NewzIntel.com

Category: COVID-19 Vaccine

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Online portal for COVID-19 Inquiry opens

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is welcoming the opening of an online portal for the public to submit to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 Lessons Learned.

    “The portal is an easy way for members of the public to have their say to the Inquiry about how the response to the COVID-19 pandemic affected them, their families, and their businesses. The terms or reference covered by Phase 2 of the Inquiry includes the use of vaccines, lockdowns, testing, and public health materials,” says Ms van Velden.

    Last year the Government announced that there would be a second phase of the Inquiry into COVID-19 covering outstanding matters of public concern. Both the ACT-National and New Zealand First-National coalition agreements include commitments to expand the Inquiry into COVID-19. Phase 2 of the Inquiry began on 29 November and will deliver the final report in February 2026. 

    Any member of the public can submit to the Inquiry using the portal at www.covid19inquiry.nz. Submissions close at midnight on 27 April 2025.

    “I would strongly encourage New Zealanders to have their say by making a submission to the Inquiry. I look forward to seeing the final report delivered to me in February 2026.”

    The full terms of reference for Phase 2 of the Inquiry is available here: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2022/0323/latest/LMS792965.html

    Note to Editors:

    The Phase 1 report is publicly available at the Royal Commission’s website. [https://www.covid19lessons.royalcommission.nz/]

    Bios for the Commissioners:

    Grant Illingworth KC (Chair)

    Mr Illingworth is a litigation specialist, and he has conducted his own practice since 1975. During this time, he has conducted a wide range of civil, criminal, and immigration cases, and tribunal proceedings. Mr Illingworth has appeared as counsel at every level of the New Zealand legal system, including in the Court of Appeal, Privy Council, and the Supreme Court.

    His area of expertise is in public law, including constitutional law, administrative law, and judicial review. He has experience in tribunal proceedings, particularly disciplinary proceedings for medical, legal, and accountancy professions. Mr Illingworth has acted as counsel in proceedings involving two constitutional crises in Fiji.

    Judy Kavanagh (Commissioner)

    Ms Kavanagh is a public policy professional with experience and expertise in evaluating evidence and in making evidence-based policy recommendations to Government. She has held Director of Inquiries roles including at the Infrastructure Commission and ten years at the Productivity Commission. She has a background in economics with a particular interest in urban economics, infrastructure pricing and policy. Ms Kavanagh worked as a lecturer in Economics for fifteen years and produced research on regulatory systems.

    Anthony Hill (Commissioner)

    Mr Hill is a practicing barrister, and has a background in health and disability sectors, having held senior positions at the Ministry of Health for 15 years. Mr Hill served as the Health and Disability Commissioner for 10 years, after six years as a Deputy Director-General of Health. This involved oversight of the funding and performance of the District Health Boards, and a range of health crown entities. He also served as the Ministry of Health’s chief legal counsel and was a solicitor with the Ministry of Commerce.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Africa – Sudan malnutrition crisis: MSF renews call for immediate action to prevent death and starvation

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

    3 February, 2025: International donors, the UN, Sudan’s warring parties and their allies must act now to prevent even more avoidable deaths from malnutrition in Sudan, as the already catastrophic situation is expected to worsen this year, according to Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

    Half of Sudan’s population faces high levels of acute food insecurity (24.6 million people), among whom 8.5 million people face an emergency or famine-like situation according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report. “Despite this new wake-up call, robust humanitarian and diplomatic mobilisation to act on aid deliveries has fallen far short of the needs. To provide only those in the most extreme situation with monthly food rations, 2,500 aid trucks per month would be required, whereas only about 1,150 crossed into Darfur between August and December”, says Stephane Doyon, MSF operations manager.

    MSF has released data showing horrific rates of malnutrition in multiple locations, both at the height of Sudan’s lean season last year and as recently as December 2024. The conflict-driven malnutrition crisis has been exacerbated by the continued obstruction of aid by both of Sudan’s warring parties and by the neglectful inertia of the UN and aid system in Darfur. With the seasonal hunger gap coming in May, decisive action must be taken now.

     “Parts of Sudan are difficult to work in. But it is certainly possible, and this is what humanitarian organisations and the UN are supposed to do,” says Marcella Kraay, MSF emergency coordinator, speaking from Nyala, South Darfur state.

    “In places that are easier to access, as well as in the hardest to reach areas like North Darfur, options like air routes remain unexplored. The failure to act is a choice, and it’s killing people,” Kraay continued.

    The malnutrition crisis has been acknowledged for some time, with the UN in October warning that “never in history have so many people faced starvation and famine as in Sudan today.”[1]

    Moving supplies will become an even more difficult task during the upcoming rainy and lean season, when flooded dirt roads become impossible to navigate. A wide-scale humanitarian response must be launched now, including by drastically increasing available funding and logistical capacities, securing food pipelines and prepositioning food stocks in Chad and neighbouring countries.

    MSF is calling for UN agencies, international organisations, donor countries, and governments with leverage to pursue all options, including air routes, to complement and even replace road access where necessary.

    Bureaucratic requirements from the warring parties have long been an obstacle to international organisations’ ability to reach and provide services to people. Rather than reacting to critical needs in a timely manner, permissions to respond are either delayed or denied altogether by the warring parties. This is impeding MSF ‘s work in South Darfur with aid trucks stuck in Chad waiting for permissions to move from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their offices. A food distribution in South Darfur was also recently postponed as MSF was refused the necessary travel permits.

    Warring parties must grant unhindered access for humanitarian organisations. Access must be defined by lifesaving aid reaching people who need it, not by announcements celebrating piecemeal measures that fall far short. MSF calls for the warring parties, their allies, and influential states to use their leverage to ease the obstacles that are causing deaths and suffering.

    MSF has provided data from different locations to demonstrate the depth of the malnutrition crisis. In North Darfur, where an RSF siege on its capital El Fasher is starving people and depriving them from lifesaving assistance, MSF teams screened over 9,500 children under five years old while conducting a therapeutic food distribution in Tawila locality in December 2024. They found a staggering global acute malnutrition estimate of 35.5 %, with 7% of the screened children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Last September, 34% of the 29,300 children screened by MSF during a vaccination campaign in Zamzam camp were found to be suffering from acute malnutrition. Since the beginning of December, repeated shelling has made it impossible for our team to carry out further assessments in the camp and has most likely exacerbated the levels of malnutrition.

    MSF teams also see concerning rates of malnutrition outside of Darfur, in areas where displaced people have sought shelter, or in areas closer to the conflict. In Omdurman, Khartoum state, a conflict zone under control of the SAF, MSF carried out a nutritional screening while assisting with a vaccination campaign for children in October 2024, finding 7.1% of children screened were severely acutely malnourished.

    MSF data also reveals that malnutrition is not only an issue for people close to frontlines, but also in more stable cities like Nyala, the capital of South Darfur. In October 2024, 23% of children under five screened at MSF-supported facilities in Nyala, South Darfur’s capital, and nearby locations were suffering from severe acute malnutrition. In two MSF-supported facilities, 26% of the pregnant and breastfeeding women seeking care were acutely malnourished. With WFP food distributions lacking, MSF launched a targeted food distribution in South Darfur in December 2024, providing two months’ food to about 30,000 people.

     

    Zahra Abdullah, 25 years old, received food for her and her son, they live together in the Al Salam displacement camp outside of Nyala city.

    “This is not the first war I have experienced, but it is definitely the most devastating to my life. The living conditions here are harsh, and everything is a daily struggle. The aid we receive has somewhat improved our situation. At least now, we finally have a meal in the morning,” says Zahra.

    “But even so, the suffering never ends. It starts with finding clean water to drink, continues with trying to provide enough food, and ends with finding a place to sleep. Sometimes I sit alone and think: is this the life I will live forever?” she says.

    For millions of people like Zahra, the time is now to act to prevent the situation from becoming ever more dire. MSF will continue to do what it can, but the scale is well beyond the organisation’s capacity to respond. We need to see a massive response now to prevent more death and starvation; timeliness is a matter of survival, not political expediency.

    ________________________________

    MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation. MSF has been working in Haiti for over 30 years, offering general healthcare, trauma care, burn wound care, maternity care, and care for survivors of sexual violence. MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. In 2022, more than 120 project staff from Australia and New Zealand worked with MSF on assignment overseas. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit msf.org.au  

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Pregnant women can now get a free RSV shot. What other vaccines do you need when you’re expecting?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Archana Koirala, Paediatrician and Infectious Diseases Specialist, University of Sydney

    voronaman/Shutterstock

    From today, February 3, pregnant women in Australia will be eligible for a free RSV vaccine under the National Immunisation Program.

    This vaccine is designed to protect young infants from severe RSV (respiratory syncytial virus). It does so by generating the production of antibodies against RSV in the mother, which then travel across the placenta to the baby.

    While the RSV vaccine is a new addition to the National Immunisation Program, it’s one of three vaccines provided free for pregnant women under the program, alongside ones for influenza and whooping cough. Each offers important protection for newborn babies.

    The RSV vaccine

    RSV is the most common cause of lower respiratory infections (bronchiolitis and pneumonia) in infants. It’s estimated that of every 100 infants born in Australia each year, at least two will be hospitalised with RSV by six months of age.

    RSV infection is most common roughly between March and August in the southern hemisphere, but infection can occur year-round, especially in tropical areas.

    The vaccine works by conferring passive immunity (from the mother) as opposed to active immunity (the baby’s own immune response). By the time the baby is born, their antibodies are sufficient to protect them during the first months of life when they are most vulnerable to severe RSV disease.

    The RSV vaccine registered for use in pregnant women in Australia, Abrysvo, has been used since 2023 in the Americas and Europe. Real-world experience there shows it’s working well.

    For example, over the 2024 RSV season in Argentina, it was found to prevent 72.7% of lower respiratory tract infections caused by RSV and requiring hospitalisation in infants aged 0–3 months, and 68% among those aged 0–6 months. This research noted three deaths from RSV, all in infants whose mothers did not receive the RSV vaccine during pregnancy.

    This was similar to protection seen in a large multinational clinical trial that compared babies born to mothers who received this RSV vaccine with babies born to mothers who received a placebo. This study found the vaccine prevented 82.4% of severe cases of RSV in infants aged under three months, and 70% under six months, and that the vaccine was safe.

    Vaccinating mothers during pregnancy protects the newborn baby.
    StoryTime Studio/Shutterstock

    In addition to the maternal vaccine, nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody, provides effective protection against severe RSV disease. It’s delivered to the baby by an intramuscular injection, usually in the thigh.

    Nirsevimab is recommended for babies born to women who did not receive an RSV vaccine during pregnancy, or who are born within two weeks of their mother having received the shot (most likely if they’re born prematurely). It may also be recommended for babies who are at higher risk of RSV due to a medical condition, even if their mother was vaccinated.

    Nirsevimab is not funded under the National Immunisation Program, but is covered under various state and territory-based programs for infants of mothers who fall into the above categories.

    But now we have a safe and effective RSV vaccine for pregnancy, all pregnant women should be encouraged to receive it as the first line of prevention. This will maximise the number of babies protected during their first months of life.

    Flu and whooping cough

    It’s also important pregnant women continue to receive flu and whooping cough vaccines in 2025. Like the RSV vaccine, these protect infants by passing antibodies from mother to baby.

    There has been a large whooping cough outbreak in Australia in recent months, including a death of a two-month-old infant in Queensland in November 2024.

    The whooping cough vaccine, given in combination with diphtheria and tetanus, prevents more than 90% of whooping cough cases in babies too young to receive their first whooping cough vaccine dose.

    Similarly, influenza can be deadly in young babies, and maternal flu vaccination substantially reduces hospital visits associated with influenza for babies under six months. Flu can also be serious for pregnant women, so the vaccine offers important protection for the mother as well.

    COVID vaccines are safe in pregnancy, but unless a woman is otherwise eligible, they’re not routinely recommended. You can discuss this with your health-care provider.

    When and where can you get vaccinated?

    Pregnant women can receive these vaccines during antenatal visits through their GP or in a specialised antenatal clinic.

    The flu vaccine is recommended at any time during pregnancy, the whooping cough vaccine from 20 weeks (ideally before 32 weeks), and the RSV vaccine from 28 weeks (before 36 weeks).

    It’s safe to receive multiple vaccinations at the same clinic visit.

    The RSV vaccine is now available for pregnant women under the National Immunisation Program.
    Olga Rolenko/Shutterstock

    We know vaccination rates have declined in a variety of groups since the pandemic, and there’s evidence emerging that suggests this trend has occurred in pregnant women too.

    A recent preprint (a study yet to be peer-reviewed) found a decrease of nearly ten percentage points in flu vaccine coverage among pregnant women in New South Wales, from 58.8% in 2020 to 49.1% in 2022. The research showed a smaller drop of 1.4 percentage points for whooping cough, from 79% in 2020 to 77.6% in 2022.

    It’s important to work to improve vaccination rates during pregnancy to give babies the best protection in their first months of life.

    We know pregnant women would like to receive information about new and routine maternal vaccines early in pregnancy. In particular, many pregnant women want to understand how vaccines are tested for safety, and their effectiveness, which was evident during COVID.

    GPs and midwives are trusted sources of information on vaccines in pregnancy. There’s also information available online on Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation, a collaboration led by the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance.

    Archana Koirala is the chair of the Vaccination Special Interest Group and an executive member of the Australia and New Zealand Paediatric Infectious Diseases group of the Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases. She has received funding to her institution from the Australian government Department of Health and Aged Care and NSW government for her research activities.

    Bianca Middleton is a member of Vaccination Special Interest Group of the Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases. She is an investigator on several research studies funded by NHMRC/ MRFF, and also an investigator on an industry-sponsored clinical vaccine trial. She does not receive any direct funding from industry.

    Prof Margie Danchin receives funding from NHMRC, MRFF, Victorian and Commonwealth government and DFAT and WHO. She is a member of Vaccination Special Interest Group of the Australasian Society of Infectious Diseases (ASID), Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).

    Peter McIntyre receives funding from the Health Research Council (New Zealand) and the Otago Medical Research Foundation and until the end of 2024 was a member of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts for immunisation

    Rebecca Doyle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Pregnant women can now get a free RSV shot. What other vaccines do you need when you’re expecting? – https://theconversation.com/pregnant-women-can-now-get-a-free-rsv-shot-what-other-vaccines-do-you-need-when-youre-expecting-246413

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Schatz Underscores Urgent Need for Uninterrupted, Strategically Critical, Life-Saving Foreign Aid

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz

    WASHINGTON — At yesterday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the “Malign Influence of the People’s Republic of China at Home and Abroad: Recommendations for Policy Makers,” U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) underscored the importance of U.S. leadership and global engagement in advancing American interests. Using the Philippines and Papua New Guinea as examples, Schatz asked witnesses to lay out the dire consequences of U.S. disengagement, as well as the opportunities it would create for the PRC.

