CDC Funded Pro-COVID Vaccine Podcasts and Ad Campaigns
Nonprofit organizations received millions of taxpayer dollars from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support vaccine-confidence initiatives that included podcasts, paid social media advertisements, and other advertising campaigns designed to influence public attitudes toward COVID-19 shots and encourage Americans to comply with federal COVID shot recommendations and mandates. Among the initiatives […]
Federal Appeals Court Questions Judge’s Block of Kennedy’s Vaccine Advisory Committee Appointments
A U.S. federal appeals court has questioned the authority of a Massachusetts judge who suspended 13 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a federal vaccine advisory committee appointed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the First Circuit heard […]
New Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccine Developed by South Korean Company
South Korean biotechnology company Optipharm is developing vaccines to reduce the country’s reliance on imported biological products. The company is also researching the use of genetically modified pig organs for human transplantation. The two projects use different technologies and target different problems. Optipharm is developing vaccines using virus-like particles, or VLPs, while its transplant research […]
Public Confidence in Measles Vaccine Falls in U.S.
Public confidence in the safety of measles vaccines has declined in the United States, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The survey found that 76 percent of people in the U.S. consider the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine safe for children. That figure was 84 percent in a similar Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in May […]
Moderna/Merck Personalized mRNA Melanoma Cancer Shot Uses AI-Generated Design
A personalized mRNA melanoma cancer shot developed by Moderna and Merck using an AI generated design has met the primary endpoint in a late-stage phase 3 clinical trial.1 In August, the two pharmaceutical giants reported that, when combined with an existing treatment, the vaccine reduced the risk of melanoma returning or spreading. Cancer experts are enthusiastic […]
Kindergarten Vaccine Exemptions in U.S. Increase, But Vaccine Uptake Rates Decline Only Slightly
The percentage of children entering kindergarten with exemptions from required vaccines increased during the 2025-2026 school year, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) but vaccine uptake rates for children only declined slightly. The national vaccine exemption rate rose to 4.2 percent, up from 3.6 percent last year. The […]