VACCINES AND OUTBREAKS +++++

VACCINES AND OUTBREAKS Stat: In Vaccine Suit, DOJ Says RFK Jr. Can Choose Evidence, Experts https://www.statnews.com/2026/03/04/kennedy-vaccine-changes-pediatrician-lawsuit-latest-hearing/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8CkyGWaxw3FNCdnyZMaNGuFOJiomtHYcbizRS5U3LrXqoexL4CzJGB0XR7pwZxCJscj_ceN9n62e2DlXn9dPV1RXfOGA&_hsmi=407097068&utm_content=407097068&utm_source=hs_email How far can health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. go in remaking public health policy in his image? Could he, say, call on Americans to maximize their exposure to measles in a bid to reach herd immunity? The Department of Justice seems to think so. In defending the health secretary’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule and to the federal vaccine advisory committee in federal court on Wednesday, government lawyers said that Kennedy and other health officials have broad discretion to issue such guidance — and to choose the kinds of evidence to consider and the experts to consult. (Oza, 3/4) CIDRAP: Vaccine Integrity Project Kicks Off Evidence Review Of Tdap Vaccine In Pregnancy https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/vaccine-integrity-project/vaccine-integrity-project-kicks-evidence-review-tdap-vaccine-pregnancy?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_ao8QT7_5Xo-tdR10VFQTdXn3mdJnanbud_8fxY-48GJGhy21xOixVpDoMtPZA0MptRepK5_CeOQ3TPqVCyOnfV5JPng&_hsmi=407097068&utm_content=407097068&utm_source=hs_email The Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) today said it will independently review the safety and efficacy of the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccine in pregnancy. “For Tdap, the review will assess possible safety outcomes such as miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, pregnancy-related high blood pressure disorders, congenital anomalies, such as spina bifida, and newborn developmental outcomes, as well as reported data on effectiveness in preventing tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough) in pregnant adults and newborns,” the VIP press release said. (Van Beusekom, 3/4) CIDRAP: RNA Vaccine Funding Cuts Threaten Decades Of Scientific Progress https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/rna-vaccine-funding-cuts-threaten-decades-scientific-progress?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8Mp8lSnsfMLcyO12XoY2VaV1BTVVgtMh86giMB6a_7fv1LiOV8n2yonM1F6DyQ8QWFF6aaTasMQUYuK7awKwGIPoKLxw&_hsmi=407097068&utm_content=407097068&utm_source=hs_email Federal investment in RNA vaccine research has supported nearly three decades of scientific work spanning infectious diseases, cancer, and vaccine development, but recent and proposed funding cuts threaten to stall that progress, according to a cross-sectional study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (Bergeson, 3/4) CBS News: Colorado Officials Declare Measles Outbreak In Adams County After Third Person Connected To School Contracts Illness https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-declare-measles-outbreak-third-person-broomfield-high-school/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9JDHCMuDg8C4GU7Mah2Hh35SU2FkRMi6qQfstzx6FyNVhioB2LndIbTvFk4EjMKjMiurzwLM3KvxWa7Fyns2BUwm6_RA&_hsmi=407097068&utm_content=407097068&utm_source=hs_email Colorado health officials declared a measles outbreak in Adams County on Wednesday after a third person connected to Broomfield High School contracted the illness. The new case marks the third case among three unvaccinated people, two of whom are confirmed to be students at the school, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an outbreak as a cluster of three or more related cases. (Erblat, 3/4) CBS News: 2 Unvaccinated Sacramento County Children Diagnosed With Measles, Health Officials Say https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/sacramento-county-2026-first-measles-cases/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9njnvSz9wRKdpzUQK41E9CIGaT3n_0dAGLXEFglKkugRHGTF1XT2p7vxfTnYip1sX10-1KbS47YfTbnAa7VF8UOrSV2w&_hsmi=407097068&utm_content=407097068&utm_source=hs_email Public health officials say they've confirmed two cases of measles in Sacramento County. On Wednesday, Sacramento County Public Health announced it had confirmed cases of measles in two unvaccinated children – with one of the cases being linked to South Carolina. (Padilla, 3/4)