    Prior to his questioning, Schatz, who also serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, addressed the chaos caused by the Trump Administration’s recent foreign aid funding freeze, stating, “We really just, on a nonpartisan basis, have to keep the pressure on the State Department to effectuate the Secretary’s policy because right now there’s a ton of confusion, and these are faraway places, and the original stop work orders are still being observed in some places and not in others. The furloughs are in some places being undone and not in others, and this is not some policy question anymore. It’s a question of executing what the Secretary has asked. So I just ask that we continue to put pressure on a bipartisan basis and just to understand the urgency of the moment. Four days ago, I asked now how bad is this, and they said ‘babies dying by the weekend’ and so this is not the kind of thing that we can get back to on Monday. We all have to exert pressure and make sure that the State Department gets this right, and I’m talking about in the next 24 hours.”

    Having recently discussed strengthening security and economic ties with the Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, Schatz asked, “I want to just start with the Philippines. As you know, they’re one of our closest allies. We have economic assistance arrangements, we have life-saving support that we provide, and of course we have a security partnership that’s lasted generations. If you were a senior CCP official, how would you view this freeze in foreign aid coming from the United States?”

    Peter Mattis, President of the Jamestown Foundation, replied, “I would be looking to exploit the opportunity that is there. And over the years the political fluctuations in the Philippines have offered those opportunities. They’ve disrupted the relationship. They’ve disrupted partnership, and anything from Beijing’s perspective, or if I were… a senior official in the United Front Work Department, I would be doing everything I can to exploit whatever chaos is there in the U.S.-Philippine relationship.”

    Schatz then pivoted to the subject of Papua New Guinea (PNG), a country rich in natural resources, saying, “It’s at risk of becoming a foothold for PRC military expansion. But right now it has the highest HIV incidence in the Pacific, and it’s rising. It also has a lot of unexploded ordinance, and last year the Department of Defense signed an $864 million defense bill deal with Port Morrisby, so it seems to me that the Philippines is one question: we have a bilateral relationship that spans generations and is sturdy, like under Duterte less sturdy, but still solid even when we have a president who is an unreliable partner, but in places like PNG where to use… the domestic equivalent they’re sort of swing states they’re open for business… to being aligned with China, to being aligned with the United States, to playing both sides against the middle. I’m particularly concerned about smaller countries for whom a withholding of economic or military or life-saving support is not something they can sort of weather, and so I’m wondering if you can talk about PNG in particular.”

    Dr. Melanie Hart, Senior Director of Global China Hub at Atlantic Council, answered, “Basically we’ve given Beijing a blank check and kneecapped the United States and the entire global pro-democracy movement. If you want to talk about PNG and their need for medicine, there is very clear pattern that, during the COVID crisis, Beijing forced nations around the world… to carry out its political edicts in exchange for COVID vaccines. I have no doubt that Beijing is already showing up in capitals where the United States is pulling back and saying here is your HIV medicine and guess what: here’s the three things you need to do for me today to get it.”

    Schatz was recently named the Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, which appropriates billions of dollars in funding for the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other critical agencies and programs that provide humanitarian aid, global health support, and economic and security assistance, among other things to those in need around the world.

    Video of Senator Schatz’s full exchange at today’s hearing is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Pressure From Warren, HHS Secretary Nominee RFK Jr. Will Amend Flawed Ethics Agreement

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    January 31, 2025
    Washington, D.C. – During Wednesday’s Senate Finance Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)questioned President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. about his apparent conflicts of interest. Following pressure from Senate Democrats, RFK Jr., today in written responses to Senator Warren, agreed to amend his flawed ethics agreement (see Warren QFRs at the end of Part 2 and start of Part 3). 
    In response to this new information, Sen. Warren released the following statement:
    “After public pressure from Senate Democrats, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has acknowledged dangerous conflicts of interest that would allow him to profit from an anti-vax lawsuit while serving as HHS Secretary. While he has now pledged in writing to fix his flawed ethics agreement, the answers he has provided to this committee also raise new questions about the scope of his conflicts.
    “Given these ongoing questions, RFK Jr.’s nomination must not move forward to any Senate vote until the details of his revised ethics agreement can be thoroughly reviewed. It’s also critical that the revised ethics agreement ensures that he cannot use his role as Health Secretary to open the floodgates to more anti-vaccine litigation and then cash in after he leaves office, including adopting a four-year post-employment ban on accepting any compensation from lawsuits involving any entity regulated by HHS.
    “It would be insufficient for RFK Jr. to only divest his interest in the Gardasil case while leaving the window open to profit from other anti-vax lawsuits, including future cases he could bring after leaving office.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: DeepSeek claims to have cured AI’s environmental headache. The Jevons paradox suggests it might make things worse

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Peter Howson, Assistant Professor in International Development, Northumbria University, Newcastle

    William Stanley Jevons also invented an early computer. University of Manchester Libraries / wiki, CC BY-SA

    AI burns through a lot of resources. And thanks to a paradox first identified way back in the 1860s, even a more energy-efficient AI is likely to simply mean more energy is used in the long run.

    For most users, “large language models” such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT work like intuitive search engines. But unlike regular web-searches that find and retrieve data from anywhere along a global network of servers, AI models return data they’ve generated from scratch. Like powering up a nuclear reactor to use a calculator, this tailored process is very inefficient.

    One study suggests the AI industry will be consuming somewhere between 85 and 134 terrawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity by 2027. That’s a similar amount of energy as the Netherlands consumes each year. One prominent researcher predicts that by 2030, over 20% of all electricity produced in the US will be feeding AI data centres (huge warehouses filled with computers).

    Big tech firms have always claimed to be heavy investors in wind and solar energy. But AI’s appetite for 24/7 power means most are developing their own nuclear options. Microsoft even plans to revive the infamous Three Mile Island power plant, scene of America’s worst ever civil nuclear accident.

    Despite Google’s ambitious target of being carbon neutral by 2030, the company’s AI developments mean its emissions have climbed 48% in the past few years. And the computing power needed to train these models increases tenfold each year.

    However, Chinese start-up DeepSeek claims to have created a fix: a model that matches the performance of established US rivals like OpenAI, but at a fraction of the cost and carbon footprint.

    An environmental game changer?

    DeepSeek has created a powerful open-source, relatively energy-lite model. The company claims it spent just US$6 million renting the hardware needed to train its new R1 model, compared with over $60 million for Meta’s Llama, which used 11 times the computing resources.

    DeepSeek uses a “mixture-of-experts” architecture, a machine-learning method that allows the model to scale up and down depending on the complexity of prompts. The company claims its model can also store more data and be trained without the need for huge amounts of expensive processor chips.

    Compared with its US rivals, DeepSeek promises to do more with less.
    Chitaika / shutterstock

    In reaction, US chip manufacturing and energy stocks plummeted following investor concerns that AI companies would rethink their energy-intensive data centre developments. As the world’s largest supplier of specialist AI processors, Nvidia saw its share price fall by US$589 billion, the biggest one-day loss in Wall Street history.

    Paradoxically, as well as upsetting the performance of US tech stocks, improving the energy efficiency of AI platforms could actually worsen the industry’s environmental performance as a whole.

    With tech stocks crashing, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella tried to bring a longer-term perspective: “Jevons paradox strikes again!” he posted on X. “As AI gets more efficient and accessible, we will see its use skyrocket, turning it into a commodity we just can’t get enough of.”

    The Jevons paradox

    The idea that energy efficiency isn’t always a good thing for Earth’s resources has been around for well over a century. In 1865, a young Englishman named William Stanley Jevons wrote “The Coal Question”, a book in which he suggested that Britain’s place as an industrial superpower might soon come to an end, due to its rapidly depleting coal reserves.

    But to Jevons, frugality was not the solution. He argued: “It is wholly a confusion of ideas to suppose that the economical use of fuel is equivalent to a diminished consumption. The very contrary is the truth.”

    According to Jevons, any increase in resource efficiency generates an increase in long-term resource consumption, rather than a decrease. Because greater energy efficiency has the effect of reducing energy’s implicit price, it increases the rate of return – and demand.

    Jevons offered the example of the British iron industry. If technological advancements helped a blast furnace produce iron with less coal, profits would rise and new investment in iron production would be attracted. At the same time, falling prices would stimulate additional demand. He concluded: “The greater number of furnaces will more than make up for the diminished [coal] consumption of each.”

    More recently, the economist William Nordhaus applied this idea to the efficiency of lighting since the dawn of human civilisation. In a paper published in 1998, he concluded that in ancient Babylon, the average labourer might need to work more than 40 hours to purchase enough fuel to produce the equivalent amount of light emitted by a modern lightbulb for one hour. But by 1992, an average American would need to work for less than half a second to produce the same.

    Throughout time, efficiency gains haven’t reduced the energy we expend on lighting or shrunk our energy consumption. On the contrary, we now generate so much electric light that areas without it have become tourist attractions.

    Warming and lighting our homes efficiently, driving our cars, mining Bitcoin and, indeed, building AI models are all subject to the same so-called rebound effects identified in the Jevons paradox. And this is why it will be impossible to ensure a more efficient AI industry actually leads to an overall reduction in energy use.

    A Sputnik moment

    In the 1950s, the US was horrified when the Soviets launched Sputnik, the first space satellite. The emergence of a more efficient rival caused America to allocate more resources to the space race, not less.

    DeepSeek is Silicon Valley’s Sputnik moment. More efficient AI will probably mean more distributed and powerful models, in an arms race that is no longer made up only of US tech giants. AI offers superpower status, and the floodgates may now be fully open for the UK and other global competitors, as well as China.

    What’s for certain is that in the long term, the AI industry’s appetite for energy and other resources is only going to increase.

    Peter Howson has received research funding from the British Academy.

    – ref. DeepSeek claims to have cured AI’s environmental headache. The Jevons paradox suggests it might make things worse – https://theconversation.com/deepseek-claims-to-have-cured-ais-environmental-headache-the-jevons-paradox-suggests-it-might-make-things-worse-248720

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Lamont Announces New Programs That Are Expanding Access to Contraception in Connecticut

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Consumer Protection Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli today announced that a training program for licensed pharmacists who want to be able to prescribe contraception directly to customers is now available in Connecticut. In addition, they announced today that the state’s first vending machines providing access to emergency contraception and other over-the-counter medications are also now available in Connecticut.

    The training program, developed by the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, received final approval this week from the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection. The continuing education program is expected to take four hours to complete and is optional for all pharmacists. There are 671 licensed pharmacies and more than 6,500 licensed pharmacists in the state who are eligible to complete the course and begin offering this service.

    “This is just one of the many ways we’re working to expand access to contraception and other important medications in Connecticut,” Governor Lamont said. “Pharmacists have continued to play a growing role in our healthcare system, from administering vaccines to dispensing Narcan and other lifesaving medications, and now prescribing birth control. They are a critical part of the healthcare network.”

    “There can be many barriers to going to a primary care provider for contraception – potential costs, needing to take time off work, or traveling long distances. That is why both patients and pharmacists overwhelmingly offered their support for this change,” Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz said. “Everyone should have safe and reliable access to contraceptives. Governor Lamont and I remain committed to ensuring that our state continues to be the best place for women and that every patient in Connecticut has access to the care they need.”

    “Many people interact with their pharmacists more often than their doctors throughout the year, providing a critical resource for patients in every corner of our state,” Commissioner Cafferelli said. “Pharmacies are everywhere, from CVS and Walgreens to the independent pharmacies down the road, to the pharmacies in major retailers like Stop and Shop and Walmart, and they play a critical role in removing barriers to accessing safe and effective medication.”

    “Allowing pharmacists to both prescribe and dispense hormonal birth control could help mitigate barriers and expand access to contraception for the citizens of our state,” UConn School of Pharmacy Dean Philip Hritcko said.

    “The ability for pharmacists to directly prescribe hormonal and emergency contraception is a critical step forward in expanding access to essential healthcare,” Nathan Tinker, CEO of the Connecticut Pharmacists Association, said. “In Connecticut, this means that there could potentially be some 600 new points of access across the state for this important service. The Connecticut Pharmacists Association thanks Governor Lamont’s administration and the Department of Consumer Protection for recognizing that pharmacists are in a unique position to provide timely, convenient, and patient-centered care.”

    “Access to contraceptives gives people the ability to control their own reproductive destinies and make personal decisions regarding if, when, or how to start their families,” Liz Gustafson, Connecticut state director of Reproductive Equity Now, said. “By eliminating the need for a visit to a healthcare provider to obtain a prescription for birth control and allowing people to receive the prescription directly from their local pharmacy, pharmacist prescribing will help increase access to contraception for those who face the greatest barriers to care. We’re also thrilled to see the first emergency contraception vending machine in Connecticut installed at UConn Storrs, and commend Dr. Smith, medical director of student health and wellness and his colleagues, for their work to bring this to fruition. As national attacks on birth control escalate, we must find every opportunity to protect and expand reproductive freedom, and this pharmacist training program and expanded access to emergency contraception are critically important steps.”

    Pharmacists who want to prescribe contraception can register for the on-demand training program by visiting the UConn School of Pharmacy website. The cost to pharmacists is $40 for registration. Once a pharmacist completes the training, they will be able to prescribe contraception. The course counts toward the 15 hours of annual continuing education required for pharmacists.

    Patients who are prescribed birth control by a pharmacist are advised to consult with a primary care or other physician for a follow-up consultation after receiving a prescription from a pharmacist, but a follow up appointment is not required.

    Pharmacists who have questions can contact the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection via email at DCP.DrugControl@ct.gov.

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: DeepSeek-R1 AI Model 11x More Likely to Generate Harmful Content, Security Research Finds

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Boston, Jan. 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The launch of DeepSeek’s R1 AI model has sent shockwaves through global markets, reportedly wiping USD $1 trillion from stock markets.¹ Trump advisor and tech venture capitalist Marc Andreessen described the release as “AI’s Sputnik moment,” underscoring the global national security concerns surrounding the Chinese AI model.²

    However, new red teaming research by Enkrypt AI, the world’s leading AI security and compliance platform, has uncovered serious ethical and security flaws in DeepSeek’s technology. The analysis found the model to be highly biased and susceptible to generating insecure code, as well as producing harmful and toxic content, including hate speech, threats, self-harm, and explicit or criminal material. Additionally, the model was found to be vulnerable to manipulation, allowing it to assist in the creation of chemical, biological, and cybersecurity weapons, posing significant global security concerns.

    Compared with other models, the research found that DeepSeek’s R1 is:

    • 3x more biased than Claude-3 Opus,
    • 4x more vulnerable to generating insecure code than OpenAI’s O1,
    • 4x more toxic than GPT-4o,
    • 11x more likely to generate harmful output compared to OpenAI’s O1, and;
    • 3.5x more likely to produce Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) content​ than OpenAI’s O1 and Claude-3 Opus.

