social

4 days ago

#USDA reports another #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy herd in California, the 771st such detection in the state. The cumulative national total of detected/confirmed herds is 1,078 in 17 states. The true number of infected herds? Who knows? www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...