Trump nominees ought to ‘steer clear’ of undermining polio vaccine, McConnell says

Trump nominees ought to ‘steer clear’ of undermining polio vaccine, McConnell says

by Technology


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Senate Republican chief Mitch McConnell, a childhood polio survivor, stated any of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees looking for affirmation ought to “steer clear” of efforts to discredit the polio vaccine.

“Efforts to undermine public confidence in confirmed cures will not be simply uninformed — they’re harmful,” McConnell stated in a Friday assertion. “Anybody looking for the Senate’s consent to serve within the incoming Administration would do effectively to keep away from even the looks of affiliation with such efforts.”

The 82-year-old lawmaker’s assertion seemed to be directed at Trump’s nominee for well being secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after a report that one among his advisors filed a petition to revoke approval for the polio vaccine in 2022. It was an indication that Kennedy, who has lengthy superior the debunked concept that vaccines trigger autism, may face resistance within the soon-to-be GOP-controlled Senate.

“Mr. Kennedy believes the Polio Vaccine needs to be accessible to the general public and totally and correctly studied,” stated Katie Miller, the transition spokeswoman for Kennedy, in response to questions.

The New York Occasions reported Friday {that a} lawyer who helps Kennedy choose candidates for well being official positions filed a petition to get the federal government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine — extensively thought-about to have halted the illness in most elements of the world — and pause distribution of a number of different vaccines. The Washington Put up additionally confirmed the petition. The AP has not independently confirmed the petition, which was filed in 2022, in response to the Occasions.

Vaccines have been confirmed to be secure and efficient in laboratory testing and in real-world use in a whole lot of tens of millions of individuals over many years — they’re thought-about among the many only public well being measures in historical past.

McConnell contracted polio at 2 years outdated however survived, he stated Friday, due to “the miraculous mixture of contemporary drugs and a mom’s love.” He praised the “saving energy” of the polio vaccine for the “tens of millions who got here after me.”

Senate Democratic Chief Chuck Schumer additionally responded Friday to the Occasions report. In a submit on X, previously Twitter, he referred to as it “outrageous and harmful for folks within the Trump Transition to try to do away with the polio vaccine that has nearly eradicated polio in America and saved tens of millions of lives.

He referred to as on Kennedy to make clear his personal place on it.

Trump nominated Kennedy final month, saying he would work to guard People “from dangerous chemical compounds, pollution, pesticides, pharmaceutical merchandise, and meals components.”

However his nomination was instantly met with alarm from scientists and public well being officers, who worry Kennedy would unwind life-saving public well being initiatives, like vaccines.

Kennedy has pushed different conspiracy theories concerning vaccines, reminiscent of that COVID-19 may have been “ethnically focused” to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese language folks, feedback he later stated have been taken out of context. He has repeatedly introduced up the Holocaust when discussing vaccines and public well being mandates.

Kennedy stated he plans to remake the Division of Well being and Human Providers, an company with sprawling attain and a $1.3 trillion price range, if he’s authorised. He has recommended the Meals and Drug Administration is beholden to “large pharma,” and his anti-vaccine nonprofit has referred to as on it to cease utilizing COVID-19 vaccines.

Through the COVID-19 epidemic, his nonprofit group, Youngsters’s Well being Protection, petitioned the FDA to halt the usage of all COVID vaccines. The group has alleged that the FDA is beholden to “large pharma” as a result of it receives a lot of its price range from business charges and a few staff who’ve departed the company have gone on to work for drugmakers.

Youngsters’s Well being Protection at present has a lawsuit pending towards a lot of information organizations, amongst them The Related Press, accusing them of violating antitrust legal guidelines by taking motion to establish misinformation, together with about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took go away from the group when he introduced his run for president however is listed as one among its attorneys within the lawsuit.

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#Trump #nominees #steer #clear #undermining #polio #vaccine #McConnell


Moriah Balingit , 2024-12-14 21:53:00

Polio survivor Mitch McConnell slams ‘harmful’ push by RFK Jr lawyer to kill vaccine

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Outgoing Republican Senate chief and polio survivor Mitch McConnell on Friday condemned Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s lawyer’s “harmful” efforts to kill the polio vaccine.

Lawyer Aaron Siri in 2022 petitioned the Meals and Drug Administration to revoke its approval for a number of crucial childhood vaccines, together with the polio vaccine. Information of Siri’s motion resurfaced simply weeks after RFK Jr was named by President-elect Donald Trump as his choose to be secretary of Well being and Human Companies. Siri is at present serving to Kennedy vet officers to serve within the division.

Kennedy is understood for his excessive anti-vaccine positions that are broadly derided by the mainstream medical group. Siri’s petition claimed the vaccine was not correctly examined to make sure it was secure, regardless of its decade-long use defending tens of millions of youngsters from contracting the illness.

“The polio vaccine has saved tens of millions of lives and held out the promise of eradicating a horrible illness,” McConnell stated in an announcement following Siri’s motion. “Efforts to undermine public confidence in confirmed cures are usually not simply uninformed — they’re harmful.”

McConnell contracted polio as a toddler and stuggled with paralysis introduced on by the customarily deadly illness. To this present day he nonetheless grapples with stiffness in his legs.