    Sahil Agarwal, CEO of Enkrypt AI, said: “DeepSeek-R1 offers significant cost advantages in AI deployment, but these come with serious risks. Our research findings reveal major security and safety gaps that cannot be ignored. While DeepSeek-R1 may be viable for narrowly scoped applications, robust safeguards—including guardrails and continuous monitoring—are essential to prevent harmful misuse. AI safety must evolve alongside innovation, not as an afterthought.”

    The model exhibited the following risks during testing:

    • BIAS & DISCRIMINATION – 83% of bias tests successfully produced discriminatory output, with severe biases in race, gender, health, and religion. These failures could violate global regulations such as the EU AI Act and U.S. Fair Housing Act, posing risks for businesses integrating AI into finance, hiring, and healthcare​.
    • HARMFUL CONTENT & EXTREMISM – 45% of harmful content tests successfully bypassed safety protocols, generating criminal planning guides, illegal weapons information, and extremist propaganda. In one instance, DeepSeek-R1 drafted a persuasive recruitment blog for terrorist organizations, exposing its high potential for misuse​.
    • TOXIC LANGUAGE – The model ranked in the bottom 20th percentile for AI safety, with 6.68% of responses containing profanity, hate speech, or extremist narratives. In contrast, Claude-3 Opus effectively blocked all toxic prompts, highlighting DeepSeek-R1’s weak moderation systems​.
    • CYBERSECURITY RISKS – 78% of cybersecurity tests successfully tricked DeepSeek-R1 into generating insecure or malicious code, including malware, trojans, and exploits. The model was 4.5x more likely than OpenAI’s O1 to generate functional hacking tools, posing a major risk for cybercriminal exploitation​.
    • BIOLOGICAL & CHEMICAL THREATS – DeepSeek-R1 was found to explain in detail the biochemical interactions of sulfur mustard (mustard gas) with DNA, a clear biosecurity threat. The report warns that such CBRN-related AI outputs could aid in the development of chemical or biological weapons​.

    Sahil Agarwal concluded: “As the AI arms race between the U.S. and China intensifies, both nations are pushing the boundaries of next-generation AI for military, economic, and technological supremacy. However, our findings reveal that DeepSeek-R1’s security vulnerabilities could be turned into a dangerous tool—one that cybercriminals, disinformation networks, and even those with biochemical warfare ambitions could exploit. These risks demand immediate attention.”

    Link to the full report is here: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6690a78074d86ca0ad978007/679bc2e71b48e423c0ff7e60_1%20RedTeaming_DeepSeek_Jan29_2025%20(1).pdf

    Ends

    1 ‘Sputnik moment’: $1tn wiped off US stocks after Chinese firm unveils AI chatbot – https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/27/tech-shares-asia-europe-fall-china-ai-deepseek
    Nvidia shares sink as Chinese AI app spooks markets – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0qw7z2v1pgo 
    2 Marc Andreessen on X – https://x.com/pmarca/status/1883640142591853011 

    About Enkrypt AI
    Enkrypt AI is an AI security and compliance platform. It safeguards enterprises against generative AI risks by automatically detecting, removing, and monitoring threats. The unique approach ensures AI applications, systems, and agents are safe, secure, and trustworthy. The solution empowers organizations to accelerate AI adoption confidently, driving competitive advantage and cost savings while mitigating risk. Enkrypt AI is committed to making the world a safer place by ensuring the responsible and secure use of AI technology, empowering everyone to harness its potential for the greater good. Founded by Yale Ph.D. experts in 2022, Enkrypt AI is backed by Boldcap, Berkeley Skydeck, ARKA, Kubera and others.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: President Lai’s response to Pope Francis’s 2025 World Day of Peace message  

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    Details
    2025-01-17
    President Lai meets former US Vice President Mike Pence
    On the afternoon of January 17, President Lai Ching-te met with former Vice President of the United States Mike Pence. In remarks, President Lai thanked former Vice President Pence for his contributions to the deepening of Taiwan-US relations, noting that he actively helped to strengthen Taiwan-US cooperation and facilitate the normalization of military sales to Taiwan, and did his utmost to deepen the Taiwan-US economic partnership. The president indicated that former Vice President Pence also spoke up for Taiwan on numerous occasions at international venues, backing Taiwan’s international participation. President Lai expressed hope for a stronger Taiwan-US partnership to maintain peace and stability throughout the world, and that the two sides can advance bilateral exchanges in such areas as the economy, trade, and industry. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: I am delighted to welcome former Vice President Pence and Mrs. Karen Pence to the Presidential Office. Former Vice President Pence is not only an outstanding political leader in the US, but also a staunch supporter of Taiwan on the international stage. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I would like to take this opportunity to extend our deepest gratitude to former Vice President Pence for his contributions to the deepening of Taiwan-US relations. Thanks to former Vice President Pence’s strong backing, ties between Taiwan and the US rose to unprecedented heights during President Donald Trump’s first administration. Former Vice President Pence actively helped to strengthen Taiwan-US security cooperation and facilitate the normalization of military sales to Taiwan, helping Taiwan reinforce its self-defense capabilities. He also did his utmost to deepen the Taiwan-US economic partnership. Former Vice President Pence also paid close attention to the military threats and diplomatic isolation faced by Taiwan. He spoke up for Taiwan on numerous occasions at international venues, taking concrete action to back Taiwan’s international participation. We were truly grateful for this. As we speak, China’s political and military intimidation against Taiwan persist. China and other authoritarian regimes, such as Russia, North Korea, and Iran, are continuing to converge and present serious challenges to democracies around the globe. At this moment, free and democratic nations must come together to bolster cooperation. I believe that a stronger Taiwan-US partnership can be an even more powerful force in maintaining peace and stability throughout the world. Former Vice President Pence has previously supported the signing of a trade agreement between Taiwan and the US. Taiwan looks forward to continuing to work with the new US administration and Congress to advance bilateral exchanges in such areas as the economy, trade, and industry. This is the first time that former Vice President Pence and Mrs. Pence are visiting Taiwan, and their visit is significantly meaningful for Taiwan-US exchanges. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I want to extend a warm welcome. Moving forward, I hope we will jointly realize even more fruitful achievements through Taiwan-US cooperation. Former Vice President Pence then delivered remarks, thanking President Lai for his hospitality on his and his wife’s first visit to Taiwan, saying that it is an honor to be here to reaffirm the bonds of friendship between the people of America and the people of Taiwan, which are strong and longstanding. The former vice president indicated that the American people admire the people of Taiwan and all that has been accomplished in a few short decades for Taiwan to rise to one of the world’s preeminent economic powers and free societies. He said that he is grateful for President Lai’s courageous and bold leadership of Taiwan, and grateful to be able to express the support of the overwhelming majority of the American people for this alliance. Former Vice President Pence indicated that the values shared by Taiwan and the US, including freedom, the rule of law, and respect for human rights, bind us together in a partnership that transcends geographic boundaries and cultures. He then assured President Lai that China’s increasingly aggressive posture in the Taiwan Strait and across the Indo-Pacific, for the values and interests that both sides share, is deeply concerning to the American people. Former Vice President Pence stated that America is a Pacific nation, and is committed to the status quo, adding that they recognize it is China that wants to change the status quo that America, Taiwan, and other allies in the region want to preserve, which has created an environment of extraordinary growth and prosperity. The former vice president concluded by once again thanking President Lai and his team for their gracious hospitality and conveying best wishes to him and the people of Taiwan. Former Vice President Pence then assured President Lai that just as Taiwan will never surrender its freedom, he will continue to be a voice for a strong US-Taiwan relationship in the defense and the benefit of Taiwan, the US, and the free world. Later that day, Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao hosted a banquet for former Vice President Pence and his delegation at Taipei Guest House to thank him for his longstanding friendship and staunch support for Taiwan-US ties.  

    Details
    2025-01-17
    President Lai meets delegation to 60th Inaugural Ceremonies of US president and vice president
    On the morning of January 16, President Lai Ching-te met with Taiwan’s delegation to the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies of the President and Vice President of the United States. In remarks, President Lai stated that democratic Taiwan stands united, working hard to deepen Taiwan-US ties together. He then entrusted the delegation with three missions: to convey best wishes from the people of Taiwan, convey our firm commitment to democracy, and help Taiwan-US relations reach a new milestone. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: The 60th Inaugural Ceremonies of the President and Vice President of the US will be held on January 20. I want to thank Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), president of the Legislative Yuan, for accepting my invitation to lead our nation’s representative delegation to the event. I also thank Legislative Yuan Members Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), Ko Ju-chun (葛如鈞), Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀), Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), Kuo Yu-ching (郭昱晴), and Chen Gau-tzu (陳昭姿) for joining this visit to the US to attend the inauguration of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance. We have gathered together today despite differences in party affiliation because in democratic Taiwan, while parties may compete domestically, when it comes to engagement externally, they stand united and share responsibility, working hard to deepen Taiwan-US ties and strive for the best interests of the nation. We share the value of defending freedom and democracy, and we share the goal of advancing peace and prosperity. Today, we engage with the world together as those from the same country – the Republic of China (Taiwan). In this complex and volatile new international landscape, and as the nation faces difficulties and challenges, I want to stress that in Formosa, there is no hostility that cannot be let go, and no hardship that cannot be overcome. Unity is the most important, and I hope that Taiwan can stand united, because there is true strength in unity. Democratic Taiwan must stand united in engaging with the world and initiate exchanges with confidence. On that ground, I am entrusting this delegation with three key missions. First, convey best wishes from the people of Taiwan. Just last year, Taiwan and the US celebrated the 45th anniversary of the passage of the Taiwan Relations Act. And on May 20, the US sent a senior bipartisan delegation to congratulate me and Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao on our inauguration. As the leader of this cross-party delegation, Speaker Han must clearly convey the well-wishes of the people of Taiwan, congratulate President Trump and Vice President Vance on their inauguration, and wish success to the new administration and prosperity to the US. Second, clearly convey the firm commitment of the people of Taiwan to democracy. The theme of these inaugural ceremonies is “Our Enduring Democracy: A Constitutional Promise.” Taiwan and the US share the universal value of democracy and are staunch allies. I hope that the delegation can faithfully convey the firm commitment to democracy that the people of Taiwan have, which will not change even in the face of authoritarian threats. Taiwan is willing to stand side by side with the US and other members of the democratic community to defend the sustainable development of global democracy and prevent the expansion of authoritarianism. Third, help Taiwan-US relations reach a new milestone. In recent years, Taiwan-US relations have continued to grow, with the first agreement under the Taiwan-US Initiative on 21st Century Trade having formally taken effect last month. This morning, the House of Representatives also passed the US-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act. I hope that the delegation can help Taiwan-US relations reach a new milestone through these exchanges so that our relations continue to grow, our cooperation expands even more, and so that we can achieve even greater success after the new administration takes office. Four years ago, Taiwan’s representative to the US inaugural ceremonies was Vice President Hsiao, who was then our representative to the US. Everyone has a lot to learn from her. I have specially invited everyone here to converse so that you can draw from Vice President Hsiao’s experience and ensure an even smoother visit. Washington, DC was also hit by a rare blizzard recently, and the weather has been very cold, so make sure to stay warm. I am sending everyone off with hand warmers and thermoses so that you can bring some warmth from Taiwan with you on your journey. And I ask that Speaker Han exercise his wisdom to help generate some warmth between the ruling and opposition parties through cooperation, which they can then bring back to Taiwan. Let us unite to give our all for diplomacy so that we can unite to give our all for Taiwan. I wish the delegation a smooth and safe trip, and hope your missions can be carried out successfully. Speaker Han then delivered remarks, stating that it was an honor to be invited by President Lai to organize a delegation to represent our nation at the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies of the President and Vice President of the US in Washington, DC, and express the Republic of China’s sincere and cordial best wishes. The Legislative Yuan’s president has assumed this important task numerous times in the past, he said, not only to represent the government of the Republic of China, but also to take on the mission of conveying the voices of 23 million people. He went on to say that he is honored to take up the baton, lead eight legislators to the US to attend this celebration that will attract global attention, and express sincere best wishes to newly elected President Trump, Vice President Vance, and the new administration’s team. As enjoined by President Lai, he hopes the delegation’s trip will help open a new chapter in Taiwan-US exchanges. Speaker Han stated that the US is the most free and democratic country in the world. He noted that in 1776 in the US Declaration of Independence, founding father Thomas Jefferson propounded the concept of “unalienable rights,” and emphasized that the people have a right to freedom and the pursuit of happiness, democratic ideas that have long been rooted in the people’s hearts. Today, he said, democracy is also embedded in the DNA of Taiwan’s 23 million people, and this hard-won democratic achievement is a result of the concerted efforts of our pioneering predecessors, thinkers, and activists over the past 100 years. Speaker Han stated that during this visit, the Legislative Yuan delegation hopes to convey the voice of Taiwan as a democratic country. Taiwan’s security, he said, is like the four legs of a table: The first leg is defending the Republic of China, the second is defending freedom and democracy, the third is maintaining Taiwan-US relations, and the fourth is maintaining cross-strait peace. The delegation will travel to the US amidst severe cold weather to show that we value our relationship with the US, and our citizens have great hopes and expectations. Speaker Han stated that this will be a cross-party delegation of eight legislators, all of whom have a strong sense of mission. He hopes that all democratic nations will acknowledge Taiwan’s importance, and pay attention to Taiwan’s 23 million people. The delegation, he said, will do its utmost to convey the goodwill and warmth that the people of Taiwan give to each and every one of our good friends.

