Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Researchers Find That 1 Dose Of HPV Vaccine Is Just As Effective As 2
A clinical trial run by the National Cancer Institute seems to confirm that a single dose of the vaccine used to prevent infection with the human papilloma virus is just as effective as two — and, therefore, also helps to prevent cancer. (Herper, 4/28)
A closely watched clinical trial testing what could be the world’s first new tuberculosis vaccine in a century has hit its enrollment target, ahead of expectations. (Joseph, 4/28)
When Marty Makary was tapped to lead the Food and Drug Administration, public health experts hoped the Johns Hopkins physician would shield the agency from the vaccine criticism of his boss, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. So far, that hasn’t been the case. Instead, Makary seems just as willing to use his power and position to more harshly scrutinize vaccines and to shift vaccination policy. (Lawrence, 4/29)
On measles and flu —
Virginia public health officials on Monday released more detail on the areas in local medical facilities where people may have been exposed to a young child with the state’s first 2025 case of measles, a highly contagious disease on the rise across the nation. The child, who was described as age 4 or younger, was contagious while visiting Kaiser Permanente medical facilities in Fredericksburg and Woodbridge on two days in mid-April, according to a statement from the Virginia Department of Health. (Portnoy, 4/28)
Measles cases across Europe were up 10-fold in 2024 compared to 2023, while cases in the Americas so far this year are 11-fold higher, according to updates today from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, the ECDC said the 2024 measles cases in the European region followed a seasonal pattern, which was not noted in 2021 through 2023. In 2024, a total of 35,212 measles cases were reported across the European region, compared to 3,973 in 2023. The reports come as US states continue to confirm more infections. (Soucheray, 4/28)
A new survey of pediatricians shows less than half adhere to national recommendations for oseltamivir (Tamiflu) prescribing for children hospitalized with flu, and suggests randomized control trials of the antiviral drug in the pediatric population would help increase uptake. The study was published late last week in Pediatrics, and is based on survey results from 787 physicians from five specialties working at seven US children's hospitals from March to June 2024. (Soucheray, 4/28)