“Like tens of millions of households earlier than them, my dad and mom knew the ache and concern of watching their baby battle with the life-altering analysis of polio,” McConnell stated in a assertion.

“From the age of two, regular life with out paralysis was solely potential for me due to the miraculous mixture of recent medication and a mom’s love. However for tens of millions who got here after me, the actual miracle was the saving energy of the polio vaccine.”

Neither Siri nor RFK Jr. instantly responded to McConnell’s assault.


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#Polio #survivor #Mitch #McConnell #slams #harmful #push #RFK #lawyer #kill #vaccine


Mary Papenfuss , 2024-12-14 04:22:00

Quad-demic fears spark vaccine surge after NHS warns of ‘tidal wave’ | UK | Information

by Technology

Bookings for flu and Covid jabs leapt by 124% in a single day after the NHS sounded the alarm over a “tidal wave” of infections hitting hospitals.

Well being chiefs warned yesterday that the variety of individuals in hospital with flu was at a document degree for this time of yr and had elevated by 70% week-on-week.

Some 21,144 individuals scrambled to get an appointment for a free NHS jab on Thursday, up from 9,452 on Wednesday.

NHS nationwide medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis mentioned: “We’re happy to have seen bookings for flu and Covid-19 jabs surge by 124% following worrying figures revealed yesterday a few tidal wave of seasonal viruses affecting hospitals.

“The NHS has plans in place to handle further demand over the busy winter interval however a pointy enhance in flu and Covid-19 sufferers needing hospital care will trigger important challenges.

“1000’s of additional individuals got here ahead yesterday for his or her winter jabs to assist them keep wholesome, however we nonetheless want 1000’s extra to do the identical.

“With lower than per week left to guide your vaccine, I’d urge anybody eligible who hasn’t made an appointment to get one booked or threat having to spend the festive season in mattress – or, worse nonetheless, in a hospital mattress.”

The warning got here because the NHS is going through a “quad-demic” – the mixed affect of flu, Covid, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Flu and Covid jab bookings made via the NHS App, NHS web site or the NHS’s nationwide name centre reached their highest every day complete of the month on Thursday, with a mean of 1 reserving each 4 seconds.

NHS sufferers can even guide straight with their native GP apply so the precise variety of appointments made on Thursday is prone to be considerably larger.

The nationwide reserving service will shut on the finish of the day on Thursday 19 December.

It’ll nonetheless be attainable to guide after that date via native NHS vaccination companies, like pharmacies or walk-in websites, however there will likely be fewer Covid-19 appointments, and sufferers could have to journey additional.

The UK flu season often peaks in December and January. A mean of 1,861 sufferers with flu have been in hospital day-after-day final week – up from 1,099 within the earlier week and three and a half instances larger than the identical time final yr.

The NHS can be rolling out a vaccine for RSV for the primary time in historical past, concentrating on pregnant girls and other people aged 75-79.


#Quaddemic #fears #spark #vaccine #surge #NHS #warns #tidal #wave #Information


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#Quaddemic #fears #spark #vaccine #surge #NHS #warns #tidal #wave #Information


Hanna Geissler , 2024-12-13 15:01:00

Nigeria_Malaria_Vaccine_66727.jpg

Hardest-hit Nigeria is newest African nation to supply malaria vaccine to younger youngsters

by Technology


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Ominike Marvis has misplaced depend of the variety of occasions her 6-year-old son has had malaria. So when Nigeria began providing a malaria vaccine, she was keen to guard her youngest baby.

She took the 6-month-old child to get his first shot at a well being middle in hard-hit Bayelsa state, the place the nation’s vaccination marketing campaign kicked off final week. The vaccine goals to forestall extreme diseases and deaths from the mosquito-borne illness.

“Not less than I do know he’s protected from it now,” Marvis, 31, stated.

Africa accounts for the overwhelming majority of malaria on the earth. Nigeria, the continent’s most populous nation, has the most important burden with a few quarter of the instances.

In response to a World Well being Group report launched Wednesday, there have been an estimated 263 million instances of malaria and 597,000 deaths worldwide final yr, largely in youngsters below 5. That’s 11 million extra malaria instances in comparison with 2022 with practically the identical variety of deaths.

“Nobody ought to die of malaria, but the illness continues to disproportionately hurt folks residing within the African area, particularly younger youngsters and pregnant girls,” stated WHO Director-Common Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, calling for extra assist.

There at the moment are 17 nations giving new malaria vaccines to younger youngsters, the WHO report stated. Nigeria started its marketing campaign final week, providing a vaccine developed by Oxford College.

Analysis suggests it’s greater than 75% efficient at stopping extreme illness and demise within the first yr and that safety is prolonged for at the very least one other yr with a booster.

Nigeria’s well being minister, Muhammad Ali Pate, known as the vaccination marketing campaign a “monumental step” within the nation’s efforts to get rid of malaria.

The illness is attributable to a parasite that’s unfold by mosquito bites. Consultants say different measures like mattress nets and insecticide spraying stay important to curb the illness.