    Details
    2025-01-17
    President Lai confers decoration on former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis
    On the morning of January 14, President Lai Ching-te conferred the Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon upon former Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis of the Republic of Lithuania in recognition of his remarkable contributions to deepening Taiwan-Lithuania relations. In remarks, President Lai thanked former Minister Landsbergis for standing firmly with Taiwan and remaining a staunch defender of democratic values, yielding fruitful cooperative results. The president expressed hope that the two countries will engage in even more cooperation and exchanges in such areas as the economy, trade, technology, and culture, and continue to advocate for the values of freedom and democracy so that together we can contribute even more to our nations’ development and to peace and prosperity throughout the world. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: Today, by conferring the Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon upon former Minister Landsbergis, we recognize his outstanding contributions during his time as foreign minister of Lithuania. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I thank him for the key role he has played in deepening Taiwan-Lithuania relations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to the efforts of former Minister Landsbergis, Lithuania was the first European nation to donate vaccines to Taiwan. On that occasion, he stated that “freedom-loving people should look out for each other.” His statement was very moving and left a deep impression on many Taiwanese people. We will never forget it. Former Minister Landsbergis has continued to express the spirit of those words through his concrete actions. With his staunch support, Taiwan and Lithuania have mutually established representative offices. Moreover, our representative office in Lithuania was the first in Europe to incorporate “Taiwan” in its name. As for bilateral cooperation, Taiwan and Lithuania have seen fruitful results in such fields as semiconductors, laser technology, finance, and medicine. Be it overcoming the challenges posed by the pandemic or resisting expanding authoritarianism, former Minister Landsbergis has stood firmly with Taiwan and remained a staunch defender of democratic values. We greatly admire and appreciate his spirit. Today, authoritarian regimes continue to converge, posing threats and challenges to democracies around the world. Taiwan, Lithuania, and other democratic countries must come closer together, drawing on the strength of unity, so as to jointly safeguard freedom and democracy and uphold the rules-based international order. Looking ahead, we hope that Taiwan and Lithuania will engage in even more cooperation and exchanges in such areas as the economy, trade, technology, and culture. Let us continue to advocate for the values of freedom and democracy. Together, we can contribute even more to our nations’ development and to peace and prosperity throughout the world. In closing, I once again thank you, former Minister Landsbergis, for your support and for all that you have done for Taiwan. We welcome you and your wife to visit often. I wish you both a smooth and successful visit in Taiwan, and hope you leave with lasting memories.    Former Minister Landsbergis then delivered remarks, saying that it is a great honor to receive the decoration today. He noted that only partially can he accept the honor, as there have been many people who worked together with him in the ministry and in the whole country who support the people of Taiwan and see the benefit of supporting democracy in Taiwan. He often says that in Lithuania they remember well the fight for their freedom, and just today, he mentioned, he was shown the permanent exhibition in the Presidential Office, where he saw similar pictures of Taiwanese people fighting for democracy. He emphasized that not even one generation has passed since these events took place here in Taipei or similar events took place in Vilnius. Former Minister Landsbergis said that decision-makers in the Lithuanian government are either people who were themselves fighting for freedom, or, as in his case, those who were sitting on the shoulders of parents who were fighting for freedom. So for them, he underlined, freedom, democracy, liberty, and sovereignty are very real concepts that they cherish, not just things read about in a history book. He said that this is the main connector between Lithuania and Taiwan, a feeling of freedom and support for each other. Former Minister Landsbergis stated that in the face of authoritarians who do not wish us prosperity, who do not wish us freedom and future achievements, what he expects from the future is that the friendship, collaboration, and mutual support between Lithuania and Taiwan will inspire others to join in. This, he said, will make other countries not be afraid to support freedom and democracy, and will allow our group of friends to continue to grow. Lithuanian history, the former minister said, is difficult, and a big part of it was fighting for their freedom. He explained that during the 19th century when Lithuania was part of Russia’s empire, they had several revolutions and uprisings with the aim of becoming free, and that they were fighting for that freedom alongside Poland and Belarus. He then applied a phrase that they used in the revolution of 1864 – “for your freedom and ours,” meaning that they will continue to fight for their freedom while helping Taiwan fight for ours. Also in attendance at the ceremony were former Minister Landsbergis’ wife Dr. Austėja Landsbergienė and Lithuanian Representative to Taiwan Paulius Lukauskas.

    Details
    2025-01-17
    Presidential Office thanks White House for its statement on enduring US commitment to Indo-Pacific region
    On January 10 (US EST), the US White House released a statement on the United States’ Enduring Commitment to the Indo-Pacific Region, in which it reaffirms its position of using a range of methods to help Taiwan maintain a sufficient self-defense capability so as to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and across the Taiwan Strait. Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) on January 11 expressed sincere gratitude to the US government for taking concrete actions to fulfill its security commitments to Taiwan, advancing the close Taiwan-US security partnership, and supporting Taiwan in its efforts to enhance its self-defense capabilities and resilience. Spokesperson Kuo stated that the deepening Taiwan-US security partnership is a critical cornerstone for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. She noted that Taiwan, as a force for good and regional stability, will continue to work alongside like-minded countries to strengthen defense resilience as we jointly defend the values of freedom and democracy and ensure the peace, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region.

    Details
    2025-01-17
    President Lai meets Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute delegation
    On the morning of January 9, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute (RRPFI). In remarks, President Lai thanked RRPFI President David Trulio and members of RRPFI for remaining undaunted by China’s threats and sanctions, and lending great support to Taiwan. He emphasized that facing the continued expansion of authoritarianism, Taiwan will actively implement the Four Pillars of Peace action plan to preserve regional peace and stability, safeguard the values of democracy and freedom, and advance worldwide prosperity and development. President Lai expressed hope that they can continue to collaborate to promote the development of Taiwan-United States relations and put RRPFI’s principles into practice. A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows: First, let me warmly welcome President Trulio, who is leading this delegation from RRPFI to Taiwan. And on behalf of all the people of Taiwan, I want to extend our heartfelt condolences in wake of the ongoing fires in California. I hope that they can be put out swiftly so that harm is reduced, and I hope that those who are injured are able to receive timely help. President Reagan was a staunch friend of Taiwan. The Six Assurances he put forward in 1982 and the Taiwan Relations Act passed by Congress in 1979 form the bedrock of Taiwan-US relations. The incorporation of the Six Assurances into the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 further established bipartisan, bicameral, and cross-agency US support for Taiwan. With authoritarianism continuing to expand, President Reagan’s conviction of peace through strength is proving to be especially crucial as democracies unite to protect freedom, democracy, peace, and the rules-based international order. RRPFI honors President Reagan’s legacy by championing such principles as individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy, and national pride. Many of you have served previous US administrations as part of national security teams, and many of you are longstanding friends of Taiwan. I sincerely hope that we can continue to collaborate to promote the development of Taiwan-US relations and put RRPFI’s principles into practice. I also want to extend particular gratitude to President Trulio and RRPFI for lending great support to Taiwan. Undaunted by China’s threats and sanctions, you warmly welcomed former President Tsai Ing-wen to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library during her stopover in California in April 2023 and arranged a delegation to visit Taiwan in October of the same year. As for the continued expansion of authoritarianism, Taiwan will meet it head on, and uphold President Reagan’s spirit of peace through strength. We will actively implement the Four Pillars of Peace action plan by strengthening national defense, building economic security, and demonstrating stable and principled cross-strait leadership, as well as promoting values-based diplomacy. Bolstering Taiwan’s cooperation with the US and other democracies will preserve regional peace and stability, safeguard the values of democracy and freedom, and advance worldwide prosperity and development. President Trulio then delivered remarks, first thanking President Lai for his warm welcome and saying that he and the delegation are deeply honored to be with him in Taiwan, along with so many top leaders in his administration. President Trulio added that they are proud to advance President Reagan’s legacy and timeless principles, and our collective shared values. President Trulio indicated that President Reagan visited Taiwan twice before he became president. Acknowledging what President Lai stated, he noted that it was President Reagan’s administration that developed what became known as the Six Assurances, a framework that to this day serves as the foundation of relations between the US and Taiwan. More broadly, President Trulio said, President Reagan knew that America’s strength and the strength of its allies and friends are key to global peace, prosperity, and security. He said President Reagan also knew that societies that provide economic opportunity and democracy offer a better life for their citizens. In fact, he stated, President Reagan said that freedom is not the sole prerogative of a lucky few, but the inalienable and universal right of all human beings. President Trulio went on to say that Taiwan’s open society and thriving democracy make the commitment to freedom here plain for all to see. President Trulio noted that RRPFI had the honor of visiting Taipei in October 2023, when the delegation met then-President Tsai. He said that their return visit to Taipei at the start of 2025 comes at a crucial time, and that part of what makes that timing so significant is that there will be a new administration inaugurated in Washington in about 10 days. Over the course of their visits to Taiwan, President Trulio said, it has been plain to see that Taiwan stands strong as a vibrant democracy, with political parties sharing a commitment to democratic principles. He said it is also plain to see that Taiwan’s advanced economy and global technological leadership present positive opportunities for the US. He added that it is also plain to see that the security situation across the Taiwan Strait demands a continued commitment to peace through strength, including through robust partnership with Taiwan and sustained US deterrence. President Trulio stated that he looks forward to addressing the opportunities and challenges facing Taiwan and the US, and is confident that together, we will further well into the future our shared commitment to freedom and democracy, economic opportunity, and security and stability. The delegation also included RRPFI Washington Director Roger Zakheim, Director of the Alexander Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida William Inboden, Palantir Technologies Senior Counselor Jamie Fly, former Deputy White House Staff Secretary Catherine Bellah, Anduril Industries Policy Director Dustin Walker, Hudson Institute Adjunct Fellow Alexander Benard, RRPFI Policy Director Rachel Hoff, and RRPFI Digital Strategy and Communications Director James Rogers.

    Details
    2025-01-01
    President Lai delivers 2025 New Year’s Address
    On the morning of January 1, President Lai Ching-te delivered his 2025 New Year’s Address, titled “Bolstering National Strength through Democracy to Enter a New Global Landscape,” in the Reception Hall of the Presidential Office. President Lai stated that today’s Taiwan is receiving international recognition for its performance in many areas, among them democracy, technology, and economy. In this new year, he said, Taiwan must be united, and we must continue on the right course. The president expressed hope that everyone in the central and local governments, regardless of party, can work hard together, allowing Taiwan sure footing as it strides forward toward ever greater achievements.  President Lai emphasized that in 2025, we must keep firm on the path of democracy, continue to bolster our national strength, make Taiwan more economically resilient, enhance the resilience of supply chains for global democracies, and continue working toward a Balanced Taiwan and generational justice, ensuring that the fruits of our economic growth can be enjoyed by all our people. The president said that Taiwan will keep going strong, and we will keep walking tall as we enter the new global landscape. A translation of President Lai’s address follows: Today is the first day of 2025. With a new year comes new beginnings. I wish that Taiwan enjoys peace, prosperity, and success, and that our people lead happy lives. Taiwan truly finished 2024 strong. Though there were many challenges, there were also many triumphs. We withstood earthquakes and typhoons, and stood firm in the face of constant challenges posed by authoritarianism. We also shared glory as Taiwan won the Premier12 baseball championship, and now Taiwanese people around the world are all familiar with the gesture for Team Taiwan. At the Paris Olympics, Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and Lee Yang (李洋) clinched another gold in men’s doubles badminton. Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) took home Taiwan’s first Olympic gold in boxing. At the International Junior Science Olympiad, every student in our delegation of six won a gold medal. And Yang Shuang-zi’s (楊双子) novel Taiwan Travelogue, translated into English by King Lin (金翎), became a United States National Book Award winner and a tour de force of Taiwan literature on the international level. Our heroes of Taiwan are defined by neither age nor discipline. They have taken home top prizes at international competitions and set new records. They tell Taiwan’s story through their outstanding performances, letting the world see the spirit and culture of Taiwan, and filling all our citizens with pride. My fellow citizens, we have stood together through thick and thin; we have shared our ups and downs. We have wept together, and we have laughed together. We are all one family, all members of Team Taiwan. I want to thank each of our citizens for their dedication, fueling Taiwan’s progress and bringing our nation glory. You have given Taiwan even greater strength to stand out on the global stage. In this new year, we must continue bringing Taiwan’s stories to the world, and make Taiwan’s successes a force for global progress. In 2025, the world will be entering a new landscape. Last year, over 70 countries held elections, and the will of the people has changed with the times. As many countries turn new pages politically, and in the midst of rapid international developments, Taiwan must continue marching forward with steady strides. First, we must keep firm on the path of democracy. Taiwan made it through a dark age of authoritarianism and has since become a glorious beacon of democracy in Asia. This was achieved through the sacrifices of our democratic forebears and the joint efforts of all our citizens. Democracy’s value to Taiwan lies not just in our free way of life, or in the force driving the diverse and vigorous growth of our society. Democracy is the brand that has earned us international trust in terms of diplomacy. No matter the threat or challenge Taiwan may face, democracy is Taiwan’s only path forward. We will not turn back. Domestic competition among political parties is a part of democracy. But domestic political disputes must be resolved democratically, within the constitutional system. This is the only way democracy can continue to grow. The Executive Yuan has the right to request a reconsideration of the controversial bills passed in the Legislative Yuan, giving it room for reexamination. Constitutional institutions can also lodge a petition for a constitutional interpretation, and through Constitutional Court adjudication, ensure a separation of powers, safeguard constitutional order, and gradually consolidate the constitutional system. The people also have the right of election, recall, initiative, and referendum, and can bring together even greater democratic power to show the true meaning of sovereignty in the hands of the people. In this new year, the changing international landscape will present democratic nations around the world with many grave challenges. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and conflict between Israel and Hamas rage on, and we are seeing the continued convergence of authoritarian regimes including China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, threatening the rules-based international order and severely affecting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and the world at large. Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are essential components for global security and prosperity. Taiwan needs to prepare for danger in times of peace. We must continue increasing our national defense budget, bolster our national defense capabilities, and show our determination to protect our country. Everyone has a responsibility to safeguard Taiwan’s democracy and security. We must gather together every bit of strength we have to enhance whole-of-society defense resilience, and build capabilities to respond to major disasters and deter threats or encroachment. We must also strengthen communication with society to combat information and cognitive warfare, so that the populace rejects threats and enticements and jointly guards against malicious infiltration by external forces. Here at home, we must consolidate democracy with democracy. Internationally, we must make friends worldwide through democracy. This is how we will ensure security and peace. The more secure Taiwan, the more secure the world. The more resilient Taiwan, the sounder the defense of global democracy. The global democratic community should work even closer together to support the democratic umbrella as we seek ways to resolve the war in Ukraine and conflict between Israel and Hamas. Together, we must uphold stability in the Taiwan Strait and security in the Indo-Pacific, and achieve our goal of global peace. Second, we must continue to bolster our national strength, make Taiwan more economically resilient, and enhance the resilience of supply chains for global democracies. In the first half of 2024, growth in the Taiwan Stock Index was the highest in the world. Our economic growth rate for the year as a whole is expected to reach 4.2 percent, leading among the Four Asian Tigers. Domestic investment is soaring, having exceeded NT$5 trillion, and inflation is gradually stabilizing. Export orders from January to November totaled US$536.6 billion, up 3.7 percent from the same period in 2023. And compared over the same period, exports saw a 9.9 percent increase, reaching US$431.5 billion. Recent surveys also show that in 2024, the average increase in salaries at companies was higher than that in 2023. Additionally, over 90 percent of companies plan to raise salaries this year, which is an eight-year high. All signs indicate that Taiwan’s economic climate continues to recover, and that our economy is growing steadily. Our overall economic performance is impressive; still, we must continue to pay attention to the impact on Taiwan’s industries from the changing geopolitical landscape, uncertainties in the global economic environment, and dumping by the “red supply chain.”  For a nation, all sectors and professions are equally important; only when all our industries are strong can Taiwan be strong as a nation. Our micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are the lifeblood of Taiwan, and the development of our various industrial parks has given Taiwan the impetus for our prosperity. We must carry the spirit of “Made in Taiwan” forward, bringing it to ever greater heights. Thus, beyond just developing our high-tech industry, our Executive Yuan has already proposed a solution that will help traditional industries and MSMEs comprehensively adopt technology applications, engage in the digital and net-zero twin transition, and develop channels, all for better operational structures and higher productivity. Taiwan must continue enhancing its economic resilience. In recent years, Taiwan has significantly increased its investments in the US, Japan, Europe, and the New Southbound countries, and such investment has already surpassed investment in China. This indicates that our efforts in diversifying markets and reducing reliance on any single market are working. Moving forward, we must keep providing assistance so that Taiwan industries can expand their global presence and market internationally from a solid base here in Taiwan. At the same time, Taiwan must use democracy to promote economic growth with the rest of the world. We must leverage our strengths in the semiconductor and AI industries. We must link with democratic countries so that we can together enhance the resilience of supply chains for global democracies. And through international cooperation across many sectors, such as UAVs, low-orbit communications satellites, robots, military, security and surveillance, or biopharmaceuticals, renewable energy technology, new agriculture, and the circular economy, we must keep abreast of the latest cutting-edge technology and promote diverse development. This approach will help Taiwan remain a leader in advancing global democratic supply chains, ensuring their security and stability. Third, we must continue working toward a Balanced Taiwan and generational justice, ensuring that the fruits of our economic growth can be enjoyed by all our people. Democracy means the people have the final say. Our nation belongs to all 23 million of us, without regard for ethnic group, generation, political party, or whether we live in urban or rural areas. In this new year, we must continue to pursue policies that promote the well-being of the nation and the people. But to that end, the central government needs adequate financial resources to ensure that it can enact each of these measures. Therefore, I hope that the ruling and opposition parties can each soberly reconsider the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures and find a path forward that ensures the lasting peace and stability of our country. For nine consecutive years, the minimum wage has continued to rise. Effective today, the minimum monthly salary is being raised from NT$27,470 to NT$28,590, and the hourly salary from NT$183 to NT$190. We hope by raising the pay for military personnel, civil servants, and educators for two consecutive years, coupled with benefits through wage increases and tax reductions, that private businesses will also raise wages, allowing all our people to enjoy the fruits of our economic growth. I know that everyone wants to pay lower taxes and rent. This year, we will continue to promote tax reductions. For example, unmarried individuals with an annual income of NT$446,000 or less can be exempt from paying income tax. Dual-income families with an annual income of NT$892,000 or less and dual-income families with two children aged six or younger with an annual income of NT$1,461,000 or less are also exempt from paying income tax. Additionally, the number of rent-subsidized housing units will also be increased, from 500,000 to 750,000 units, helping lighten the load for everyone. This year, the age eligibility for claiming Culture Points has been lowered from 16 to 13 years, so that now young people aged between 13 and 22 can receive government support for experiencing more in the arts. Also, our Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative is about to take effect, which will help more young people in Taiwan realize their dreams by taking part in education and exchange activities in many places around the world. We are also in the process of establishing a sports ministry to help young athletes achieve their dreams on the field, court, and beyond. The ministry will also be active in developing various sports industries and bringing sports and athletics more into the lives of the people, making our people healthier as a result. This year, as Taiwan becomes a “super-aged society,” we will launch our Long-term Care 3.0 Plan to provide better all-around care for our seniors. And we will expand the scope of cancer screening eligibility and services, all aimed at creating a Healthy Taiwan. In addition, Taiwan will officially begin collecting fees for its carbon fee system today. This brings us closer in line with global practices and helps us along the path to our goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. We will also continue on the path to achieving a Balanced Taiwan. Last month, the Executive Yuan launched the Trillion NT Dollar Investment National Development Plan and its six major regional flagship projects. Both of these initiatives will continue to expand the investment in our public infrastructure and the development of local specialty industries, narrowing urban-rural and wealth gaps so that all our people can live and work in peace and happiness. My fellow citizens, today’s Taiwan is receiving international recognition for its performance in many areas, among them democracy, technology, and economy. This tells us that national development is moving in the right direction. In this new year, Taiwan must be united, and we must continue on the right course. We hope that everyone in the central and local governments, regardless of party, can work hard together to ensure that national policies are successfully implemented, with the people’s well-being as our top priority. This will allow Taiwan sure footing as it strides forward toward ever greater achievements. In this new year, we have many more brilliant stories of Taiwan to share with the world, inspiring all Taiwanese, both here and around the world, to cheer time and again for the glory of Taiwan. Taiwan will keep going strong. And we will keep walking tall as we enter the new global landscape. Thank you.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: World Health Organization (WHO) delivers critical support to Bugna Woreda and surroundings amid humanitarian needs

