Two days of vaccine torture meeting on the disease control and prevention center was carried out smoothly.
TAMI Chappell/Getty Images/AFP
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TAMI Chappell/Getty Images/AFP
Despite the concern that the administration would be confused with the vaccine advisor committee and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the first public meeting was followed by President Trump’s inauguration.
Members of the Vaccination Advisory Committee have decided to expand the options of the meningococcal vaccine and lower the recommendation age so that the RSV vaccine will include people between 50 and 59 years old with certain risk factors. They also voted to recommend a tropical disease Chikungunya vaccine for travelers or laboratory employees who could be exposed to viruses.
These recommendations are delivered to the CDC director, and he usually pays attention to them, but ultimately determines whether they will be a policy.
The committee members also watched the same topics such as the flu and cobed vaccine, which will be more officially considered at the next open meeting. Scheduled in June.
Constant adjustment meetings raise concerns
For two days, members have asked questions to polish the risks and benefits of other vaccines through detailed presentations on data and modeling from MPOX to the flu, covid and chikungunya. The presenter and the members of the committee dig into the technical details, and the meeting sometimes gained weeds.
The committee was scheduled to be held in February, but the event was postponed immediately after confirmation by Robert F. Kennedy JR. as the Minister of Health and Welfare supervising the CDC. Acting has raised concerns about possible interference.
Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester, the Democratic Democratic Party from Delaware, said, “It is a good idea to resume the process of ACIP to provide a window for the future of the vaccine policy of our country in an age of uncertainty.” “As the US faces measles and changing political environments, the public deserves transparency.”
A epidemiologist and data scientist, KateLynn Jetelina, said, “It seems sad that there is almost no business as usual, and it is sad to have news value.”
Nevertheless, Jetelina said that there is a nuance that reflects the change of the Trump administration over the past few months. The Trump team deeply cut funds and resources for public health. The administration also raised the individual who questioned the safety and efficacy of the vaccine despite the strong evidence of the location of the effects of research and policy for the safety and efficacy of vaccines.
Resource cuts were clear
Some effects were obvious from the beginning. The technical problem was that the beginning of the meeting was harassed and a new connection with the public live stream was needed. “As you can see, there have been some changes as the recent forced forced to include our communication group, so I ask you to be patient.” Dr. Keipp Talbot, Medical professor and committee chairman of Vanderbilt University.
Reduction of resources was the best for some members of the committee. Charlotte Moser, co -director of the Vaccine Training Center at the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital, surveyed the decrease in the ability to evaluate how safe the CDC’s safe vaccine is and how well it works.
“All of these (data collection systems) still support the funds for the next season after actively collecting data through this season and expecting the next season?” Moser asked after the presentation of the effect of the flu vaccine 2024-2025. In response, SASCHA Ellington, a CDC epidemic scholar, said three of the four flu vaccine monitoring networks will continue to operate and one will be closed.
According to the CDC announcement, the cuts of funds also affect the reaction to the ongoing measles in Texas.
This outbreak began in late January and has grown to more than 600 cases throughout Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Dr. David Sugergan, chief scientist of CDC, said, “In particular, many resource requests are coming from Texas.” The state has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in public health funds as a federal claw of the Covid Fund, which began at the end of last month. “Estimation of measles can be $ 30,000- $ 50,000 for public health response work, which increases very quickly.”
Committee member Suny Downstate School of Public Health School of Public Health School of Community Health Sciences, a professor at the committee, worked in 2018, including the 2018 New York City measles. More than $ 8 million Take control.
New FDA staff raises safety issues
In addition to members of the official committee, members of the US health agency and professional medical groups attend.
For this meeting, the Food Pharmacy represented the recommendation of CDC by Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg, a special assistant of the commissioner. Kobid’s school finish. She was informed by Dr. Peter Marks, the best vaccine controller of the FDA, which had to be resigned in March.
Høeg questioned the safety of vaccine and raised concerns at this week’s meeting. According to the presentation of the research TeenagerHøeg said: “They excluded youths with serious heart conditions and serious medical conditions. So I think it is important for the provider to keep in mind. We do not actually know the safety of the youth.”
Høeg asked in a presentation on influenza vaccine efficacy about “prejudice of estimation,” and insisted that people who were vaccinated could be expressed excessive because they are likely to find a test. The CDC staff said that their research was designed to explain this type of prejudice. Dr. Aaron Frutos, a epidemiologist of CDC, said, “We are convinced that the influence of prejudice is minimized and the estimates are correct.
Disclosure opinion on committee support
According to a HHS spokesman at the time, when HHS postponed a meeting in February, the reason was, “We must accept the public opinion before the meeting.”
Those chosen by lottery during the disclosure period of the meeting praised the committee’s work. Angela Rasmussen, a viral scholar of the University of Saskatchewan, said, “They play a very important role in being strictly reviewed by scientists who are qualified for the vaccine recommendation.” vaccine. “In a transparent and comprehensive way that the public can observe and participate, it is essential for public trust and responsibility.”
