CDC Committee No Longer Recommends MMRV Vaccine for Children Under Four
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met on Sept. 18-19, 2025 to review recommendations on childhood vaccines, including the combined live virus measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) shot, marketed under the brand name ProQuad®. In a notable shift, the panel voted not to recommend the […]
Depo-Provera Birth Control Injection Linked to 53 Percent Greater Brain Tumor Risk
A substantial body of research has linked a popular birth control injection—medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), marketed under the brand name Depo-Provera®—to meningiomas, the most common type of brain tumor. While meningiomas are typically classified as benign, untreated tumors or atypical and malignant cases can still grow aggressively and lead to life-threatening complications such as increased intracranial […]
FDA Suspends Chikungunya Vaccine Over Safety Concerns
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Aug. 22, 2025 that it has suspended the license for French drugmaker Valneva’s chikungunya vaccine, warning that its continued use “poses a danger to public health” following a risk–benefit analysis conducted by the agency’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). The decision came after reports […]
U.S. Government Will Revive 1990s-Era Childhood Vaccine Safety Task Force
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced on Aug. 14, 2025 that it would be reviving a Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines that was created under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 but was disbanded in 1998. The task force was “a federal panel created by Congress to improve […]
DHHS Cancels $500 Million in Funding for mRNA Vaccine Development
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced on Aug. 5, 2025 that DHHS is canceling $500 million in vaccine development projects, specifically those using mRNA technology. The decision affects 22 projects, including contracts with Emory University and Tiba Biotech. Proposals from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, Gritstone, and others […]
COVID-19 Boosters Linked to More Illness and Absenteeism in Health Care Workers
A new peer-reviewed Swiss study has found that recent COVID-19 booster shots were linked to higher short-term illness risk and absenteeism among health care workers, raising questions about he benefits of universal booster campaigns, particularly in populations at low risk for COVID complications. The cohort study was published on Aug. 9, 2025 in the journal […]