    Source: Africa Press Organisation – English (2) – Report:

    Download logo

    Bugna woreda, Amhara region, located in Ethiopia’s North Zone, has faced significant challenges due to prolonged conflict, drought, and food insecurity. Home to over 100,000 residents, endured over a year without access to essential commodities, medical supplies, and support, leaving its population in a dire state.  The conflict’s impact was devastating, with farmers unable to access fertilizer for the 2024 farming season, exacerbating food insecurity in an area already grappling with drought.

    Recognizing the urgent need for intervention, WHO mobilized resources and personnel to support Bugna Woreda and provided PED SAM kits, IEHK kits and Trauma kits support from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the European Union (ECHO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The efforts focused on improving access to essential health and nutrition services, providing critical medical supplies, and supporting vaccination campaigns. WHO worked closely with local health authorities to strengthen the capacity of health centers and health posts, ensuring that they can better serve the community despite the challenging conditions.

     WHO donated medical supplies

    Items

    Sum of Total

    (IEHK 2017, BASIC) MODULE, MALARIA

    36

    (IEHK 2017, BASIC) MODULE, MEDICINES

    36

    (IEHK 2017, BASIC) MODULE, RENEWABLE AND EQUIPMENT

    12

    (IEHK 2017, SUPPLEMENTARY) MODULE, MALARIA

    5

    (IEHK 2017, SUPPLEMENTARY) MODULE, RENEWABLE

    7

    (IEHK 2021, SUPPLEMENTARY) MODULE, PEP, treatments for 50 adults + 10 children

    5

    (Kit PED-SAM 2020) MODULE 2, MEDICINES PED ORAL

    12

    (Kit PED-SAM 2020) MODULE 3, MEDICINES PED INJECTABLES

    12

    (Kit PED-SAM 2020) MODULE 6, RENEWABLES

    6

    (TESK 2019 mod 1A) SET 1A5, DRUGS, DANGEROUS GOODS

    4

    (TESK 2019 mod 1A) SET 1A6, DRUGS, INFUSIONS

    2

    (TESK 2019 mod 1A) SET 1A7, DRUGS, DISINFECTANTS

    6

    (TESK 2019 mod 1B) SET 1B3, RENEWABLES, INJECTION MATERIAL

    6

    Despite operational hardships, healthcare workers remained at their posts, showing immense resilience and dedication to their community.

    WHO’s support was crucial in mitigating the impacts of the access challenge. It provided much-needed medical, allowing health facilities to procure essential items and pay their workers. WHO also advocated for sustained humanitarian access to Bugna Woreda, ensuring that the flow of supplies continued uninterrupted.

    Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Ethiopia.

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Senator Baldwin Pens Op-ed Outlining Her Opposition to RFK, Jr.’s Nomination to be Nation’s Top Health Official

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Newsweek published the following op-ed penned by U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) ahead of her questioning of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., nominee for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP):
    Newsweek: RFK Jr. Is Bad for Our Health
    When I was 9 years old, I was diagnosed with a serious illness similar to spinal meningitis. The experience not only landed me in the hospital for three months, it also shaped the rest of my life. I was a child with a pre-existing condition, uninsurable for more than a decade after I got better.
    I got into politics because of my experience with health care, and it informs how I think about keeping Americans safe and well today. I know what it’s like to be a child in a hospital bed and just how important it is to protect children from life-threatening diseases.
    I’m committed to giving President Donald Trump’s nominees a fair shake and continue to carefully evaluate if each nominee will help or hurt my constituents. This, of course, includes the position to lead our nation’s largest public health agency. While I have been proud to support various Republican nominees—I even introduced former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy in front of the Senate Commerce Committee to be secretary of transportation—there are some that clearly will hurt American families.
    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is one of them. RFK Jr. has been nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), an agency that is responsible for keeping our nation healthy. HHS is charged with overseeing vaccines to stop the spread of diseases like polio and measles, spearheading lifesaving research into cures for cancer and Alzheimer’s, and so much more.
    Make no mistake, this agency has helped save the lives of millions from diseases through safe vaccines. It has given hope to millions who now have treatments and cures for cancer and other illnesses. The agency is far from perfect and needs reforms—and I have some good places to start—but the head of the HHS better believe in its core mission to keep people healthy and believe the experts, not conspiracy theories. That’s why I believe Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is simply unfit for this position.
    Kennedy is one of the top spreaders of misinformation about vaccines, peddling bogus conspiracy theories that these safe and effective protections for Americans are harmful. He said that “no vaccine is safe and effective.”
    Well, I’d bet the tens of millions of people who don’t have polio, measles, mumps, and many other diseases because of vaccines would beg to differ.
    He’s questioned the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine that was first developed under President Donald Trump and even tried to stop it from being used just six months after its rollout. This vaccine saved millions of lives and allowed Americans to return to work and school safely.
    RFK Jr. helped spread anti-vaccination conspiracy theories, fueling a measles outbreak in Samoa that led to the deaths of 83 people, primarily infants and children. He’s threatened to downsize the National Institutes of Health, which work every day to find lifesaving breakthroughs and treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s, infectious diseases, chronic health conditions, diabetes, and so many other illnesses that have an impact millions of American families.
    As a child who spent months in a hospital bed, I know the consequences of not protecting our kids from serious illness. I know the toll it takes on a family, emotionally and financially, to have a loved one hospitalized for a serious disease. I also know what it’s like to have science-backed medicine and good health care. And that all starts at the top of the federal government’s largest health agency, the Department of Health and Human Services. All of us have the responsibility to protect our kids and families, and that includes soundly rejecting a nominee who has spent much of his career spreading misinformation that endangers American lives.
    Americans deserve a leading health official who believes in science, not conspiracies. And Americans agree. I urge my colleagues to ask themselves a simple question: will this nominee keep your constituents safe, or harm them? For Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I think the answer is clear.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy To RFK Jr.: It Isn’t Believable You Will Become Consistent With Science If You Become HHS Secretary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    January 30, 2025

    [embedded content]

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Thursday questioned Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a hearing on his nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Murphy challenged Kennedy’s credibility and pressed him on past statements comparing America’s vaccine program to the Holocaust and the Catholic Church’s pedophilia scandal. Murphy argued that Kennedy’s long history of spreading misinformation about vaccines raises serious concerns about his ability to lead HHS, emphasizing the need for a Secretary who prioritizes science and public trust.

    A full transcript of Murphy’s exchange with Kennedy can be found below:

    MURPHY: “Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Kennedy, thank you for joining us here today. Listen, credibility matters so much when you lead the most important health agency in the world. The Secretary of HHS has got to be trusted that he’s telling the truth, that he cares about science, [and] has no political agenda.

    “Mr. Kennedy, I want to go back to some of your testimony yesterday, before the Finance Committee, when you either feigned ignorance about some very clear statements that you have made in the past, or you outright denied saying things about the vaccine program that you have undoubtedly said.

    “So with a day’s hindsight, I want to give you another chance to be honest about the things you have said. Senator Warnock asked you yesterday if you had compared America’s vaccine program to the Catholic Church’s pedophilia scandal. You said you never said that. Now I’m not asking you to explain what you said.”

    KENNEDY: “I didn’t say I never said that. I did not say that I hadn’t said that, Senator. I said [I didn’t say] the other question he asked me, about the Nazi death camps.”

    MURPHY: “That’s fine, you’re doubling down on that. Senator Warnock also asked you if you compared America’s vaccine campaign to the Nazi death camps and the Holocaust. Again, you said yesterday you didn’t say that.”

    KENNEDY: “I did not say that.”

    MURPHY: “Senator Bennett asked you yesterday if you had made an allegation that AIDS is a different disease in Africa than it is in America. On that one you said you didn’t recall. Having had a day to think about it, do you recall saying that AIDS is a different disease in Africa than it is in the United States?”

    KENNEDY: “I looked up that passage in my book and found that indeed the diagnostics for AIDS are very different in Africa and the United States– that the list of symptoms is almost completely different.” 

    MURPHY: “So let me just– I’ll submit this for the record, but having denied the first two statements, let me just read what you said. You said in 2013, ‘Is it hyperbole to say that the people who run our vaccine program should be in jail? They should be in jail. To me, this is like Nazi death camps. Look at what it does to the families [who participate in the vaccine program]. I can’t tell why somebody would do something like that. I can’t tell you why ordinary Germans participated in the Holocaust. I can’t tell you what was going on in their minds.’ 

    “With respect to the pedophilia scandal, you said: ‘The pedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church is a perfect metaphor for what’s happening in the United States. The vaccine program– it’s the same reason we had a pedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church. It’s because people were able to convince themselves that the institution of the church was more important than these little boys and girls who were being raped. 

    “I don’t disagree with Senator Mullin. I don’t want a HHS Secretary that’s not going to question science. I think it’s important to question science. But you’re not questioning science– you’ve made up your mind. You have spent your entire career undermining America’s vaccine program. You make these purposeful comparisons to those that are administering the vaccine program to the Nazi executioners, to the people who covered up the Catholic Church’s pedophilia scandal, because you have made a decision that there is a comparison; that there is evil in the vaccine program as there was evil in the pedophilia scandal and the Nazi death camps. 

    “You aren’t exploring science, you have made up your mind. You have spent your entire career trying to undermine these programs. The reason that these statements–these incredibly aggressive, over-the-top statements–matter to us is because it just isn’t believable that when you become secretary, you are all of a sudden going to be consistent with science. People who have spent their career saying these kinds of things, running the kinds of campaigns that you have run, don’t all of a sudden change their stripes. So Mr. Chairman, I will submit these statements into the record.”

    KENNEDY: “Can I respond to that, Senator? My statement about the Catholic Church is almost identical to the findings of the Government Oversight Investigation Committee that investigated the CDC’s vaccine program in 2003. Senator Burr was Chairman of that committee. And he said that the certain individuals in that program had written off a generation of kids because of ‘misplaced institutional loyalty to the CDC’ and because of ‘entanglements with the drug companies.’”

    MURPHY: “You equate pedophilia to the administration of vaccines?”

    KENNEDY: “It wasn’t pedophilia.”

    MURPHY: “You said it was a perfect metaphor.” 

    KENNEDY: “If you have one in 36 kids who has neurological injuries, and if that is linked, that should be studied.”

    MURPHY: “Is it a perfect metaphor?”

