U.S. Researcher Wins $1.9 Million USDA Grant to Develop Novel Bird Flu Vaccine
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has awarded a three-year, $1.9 million grant to a researcher at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the College of Veterinary Medicine to develop a novel vaccine against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) (“bird flu”) and Newcastle disease—another fatal, viral […]
Texas Attorney General Investigates Doctors Receiving Money Incentives to Vaccinate Children
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently announced that his office has opened an investigation into financial incentives connected to doctors administering vaccines to children. Paxton said the probe will examine pediatricians, insurers, vaccine manufacturers, and other entities that may have engaged in deceptive or unlawful conduct by failing to disclose financial incentives tied to the […]
American Medical Association Launches Its Own Vaccine Review Process
The American Medical Association (AMA), a medical trade advocacy association, is partnering with a vaccine research group to launch what it describes as an independent, “evidence-based review process” for respiratory vaccines for the next flu season—a role traditionally carried out by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).1 2 According to a prepared […]
Changes in Eye Health Linked to mRNA COVID-19 Shots
A recent prospective study published in 2025 in Ophthalmic Epidemiology has identified measurable changes in the cornea of the eye following receipt of mRNA COVID-19 biological, raising new questions about potential effects on eye health. Researchers observed differences in corneal thickness and endothelial cell characteristics in healthy adults after two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech’s Comirnaty COVID […]
Medical School Enrollment at Record High as Physician Shortage Looms
Medical schools in the United States saw the highest number of student enrollments on record in 2025, according to new data from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The AAMC reported that medical schools enrolled 100,723 students for the 2025–26 academic year, up 1.3 percent from the prior year, marking a rebound after a […]
Nipah Virus Cases in Asia Increase Pressure to Develop a Vaccine
On Jan. 26, 2026, the government of India confirmed two cases of Nipah virus (NiV) infection in its state of West Bengal. Both cases involved health care workers in a hospital in the district of North 24 Parganas. One of the individuals died after being hospitalized on Jan. 28. Contact tracing linked a total of […]