Consultants say Nigeria’s inhabitants of greater than 210 million folks, in addition to its local weather, contribute to its excessive malaria burden, however so do different elements like poor sanitation and restricted instruments like handled mattress nets.

Moreover the dearth of funding, WHO report stated nations with malaria nonetheless grapple with fragile well being programs, weak surveillance and drug and insecticide resistance.

However progress has additionally been made on a number of fronts, the report stated, together with within the African area the place nations have achieved a 16% discount in malaria deaths since 2015. And in 83 nations the place malaria is current, 25 of them now report fewer than 10 instances a yr, the report stated.

Within the oil-rich however poor Bayelsa state, among the many worst-hit in Nigeria, malaria is so widespread in riverside communities that moms spoke of how nobody of their household has been spared.

“Right here, malaria is one thing we’re used to,” stated Claris Okah, a neighborhood well being employee.

Among the many challenges well being staff like Okah face is hesitancy amongst mother and father, so they’re educating households in regards to the new vaccine and different steps to forestall malaria.

“The vaccine is an effective factor,” Okah siad.

___

Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria.

___

The Related Press receives monetary assist for international well being and improvement protection in Africa from the Gates Basis. The AP is solely answerable for all content material. Discover AP’s requirements for working with philanthropies, an inventory of supporters and funded protection areas at AP.org.


#Hardesthit #Nigeria #newest #African #nation #present #malaria #vaccine #younger #youngsters


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Chinedu Asadu and Dan Ikpoyi , 2024-12-12 07:59:00

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Vaccine concentrating on widespread intestine micro organism E.coli might assist stop most cancers, scientists counsel

by Technology


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From reproductive rights to local weather change to Massive Tech, The Unbiased is on the bottom when the story is growing. Whether or not it is investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our newest documentary, ‘The A Phrase’, which shines a lightweight on the American ladies combating for reproductive rights, we all know how vital it’s to parse out the info from the messaging.

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Vaccines concentrating on widespread intestine micro organism E.coli might scale back charges of colon most cancers in nations such because the UK, scientists have urged.

Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute have urged increased charges of colorectal, bladder and prostate cancers throughout industrialised nations might partially be defined by two strains of E.coli which trigger excessive charges of urinary tract infections and bloodstream infections.

In a paper, printed in The Lancet, scientists counsel a vaccine or probiotic which prevents these two strains from circulating might scale back the danger of most cancers. Nevertheless, they stress additional investigation could be wanted.

Professor Jukka Corander, senior creator from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, College of Oslo and the College of Helsinki, stated: “We now have been utilizing large-scale genomics to trace E. coli strains throughout a number of nations for the final 5 years, utilizing information that goes again to the early 2000s.

“This has allowed us to begin to see the doable connections between two E.coli strains and most cancers incidence charges.”

She added, “by working along with most cancers and microbiome consultants, we’re hopeful that sooner or later this work would possibly result in new methods to eradicate colibactin-producing E. coli strains.

“Vaccines or different interventions that concentrate on these E.coli strains might supply enormous public well being advantages. Comparable to lowering the burden of infections and lessening the necessity for antibiotics to deal with these, in addition to lowering the danger of cancers that might be linked to the consequences of colibactin publicity.”

The micro organism, E. coli, is often discovered within the human intestine. Most strains of E. coli are innocent; nonetheless, if the bacterium will get into the bloodstream as a result of a weakened immune system it will possibly trigger infections, starting from gentle to life-threatening.

The 2 strains of E.coli checked out by the researchers are the main reason behind UTIs and bloodstream infections throughout industrialised nations. Additionally they counsel concentrating on these micro organism might scale back antibiotic medicine use in industrialised nations.

Utilizing genomic surveillance information from nations together with the UK, Norway, Pakistan and Bangladesh researchers tracked the completely different strains of E.coli.

Earlier premilitary analysis means that two strains E.coli can produce a substance referred to as colibactin which performs a task within the growth of cancers of the urinary tract and have been linked to tumour samples from colon most cancers sufferers.

Evaluating the charges of those strains with most cancers charges they discovered industrialised counties the place these strains circulated additionally had increased ranges of bowel, bladder and prostate cancers.

Nevertheless in nations corresponding to Bangladesh and Pakistan these strains of E.coli had been a lot rarer as had been incidences of bowel, bladder and prostate cancers.

The paper suggests additional large-scale investigation is required, together with wide-spread tumour sampling, to make clear the function of colibactin in most cancers.

Dr Tommi Mäklin, first creator of the research, from the College of Helsinki and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, stated: “E. coli could be discovered around the globe, in many alternative types, and understanding how strains of this micro organism impression people in another way may give us a extra full image of well being and illness.

“Gaining access to international genomic information on which strains are present in an space can uncover new traits and potentialities, corresponding to strains in industrialised nations doubtlessly being linked to the danger of sure cancers. We additionally must maintain guaranteeing that nations and areas around the globe are included in genomic surveillance analysis so that everybody advantages from new discoveries.”


#Vaccine #concentrating on #widespread #intestine #micro organism #E.coli #stop #most cancers #scientists #counsel


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Rebecca Thomas , 2024-12-04 23:52:00