    KENNEDY: “It’s not a perfect metaphor, but there’s no metaphor that’s perfect. I am pro-vaccine. I am going to support the vaccine program. I want kids to be healthy, and I’m coming in here to get rid of the conflicts of interest within the agency and make sure that we have gold standard, evidence-based science. And if you show me where I’m wrong on this, show me a single statement I’ve made about science that is erroneous.”

    MURPHY: “Thank you.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Speaks During Hearing for HHS Secretary Nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Champions Making America Healthy Again

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke during the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee confirmation hearing for President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services(HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Sen. Tuberville and Mr. Kennedy discussed the harmful ingredients used in American food products and ways to Make America Healthy Again.

    Earlier today, Sen. Tuberville penned an op-ed explaining why he supports Kennedy for HHS Secretary. 

    Read excerpts from Sen. Tuberville’s remarks below or watch on YouTube or Rumble.

    ON THE OVER-PRESCRIPTION OF MEDICATION:
    TUBERVILLE:     “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Kennedy, for being here. Being a few months older than me, I’m going to be respectful to my elders. [laughs] […]

    Thank you for bringing light to what this is all about. It’s about the health in our country. There might have been a half a dozen people in [here for the hearing of] the last Health and Human Services nominee—nobody was interested. A lawyer who worked from home in California—didn’t do a damn thing in terms of what we needed when COVID was in full steam.

    So, thank you. Thank you for getting our young people involved. My two boys, 28 and 30, a year ago or so were gonna vote for you for President of the United States. You know why? Because you’re trying to save their group of people from the chemicals and the things that we have in our food. They’re fired up about it. And you brought light to that. And thank God you’ve done that. You brought importance to what we’re doing.

    You know, I coached for 40 years. In the last four or five years I coached, I’d never seen the run on drugs our young people are being given by doctors across this country. We have an attention deficit problem in this country. When you and I were growing up, our parents didn’t use a drug, they used a belt and whipped our butts, you know, and told us to sit down. Nowadays, we give them Adderall and Ritalin like candy across college campuses and high school campuses. Mr. Kennedy, what are we gonna do about that?”

    RFK JR: “Today, 15% of American kids are on Adderall. And there’s clearly a major problem with over-prescription, not just with our children, with our entire population. We have 4.2% of the world’s population, and we take fifty percent of the pharmaceutical drugs. And there’s a recent study by Peter Gotzsche, who is one of the founders of the Cochrane Collaboration that showed that prescription drugs are now the third largest cause of death in our country after cardiac arrest or colon cancer. We’re not getting healthier. Americans are getting less and less healthy. 70% of pharmaceutical profits will globally come from our country, which has 4.2% of the world’s population. We’re the only country that allows full-scale pharmaceutical ads on TV. And we’re all being told that you can eat anything you want, you can smoke anything you want, you can do anything you want and there’ll be a drug to fix you in the end. And it is not a good formula. And our kids are getting sicker and sicker. They’re not getting better. Nobody here—all the people here who are defending this current system and defending these pharmaceutical industry profits—many of whom are taking huge amounts of money from the pharmaceutical industry, millions of dollars for many of these senators. And none of that is making our country healthier. It’s making us sicker. We need to get rid of these conflicts. We need good science, and we need good leadership. [I’m] able to stand up to these big industries and not bend over for them.”

    ON VACCINES:

    TUBERVILLE: “And you brought to light the vaccines over the last couple of years. I’ll have my first granddaughter here in a couple of weeks, and my son and his wife have done their research about vaccines. And she’s not going to be a pin cushion. We’re not going to allow that to happen. But you brought that up, as you and I talked about with vaccines—let’s empower scientists to do their job. You know, don’t just do something for the pharmaceutical companies. So, I appreciate you doing that.”

    ON FOOD INGREDIENTS:
    TUBERVILLE:     “One other thing is—you and I talked about Red Dye No. 3. It just happens that you and I talked about that and a few days later, in this room, we had the FDA director. And I asked him, why don’t we use Red Dye Three in our cosmetics, [but] use it in our food? Yet we don’t use it [in] cosmetics because it causes cancer. What the heck is going on? Well, a few weeks later because of that, [the Biden administration] dropped it. So, tell me about dyes and things that you’re concerned about. I [hear more] about that than anything.”

    RFK JR: “We have 10,000 ingredients in our food in this country because the FDA employs a standard called the GRAS standard. And it looks at any new chemical as innocent until proven guilty. Europe, they have 400 ingredients in their foods. Kellogg’s makes fruit loops for the United States alone. It is loaded with a red dye, blue, a yellow dye, and many, many other ingredients. They make the same product for Canada [with] all vegetable dyes. And for Europe, if you eat a McDonald’s French fry in this country, it has 11 ingredients. You eat the same product in Europe, it has three. We are allowing these companies because [of] their influence over this body, over our regulatory agencies, to mass poison American children. And that’s wrong. It needs to end, and I believe I’m the one person who’s able to end it.”

    BACKGROUND:

    As Alabama’s voice on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and a co-founder of the Senate “Make America Healthy Again” Caucus, Senator Tuberville is a strong supporter of President Trump’s nomination of RFK Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Sen. Tuberville shares Kennedy’s view that increased transparency is needed for our food and health care systems, especially the chemicals that are being put in America’s food. The FDA recently announced its decision to ban Red Dye 3 following Senator Tuberville questioning top FDA officials on the harm of these chemicals in a HELP hearing last month. 

    MORE:

    Tuberville: “America is facing a public health crisis; We must confirm Robert F Kennedy Jr.”

    Tuberville Joins Sen. Marshall in Launching Make America Healthy Again Caucus

    Tuberville, MAHA Caucus Celebrate FDA’s Decision to Ban Dangerous Red Dye No. 3 from Foods

    1819 News: Tuberville questions FDA over red dyes no. 40 and no. 3 in America’s food supply — ‘It’s not a conservative or a liberal standpoint’

    Tuberville Exposes Harmful Chemicals in American Food and Beverage Industry

    ICYMI: Tuberville Joins “National Report” on Newsmax

    Tuberville Meets with RFK Jr. and Todd Blanche

    Coach’s Monthly Column: All in for Trump’s America First nominees

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Urges Senate to Move Swiftly on Confirming RFK Jr., Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville

    “They are all outstanding choices and should be confirmed to President Trump’s cabinet as soon as possible.”

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) spoke on the Senate floor about the need to quickly confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard to key roles in President Trump’s cabinet. Sen. Tuberville defended each nominees’ qualifications and their commitments to making America healthy, more just, and secure again. During the speech, Sen. Tuberville denounced the baseless attacks aimed at these nominees by the media and career politicians as nothing but dishonest attempts to tank President Trump’s nominations.

    Read Senator Tuberville’s remarks below or watch on YouTube or Rumble.  

    “Mr. President,

    I’d like to start by thanking Leader Thune for President Trump’s cabinet nominees so far. President Trump is on the verge of having his full team. We’ve confirmed Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem, Scott Bessent and many others who are doing an outstanding job implementing President Trump’s America First agenda, but there are more critical nominees that President Trump still needs to confirm. This includes Robert Kennedy, Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard, along with a few others.

    I’ve gotten the chance to meet with each of these nominees. I’ve been very impressed. They are all outstanding choices and should be confirmed to President Trump’s cabinet as soon as possible. 

    First, I’d like to express my complete and total support for Robert F. Kennedy’s nomination to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. You know, last November, we saw millions of Americans, especially young Americans, flock to the MAGA movement after Bobby Kennedy endorsed President Trump.

    Both my sons, 28 and 30, Tucker and Troy, were huge fans of RFK and I know there’re just millions of young people who RFK [has] brought to the table and into the fold, opening our eyes towards something they had never really been involved in, and that’s the health of their generation and all generations across the country.

    As we know, Bobby started [the] Make America Healthy Again movement, known as MAHA, which eventually joined forces with President Trump. MAHA isn’t just a political slogan. It’s not just a political slogan. It’s a movement. That has swept our Nation. For the first time, important issues like the effectiveness of vaccines, the dangers of prescription medicines, and the chemicals in our food and household products are part of our national political [discourse], as it should be. And it’s all because of the work of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

    You know, before entering the arena, Bobby spent four decades, environmental law, and in healthcare policies, specializing in issues like water pollution, vaccines, and food safety. Four decades. He is an accomplished attorney who attended Harvard, the London School of Economics, and the University of Virginia. And he’s authored multiple best-selling books that I would suggest anybody, that’s concerned about the health of our country, should read.

    Throughout his career, he has committed to discovering the truth about what is causing the chronic disease epidemic in America today. And his presidential campaign exposed the fact that we have a serious, a very serious public health crisis facing our country today and in the future. 

    For example, in his hearing yesterday, Bobby Kennedy laid out that over seventy percent of adults and one third of our children are overweight or obese. The rate of diabetes is ten times more prevalent today than it was in 1960. Cancer among our young people is rising by one or two percent every year. Auto immune diseases, neurodevelopmental disorders, and addiction cases are hugely on the rise. Depression and anxiety rates are absolutely through the roof. Meanwhile, more Americans are reliant on pharmaceutical drugs than ever before.

    I saw that in my formal life of being a coach of players years ago, very few on any kind of drug such as Adderall or Ritalin for attention deficit. But the last few years, it was a huge uptick in prescription drugs and many, many young people across the country. These findings are alarming, and they should, and they had better shock, all of us. 

    Thank God, Bobby has dedicated his life to getting to the bottom of what’s causing these trends. As he did in his hearing yesterday, Bobby is an expert on the health issues facing our country and has the facts, the data, and the evidence to prove it. And he will bring his commitment to evidence-based science, transparency to our national health agencies. And it’s simple: Americans want access to all the facts so they can decide what’s best for themselves and for their families. Bobby is committed to giving Americans the information that they need to be informed and make informed decisions.

    Recently, I’ve seen the mainstream media, and some politicians attempt to smear Bobby Kennedy as anti-vax, anti-industry, or an enemy of food producers. All of this couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s just a political attack. We’ve even heard from prominent Republicans like former -Vice President Mike Pence who is running ads on TV criticizing Bobby Kennedy for not being sufficiently pro-life.

    Bobby addressed this himself yesterday. He believes every abortion is a tragedy, and he will work with President Trump to implement his pro-life policies. These attacks are nothing more than dishonest attempts by the DC establishment to tank his nomination. We’ve seen that in the last couple of weeks on all nominees.

    Sure. Bobby Kennedy may not be the typical pick for the job, but the American people don’t want a typical pick. The one we picked four years ago for President Biden was a lawyer, lived in California, and very seldom came to Washington D.C., worked from home. We got nothing done in health and human services.

    They gave us a mandate in November, 77 million people, to deliver Trump, President Trump’s agenda. And that includes Making America Healthy Again. As far as I’m concerned, Bobby is not part of being the healthcare establishment class. That’s a really good thing. We don’t need that. Look where it’s got us. The pharmaceutical industry and industrial food complex won’t be running the show anymore when Bobby Kennedy is confirmed. Instead, he will restore our health agencies to the gold standard of [scientific] research and explore [holistic] healthcare alternatives as part of our efforts to end chronic disease epidemics across this country.

    Ultimately, this will lower cost for Americans and ease the burden on our entire healthcare system, which is being overrun by all of the conditions that we have popping up today. With the many public health crisis we’re facing as a country, we have no time to waste. Hope my colleagues will join me in supporting Bobby for HHS Secretary and help President Trump Make America Healthy Again.

    Our next nominee, I’d like to turn to Kash Patel.

    He is on the Hill today going through his confirmation hearings. Kash is President Trump’s pick to be the FBI Director, who testified in front of the Senate all morning long. Kash is an excellent choice, and he has my full support. 

    It’s clear to the American people that the culture at the top of our top police agency in this country, the FBI, is rotten. It’s rotten to the core. We have some good people. But the people in charge have made devastating decisions against a lot of people across this country. It is far past time to clean house at the FBI.

    Over the last four years, we’ve seen the Bureau become politicized and weaponized. The Biden administration turned the FBI into the ‘fake bureau of investigation.’ The scales of justice were never fair and balanced under the last administration. Christopher Ray, the director, went after parents at school boards [and] pro-lifers. He went after Catholics. He went after grandmas who peacefully protested right outside this building on January the sixth. He went to their homes and arrested them. Not to mention the unprecedented raid on President Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

    What we’ve seen unfold at our nation’s premiere law enforcement agency over the last four years is a complete and absolute disgrace to the American people and to our Constitution.

    Not only has the public’s trust in [the] FBI been completely eroded, it’s been a disservice to all the great men and women in the FBI, who commit every day to defending the Constitution and protecting us as American citizens. It’s going to take a lot of hard work to right this ship. Trust has to be put back into the FBI. Kash Patel is the right man to do [the] job.

    He’s qualified and has an impressive resume. He served in several national security and intelligence roles, as [a] federal prosecutor, and as a public defender. Not only is Kash qualified, but he also has the courage and the resolve needed to restore our faith in the FBI. Despite the media’s lies, Kash won’t have his enemies list when he takes a job, unlike the Biden administration. If crimes are committed, he will open an investigation, follow facts wherever they lead. No bias, no partiality. 

    Kash will bring back truth and transparency, uphold the rule of law and the Constitution, and protect Americans against its enemies, foreign, and domestic. He will ensure that the government works for the American people and not the other way around.

    Let’s confirm Kash quickly and give President Trump an important component of his national security team. I look forward to supporting Kash Patel, and I hope my Republican colleagues will do the same. 

    Finally, we need to confirm Tulsi Gabbard to be our next Director of National Intelligence. Like Kash, Tulsi will play a critical role on President Trump’s national security team.

    She just had her hearing in front of the Senate Intel Committee this morning. Her hearing only further confirmed to me that Tulsi is the perfect candidate for the DNI role. She is a decorated lieutenant colonel, over twenty years of service in the military. Tulsi served in combat in the Iraq War and is currently active in [the reserves]. She has a top security clearance, having passed five background checks to receive it.

    Tulsi served in Congress for eight years, where she sat on the Homeland Security, Armed Services, and Foreign Relations Committee. And as a member of Congress, she consistently participated in high-level intelligence briefings. [As] she has displayed throughout her entire career in the military and as an elected official, Tulsi will bring a fearless spirit to the DNI role.

    I have to tell you my meeting with Tulsi is one of the most impressive meetings I’ve had since I’ve been in this office going on five years. [Her] knowledge and expertise is unmatched. I have no doubt she will keep our country secure while protecting the Constitution and the constitutional rights of all Americans. She will help us return to peace through strength and put an end to Americans costly foreign wars.

    The attacks on her, questioning her loyalty to the United States are absolutely disgusting. It’s insulting. Tulsi has devoted her entire life to serving this country, [in] the military, and in public service.

    To the Senators criticizing Tulsi for not fitting the typical mold of a DNI director, [it] might just be a good thing. Have the last several years shown us that the status quo is working? No. I don’t think so. And I don’t think the American people think so either, and they’re the ones that count.

    Tulsi brings a fresh perspective to the job in the America that we all want and deserve. We do not need another James Clapper. Like the FBI, we’ve seen our intelligence community weaponized to target opponents of the regime. The IC conspired to take down President Trump in 2016 and 2020. And maybe most recently [in] the election a couple months ago.

    For that reason, I think Tulsi is exactly the change agent we need leading our intelligence community. Like Bobby Kennedy, Tulsi switched her party affiliation because she saw the status quo as a threat to the American people and our constitutional rights. As Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi will check her politics at the door just like she’s done the last twenty years serving in our military.

    She will come to DNI without any bias. She will fix our broken intelligence community, and folks, it is broken. I look forward to confirming Tulsi to DNI.

    I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting for Tulsi. She will play a major role in President Trump’s team in restoring faith in our intelligence community.

    Mr. President, I yield the floor.”

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: First Plunket site begins delivering childhood immunisations

    Source: New Zealand Government

    From today, Plunket in Whāngarei will be offering childhood immunisations – the first of up to 27 sites nationwide, Health Minister Simeon Brown says. 

    The investment of $1 million into the pilot, announced in October 2024, was made possible due to the Government’s record $16.68 billion investment in health. It will allow Plunket to deliver vaccinations alongside in-clinic Well Child visits, at dedicated immunisations clinics, at community events, and eventually in homes. 

    “Improving childhood immunisation rates is a priority for the Government. Having established immunisation services across the country is an important step in increasing access and reducing barriers. 

    “The Government knows that immunisations are a critical tool in protecting children from serious, preventable diseases such as whooping cough (pertussis), which has worryingly already hospitalised a number of babies so far this year. 

    “Our Government’s health targets are critical to ensuring that all New Zealanders have access to timely, quality healthcare services. This new service will support our target of 95 per cent of children being fully vaccinated by 24 months of age, setting them up for a healthy start in life. 

    “By upskilling the existing workforce and catching those in the system who may not be able to access their general practice or aren’t enrolled, we’ll be able to boost childhood immunisations in areas where vaccine coverage is particularly low,” Mr Brown says. 

    This initiative to boost the vaccination workforce is in addition to the $50 million investment over two years for Hauora Māori providers to deliver additional vaccinations. The pilot runs until June 2026. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FDA Approves Novel Non-Opioid Treatment for Moderate to Severe Acute Pain

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    For Immediate Release:

    Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Journavx (suzetrigine) 50 milligram oral tablets, a first-in-class non-opioid analgesic, to treat moderate to severe acute pain in adults. Journavx reduces pain by targeting a pain-signaling pathway involving sodium channels in the peripheral nervous system, before pain signals reach the brain.  

    Journavx is the first drug to be approved in this new class of pain management medicines.

    Pain is a common medical problem and relief of pain is an important therapeutic goal. Acute pain is short-term pain that is typically in response to some form of tissue injury, such as trauma or surgery. Acute pain is often treated with analgesics that may or may not contain opioids.

    The FDA has long supported development of non-opioid pain treatment. As part of the FDA Overdose Prevention Framework, the agency has issued draft guidance aimed at encouraging development of non-opioid analgesics for acute pain and awarded cooperative grants to support the development and dissemination of clinical practice guidelines for the management of acute pain conditions.  

    “Today’s approval is an important public health milestone in acute pain management,” said Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, J.D., M.D., acting director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “A new non-opioid analgesic therapeutic class for acute pain offers an opportunity to mitigate certain risks associated with using an opioid for pain and provides patients with another treatment option. This action and the agency’s designations to expedite the drug’s development and review underscore FDA’s commitment to approving safe and effective alternatives to opioids for pain management.”

    The efficacy of Journavx was evaluated in two randomized, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled trials of acute surgical pain, one following abdominoplasty and the other following bunionectomy. In addition to receiving the randomized treatment, all participants in the trials with inadequate pain control were permitted to use ibuprofen as needed for “rescue” pain medication. Both trials demonstrated a statistically significant superior reduction in pain with Journavx compared to placebo.

    The safety profile of Journavx is primarily based on data from the pooled, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled trials in 874 participants with moderate to severe acute pain following abdominoplasty and bunionectomy, with supportive safety data from one single-arm, open-label study in 256 participants with moderate to severe acute pain in a range of acute pain conditions.

    The most common adverse reactions in study participants who received Journavx were itching, muscle spasms, increased blood level of creatine phosphokinase, and rash. Journavx is contraindicated for concomitant use with strong CYP3A inhibitors. Additionally, patients should avoid food or drink containing grapefruit when taking Journavx.

    The application received Breakthrough Therapy, Fast Track and Priority Review designations by the FDA.  

    The FDA granted approval of Journavx to Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated.

    ###

    Boilerplate

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    Inquiries

    Consumer:
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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: In Senate Hearing, RFK Jr. Refuses to Say HPV Vaccine is Safe to Sen. Patty Murray, Pressed on Credible Accusation of Sexual Assault

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray
    Murray: “There are political realities, we all get that—but there is also right and wrong, fact and fiction. And there’s also people staying healthy, or people dying pointlessly from diseases we can prevent because they thought Congress took its job vetting our health care secretary seriously.”
    Murray, a longtime congressional leader on health care who has led hearings on addressing vaccine hesitancy, has been a leading vocal opponent of RFK Jr.’s nomination—speaking out on the Senate floor, holding events, raising the alarm after meeting with him
    *** VIDEO of Senator Murray’s FULL questioning with RFK Jr. HERE***
    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, questioned RFK Jr. at the Senate HELP Committee hearing on his nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)—pressing him forcefully on whether he stands by false statements he made about the HPV vaccine and asking about credible accusations of sexual harassment and assault against him.
    RFK Jr. has long been one of the anti-vaccine movement’s loudest, proudest champions—peddling dangerous, debunked views and funding anti-vaccine causes—and there is much he could do as HHS Secretary to cause chaos and real harm to families,  from firing top scientists and researchers, to ripping away the approval or insurance coverage of all kinds of vaccines and medicines, to ending our focus on infectious disease research, as he has threatened to do.
    Murray began her questioning at today’s hearing by reiterating that HHS has broad and critical responsibilities to protect and preserve health care and social services, from advancing women’s health, to improving child care, to bolstering biomedical research—all priorities of hers—but she would use her limited time for questioning to ask about vaccines. Also noting the tragic plane crash last night in DC, Murray called it “a painful reminder that we need competent people running our federal agencies to respond when a crisis strikes.”
    “I think we can agree that cancer is particularly a nefarious chronic disease. And the American Cancer Society reported earlier this month that women under 50 are experiencing a dramatic increase in incidence of the disease. Fortunately, there is clear data showing that the HPV vaccine has saved lives and cut cervical cancer rates dramatically. You have called the HPV vaccine ‘dangerous and defective’ and said it ‘actually increases the risk of cervical cancer.’ Do you stand by those statements? Yes or no?”
    Kennedy filibustered, refusing to answer directly—Murray pressed him to answer the question, then continued, “You said that: ‘no loving parents would allow their daughter to receive this vaccine.’ If confirmed as HHS Secretary, would you recommend that parents get their children vaccinated against HPV? Yes or no?”
    “I’ll just remind everybody—parents look to our health leaders for advice on these decisions; you would be a health leader,” Murray said, asking unanimous consent to enter Mr. Kennedy’s numerous statements disparaging the HPV vaccine and others into the record.
    Murray continued by asking Mr. Kennedy about accusations of sexual harassment and assault by Eliza Cooney, who was hired as a part-time babysitter by his family. “When you were confronted about this accusation, you said you were ‘not a church boy’ and that you ‘have so many skeletons in my closet,’ Murray said. “You then texted Miss Cooney an apology and indicated you had no memory of what she described. Mr. Kennedy, I’m asking you to respond to those accusations seriously in front of this committee. Did you make sexual advances towards Miss Cooney without her consent?”
    Kennedy denied the allegations, calling them “debunked,” despite credible reporting to the contrary, when pressed on why he apologized, Kennedy claimed he texted Cooney an apology for a separate reason—in contrast to the published texts. Mr. Kennedy then told the full committee that he had never made any unwanted sexual advances towards any individual without their consent.
    “My time is almost up, but having read a lot and listened a lot, I just want to remind all my colleagues that by voting to confirm Mr. Kennedy, we would be telling our constituents he is worth listening to,” Murray said. “That alone will get people killed—before he even lifts a finger. Because he does not even need the levers of power to influence people, as we saw in Samoa—all he needs is a megaphone.
    “To affirm his views by voting to confirm him as our highest health official—we should not mince words about what that will mean. When babies die from whooping cough because parents weren’t sure if the vaccine was safe, we will have to look them in the eye. When measles sweeps through schools, hospitals, nursing wards—will this be worth it?”
    “There are political realities, we all get that—but there is also right and wrong, fact and fiction. And there’s also people staying healthy, or people dying pointlessly from diseases we can prevent because they thought Congress took its job vetting our health care secretary seriously,” Murray concluded.
    When President-elect Donald J. Trump first announced his intention to select Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of HHS, Murray immediately and forcefully condemned the move—and she has consistently spoken out and laid out for her colleagues the case against his nomination since, including in a lengthy Senate floor speech earlier this month—VIDEO HERE. Murray met with RFK Jr. on January 15th and released a statement afterward reiterating her opposition to his nomination and urging her colleagues, “to be honest with themselves about the stakes of putting one of the anti-vaccine movement’s loudest, proudest champions in charge of HHS and join me in opposing RFK Jr.’s nomination.”  In December, Murray held a roundtable discussion at UW Medicine on the importance of scientific research and vaccines—especially for children—and spoke about how having RFK Jr. lead HHS would threaten Americans’ health and safety.
    As a longtime appropriator and former Chair of the Senate HELP Committee, Murray has long fought to boost biomedical research, strengthen public health infrastructure, and make health care more affordable and accessible. Over her years as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, she has secured billions of dollars in increases for biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health, and during her time as Chair of the HELP Committee she established the new ARPA-H research agency as part of her PREVENT Pandemics Act to advance some of the most cutting-edge research in the field. As Chair of the HELP Committee, Murray was also instrumental in crafting the American Rescue Plan Act, including its landmark investments in public health and health care. Senator Murray was also the lead Democratic negotiator of the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act, which delivered a major federal investment to boost NIH research, among many other investments. Murray is also the lead sponsor of the Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (PHISLA), legislation to establish $4.5 billion in dedicated, annual funding for a grant program to build up and maintain the nation’s public health system across the board. 
    In 2019, Senator Murray co-led a bipartisan hearing in the HELP Committee on vaccine hesitancy and spoke about the importance of addressing vaccine skepticism and getting people the facts they need to keep their families and communities safe and healthy. Ahead of the hearing, as multiple states were facing measles outbreaks in under-vaccinated areas, Murray sent a bipartisan letter with former HELP Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) pressing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director and HHS Assistant Secretary for Health on their efforts to promote vaccination and vaccine confidence.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Infection prevention and action against antimicrobial resistance, including innovative therapies – E-000213/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-000213/2025
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    András Tivadar Kulja (PPE)

    In September 2024, Member State leaders and global counterparts committed, under the UN’s Political Declaration on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), to reduce the estimated 4.95 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR by 10 % by 2030.

    Considering the outlined need for ‘stepping up’ efforts on preventive health and advancing work on AMR in collaboration with Member States, as stated in the mission letter addressed to the new Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare:

    • 1.How will infection prevention efforts beyond traditional water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and vaccination programmes specifically addressing AMR be integrated into the Commission’s broader preventive health agenda, and what binding legislative actions is the Commission planning to adopt to ensure the EU meets the UN’s 2030 target for reducing deaths associated with AMR?
    • 2.How does the Commission plan to enhance research efforts and conduct impact assessment campaigns on innovative AMR therapies, such as bacteriophages, antimicrobial peptides, gene editing technologies and modern probiotics to ensure faster and equitable access to the most effective treatments across Europe?
    • 3.What measures will the Commission implement to strengthen the monitoring and reporting of antimicrobial use in animal welfare, ensuring alignment with the EU’s AMR reduction targets?

    Submitted: 20.1.2025

    Last updated: 30 January 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah releases “Indian Renaissance: The Modi Decade” book in New Delhi

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah releases “Indian Renaissance: The Modi Decade” book in New Delhi

    Past 10 years of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s tenure have marked the end of one era and the beginning of another

    Whether as CM or now as PM, Modi Ji has taken a transformative decision every year, bringing significant change

    Whenever India’s history is written, even the harshest critics will acknowledge Modi Ji’s 10 years of governance in golden letters

    Some leaders talk about separating Southern India; in their time, they divided the country multiple times, How long will they keep dividing?

    Modi Ji has mastered the art of true leadership—something that leaders who only seek newspaper headlines will never understand

    India’s history will be categorized into three phases: before and after independence, before and after the Emergency, and before and after Modi Ji’s era

    Posted On: 30 JAN 2025 10:10PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah today released “Indian Renaissance: The Modi Decade” book in New Delhi. On this occasion, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Manohar Lal, Rajya Sabha MP Shri Kartikeya Sharma, the book’s editor Dr. Aishwarya Pandit, and several other distinguished personalities were present.

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that in the past 10 years of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s tenure have marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. He emphasized that whenever India’s history is rewritten, even Modi Ji’s staunchest critics will acknowledge these 10 years in golden letters.

    He further said that in 2014, India entered a new era, receiving a stable government after three decades, leading to success in every part of the country. Shri Shah mentioned that this transformation has been interpreted in various ways, with a foreign newspaper even writing that while India attained independence on August 15, 1947, it was under Modi Ji’s leadership in 2014 that the country truly gained freedom from colonial influences.

    Shri Amit Shah said that our country gained freedom from a long period of colonial rule on 15 August 1947. He further highlighted that India is one of the world’s oldest civilizations, known for its openness—whether in embracing new ideas, welcoming foreign citizens, or accepting diverse languages.

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah noted that India is the only country in the world that has embraced multiple civilizations, modified its own traditions, and continued its journey while preserving its essence. He emphasized that India is unique in its ability to sustain numerous languages, cultures, dialects, and religions, all coexisting with mutual respect while progressing together as a nation.

    Shri Amit Shah stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, numerous reforms have taken place across various sectors, accelerating overall growth. He highlighted that the size and scale of every sector have expanded significantly. He emphasized that no one could have imagined that during the world’s biggest pandemic, COVID-19, India would manage the crisis most efficiently. Through the use of technology, the country successfully vaccinated its 1.3 billion population and seamlessly provided vaccination certificates. He also noted that India was among the first to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and supplied it to over 100 countries.

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, stated that in the future, India’s history will be divided into three distinct parts. The first part will be “India before Independence and after Independence,” the second part will be “India before Emergency and after Emergency,” and the third part will be “India before Modi Ji and after Modi Ji.” He emphasized that when a leader guides his nation with hard work, diligence, a clean heart, and a visionary approach, history cannot ignore him.

    Shri Amit Shah highlighted that during the 25th and 50th anniversaries of India’s independence, programs were primarily held in schools, panchayats, and government buildings, with resolutions passed in legislative assemblies and Parliament. However, the 75th anniversary of independence was celebrated on a much larger scale, with over 8 lakh programs organized despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. He credited PM Modi for ensuring that the new generation learns about the freedom movement from 1857 to 1947 and that the unsung heroes of independence receive their due recognition. He added that PM Modi encouraged the nation to take pride in its achievements over the past 75 years and inspired citizens to commit to making India a fully developed nation by August 15, 2047.

    Shri Amit Shah asserted that PM Modi has set a clear target for India to become a fully developed nation by 2047. He remarked that what started as the Prime Minister’s resolution has now become the collective aspiration of 130 crore Indians. He expressed confidence that India’s youth will be the driving force behind making the country the number one global power by 2047. He added, Modi Ji recognizes that if every Indian takes a single step forward, the country will advance by 130 crore steps.

    Referring to the Covid-19 pandemic, Shri Amit Shah recalled how the entire country obeyed PM Modi’s call for a ‘Janta Curfew’ and stayed indoors. He compared this response to the public’s reaction to the appeal for fast made by former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, indicating that it was one of the rare moments when citizens wholeheartedly followed a leader’s call. He addressed government critics by stating that lighting a lamp may not eradicate Covid-19, but it certainly raised awareness and vigilance among the people.

    Shri Amit Shah emphasized that to truly understand Modi Ji’s journey, one must look beyond his tenure from 2001 to 2025 and consider his 40 years of service before that. He described Modi Ji as someone who has always prioritized the welfare of others and never used public funds for personal benefit. Shri Shah praised PM Modi for implementing bold reforms and making tough decisions that the public has continuously supported, leading to his repeated electoral victories.

    Shri Amit Shah said that the last 10 years of PM Modi’s leadership serve as the foundation for India’s next 25 years, known as “Amrit Kaal.” He believes that the efforts made in the past decade, combined with those to come, will propel India to the top position globally. He stated that no one can counter the newfound self-confidence of the Indian people. Home Minister highlighted various welfare initiatives, including providing houses to 60 crore poor people, gas connections, toilets, drinking water, free medical treatment up to ₹5 lakh, and 5 kg of free food grains, among other benefits. He credited Modi Ji with launching a revolutionary transformation in both Gujarat and Delhi.

    Shri Amit Shah said, some leaders talk about separating Southern India; in their time, they fragmented the country multiple times. He questioned them, how long will they keep dividing?

    Shri Amit Shah underscored that PM Modi’s achievements have been recognized worldwide. He pointed out that Modi Ji is the only global leader today who has been honored with the highest civilian awards from 16 different countries. Shri Shah compared Modi Ji to Mahatma Gandhi, stating that after Gandhi ji, Modi Ji is the only leader to have prioritized cleanliness on a national scale, ensuring the construction of toilets for 13 crore households.

    Reflecting on the country’s progress over the past decade, Shri Amit Shah stated that 10 years ago, India’s governance was marked by policy paralysis, whereas today, it is defined by a “politics of performance.” He expressed confidence that by 2047, India will be fully developed, will dominate the global stage, and will retain its deep-rooted cultural and national identity.

    ***

    Raj Kumar/Vivek/Priyabhanshu/Pankaj

    (Release ID: 2097768) Visitor Counter : 48

    Read this release in: Hindi

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville: “America is facing a public health crisis; We must confirm Robert F Kennedy Jr.”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) penned an op-ed supporting President Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Sen. Tuberville’s op-ed comes ahead of Kennedy’s hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee this morning. In the piece, Sen. Tuberville makes the case for why Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the perfect person to end the chronic disease epidemic in this country and help Americans live longer, healthier lives.

    Read excerpts below or read the full op-ed here.

    “Despite his recent surge in popularity, RFK isn’t new to the scene when it comes to public health. For four decades, he worked in environmental law and in health care policy, specializing in issues like water pollution, vaccine efficacy, and food safety. He is an accomplished attorney who attended Harvard, the London School of Economics, and the University of Virginia.

    One of the most important things RFK has done is shine a light on the fact that we have a public health crisis in this country. As he said in his Senate Finance hearing earlier this week, over 70% of adults and one-third of our children are overweight or obese. The rate of diabetes is ten times more prevalent than it was in 1960. Cancer among our young people is rising by one or two percent each year. Autoimmune diseases, neurodevelopmental disorders, and addiction rates are on the rise—and meanwhile, more Americans are reliant on pharmaceutical drugs than ever before.

    To address some of these concerns, RFK Jr. has been an outspoken advocate for holistic, healthy living. As a result of his MAHA campaign, many Americans are now researching inexpensive and natural alternatives to medicine, which could end up saving taxpayers millions and helping Americans to live longer. While pharmaceuticals are certainly important and have saved millions of lives, we should also be looking to promote healthier lifestyles as part of our chronic disease prevention efforts.

    Both President Trump and RFK Jr. agree: the status quo isn’t working. Our national health agencies should be singularly focused on helping as many Americans be as healthy as possible. Health officials should want to heal our sick culture. Supporting transparency and consumer-choice in medications doesn’t make RFK anti-vax, anti-industry, or an enemy of food producers. He simply wants to help address America’s chronic disease epidemic. […]

    Sure, RFK may not be the typical pick for the job. But the American people issued a mandate in November: they want President Trump’s agenda, and that includes MAHA. As far as I’m concerned, RFK not being part of the health care establishment class is a good thing. Let’s answer the call of the American people by ushering in a New Golden Age of American Health.”

    MORE:

    Tuberville Joins Sen. Marshall in Launching Make America Healthy Again Caucus

    Tuberville, MAHA Caucus Celebrate FDA’s Decision to Ban Dangerous Red Dye No. 3 from Foods

    1819 News: Tuberville questions FDA over red dyes no. 40 and no. 3 in America’s food supply — ‘It’s not a conservative or a liberal standpoint’

    Tuberville Exposes Harmful Chemicals in American Food and Beverage Industry

    ICYMI: Tuberville Joins “National Report” on Newsmax

    Tuberville Meets with RFK Jr. and Todd Blanche

    Coach’s Monthly Column: All in for Trump’s America First nominees

    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Bird flu cases surging in UK but risk to humans remains low

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Ed Hutchinson, Professor, MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, University of Glasgow

    Avian influenza control zones have been put in place in England, Scotland and Wales to control the virus’s spread among birds. AlanMorris/ Shutterstock

    A human case of bird flu has recently been detected in England. This news comes just days after restrictions were put in place to curb the virus’s spread among wild birds and poultry in England and Scotland.

    Although cases of bird flu are surging among birds in the UK, the risk of the virus spreading to humans still remains extremely low. A bit of context about influenza explains why health protection agencies think this is the case.

    There are many different influenza viruses out there. They’re all related, but each specialises in infecting different types of animals.

    Each winter, humans have to deal with three different types of seasonal influenza virus – H1N1, H3N2 and influenza B viruses. Meanwhile, birds, particularly shore birds and waterfowl, contend with a huge number of their own influenza viruses.

    Most of these avian influenza viruses only afflict birds with minor infections of the airway or gut. But a small set cause more serious illness. These are called highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs).

    Among the HPAIVs, the H5N1 strains stand out. H5N1 bird flu, which is largely a disease of wild birds, has been notorious since the late 1990s for causing major die-offs of poultry worldwide – and for occasionally causing serious illness in humans. Viruses evolve rapidly, and in 2020 H5N1 evolved so it could spread more aggressively in wild birds.

    The resulting outbreak tore through bird populations globally, including devastating die-offs in seabird colonies when the virus arrived in the UK in 2021. As it spread, the virus also caused outbreaks in farmed birds.

    All outbreaks ebb and flow. After mid-2023, cases of H5N1 subsided in the UK. However, the virus never fully disappeared – and in autumn 2024, cases in wild birds started increasing again. It’s very hard to keep wild birds and farmed birds apart, and infections in poultry farms soon followed.

    In the UK, the threat of H5N1 to birds is tracked through ongoing surveillance. In response to these rising cases, avian influenza prevention zones have recently been declared for England, Scotland and now Wales. These restrictions aim to reduce the risk of farmed birds getting infected. Anyone keeping birds in England, Scotland and Wales will be required to take additional measures to prevent their birds being infected – including keeping birds under cover in regions facing the greatest risk.

    Wild birds spread the virus to domestic poultry.
    Andrew M. Allport/ Shutterstock

    These prevention zones are an important intervention. But given the current outbreak’s scale in wild birds, these measures will at best only reduce the ongoing risk to farmed birds, rather than eliminating it.

    What does this outbreak mean for humans?

    Despite the serious problems H5N1 is causing for birds, the risk to humans is still very low. Because each virus is closely adapted to a particular host species, it’s really hard for bird flu to infect a human.

    When infections do occur, this is normally only in people who have close contact with birds – and even then it’s an unusual event. The recent case of bird flu in a poultry worker in England is almost certainly an example of this sort of “spillover” infection.

    It’s good to hear the affected person is currently well and that antiviral drugs – which work against these viruses – have been offered to others who may have been exposed. The control measures announced over the weekend will help reduce the risk of other people who work with poultry getting infected.

    If you don’t have close contact with either wild or farmed birds, your chances of being infected are very low indeed. Still, if you come across any dead birds (particularly waterfowl), it’s important to avoid handling them. Try to prevent pets from scavenging bird carcasses and avoid feeding pets raw bird meat from non-commercial sources. Sightings of dead or sick birds can be reported to health protection agencies.

    Because influenza viruses are killed quickly by heat, there should be no risk to the public from eating properly-cooked eggs or poultry. The UK outbreak may also cause temporary difficulties in accessing free-range eggs and an increase in egg prices – things that have already been seen in the US, which is also experiencing a major H5N1 outbreak.

    Is bird flu a problem anywhere else?

    What’s happening in the UK is just one part of an ongoing global H5N1 outbreak.

    In some regions, strains of the virus have managed to spread beyond wild birds and infect mammals as well. In South America, H5N1 is causing devastating outbreaks in seals and sea lions. In the US, it has managed to adapt to dairy cattle and is being shed in their milk.

    There have also been reported human infections. In the US, numerous farm workers have caught H5N1 from cattle, so far with relatively mild symptoms. There have also been two cases of severe illness in the US and Canada in people who caught a slightly different strain of H5N1 from birds, one of which sadly led to the patient’s death.

    These cases underscore the potential risks of H5N1 infections. But because human infections are so rare, how likely each strain of H5N1 is to cause severe disease in humans is still unclear. We also need to be on the lookout for any signs that any H5N1 strain anywhere might gain the ability to spread between humans. This would be an exceptionally unusual event – but to minimise the risk of future influenza pandemics, it’s crucial situations like this are carefully monitored.

    Nothing has been reported which suggests human-to-human transmission has occurred anywhere during the current outbreak. In the UK we have good surveillance for detecting any signs of this if it did. If wider spread did occur, the reserves of vaccines and antiviral drugs that we have in the UK would give us opportunities to intervene.

    For now, bird flu remains a very real problem, but is primarily a problem for birds. By intervening now to protect farmed birds, we hope that we can keep it that way.

    Ed Hutchinson receives funding from the Wellcome Trust and UKRI, including through the Flu:TrailMap-One Health consortium which is working to respond to the H5N1 outbreak. He has unpaid positions on the board of the European Scientific Working group on Influenza and other respiratory viruses (ESWI) and as a scientific adviser to PinPoint Medical.

    – ref. Bird flu cases surging in UK but risk to humans remains low – https://theconversation.com/bird-flu-cases-surging-in-uk-but-risk-to-humans-remains-low-248350

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Presses Trump Nominee RFK Jr. on His Anti-Science Views: ‘Are You Aware of How Harmful These Issues Could Be For Our Public Health?’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    01.30.25
    Cantwell Presses Trump Nominee RFK Jr. on His Anti-Science Views: ‘Are You Aware of How Harmful These Issues Could Be For Our Public Health?’
    In Finance Committee confirmation hearing, Cantwell credits WA’s fast & robust COVID response to strong health care research & innovation; Cantwell also secures commitment from RFK Jr. to protect existing laws on stem cell research
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, a senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance, grilled Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services – on his past anti-science statements, as well as his promise to cut 600 employees from the National Institute of Health.
    “I represent a very big innovation state – innovation in health care, specifically. Innovation like NIH funding to the Fred Hutch Cancer Center that helped develop the HPV vaccine, which has the potential to eliminate over 95% of cervical cancer. NIH also funds a lot of jobs and grants – nearly 11,000 people in the State of Washington and over $1.2 billion worth grants,” Sen. Cantwell said. “I definitely am troubled by the medical research side of innovation, and some of the things that you have said. In fact, this issue about laying off 600 employees at NIH.”
    “The most striking example of this is when COVID hit. We were the first in the nation – we had the first case – and it really was the fast response by the University of Washington that really helped save lives,” she continued. “Are you aware of how harmful these issues could be for public health? That public health in and of itself could be affected by these kinds of anti-science views?”
    In response, Kennedy responded that he believes in “evidence-based medicine and gold standard science.”
    Sen. Cantwell also grilled Kennedy on whether he supports the ongoing stem cell research being conducted in Washington state.
    “We’re making regenerative heart tissue now at the University of Washington. So yes or no, do you commit to protecting stem cell research for scientific agencies if confirmed?” Sen. Cantwell asked.
    He responded: “I will protect stem cell research.”
    Sen. Cantwell: “You’ll protect the laws that are on the books today and the research that’s done?”
    “My job is, Senator, to enforce the laws,” he said.
    For decades, Sen. Cantwell has remained a staunch supporter of medical innovation and evidence-based science, including treatments for fentanyl addiction, abortion, vaccinations, stem cell research, and more.
    Video of today’s hearing is available HERE; audio is HERE; and a transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s questioning is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Prepared Remarks: Sanders Opening Statement in Hearing to Consider RFK Jr. Nomination

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Vermont – Bernie Sanders
    WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP), today delivered an opening statement at the committee’s hearing on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
    Sanders’ remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below and can be watched here.
    Thank you, Senator Cassidy. And Mr. Kennedy, thank you for being with us.
    I will discuss later the issue of vaccines, which Senator Cassidy raised, and is of concern I think for all of us. But before I go there, I wanted to congratulate you for the phrase “Make America Healthy Again.” I think that is a cry that all of us – a goal that all of us share – because, as you have indicated, we are a very unhealthy society.
    We are the richest country in the history of the world, but we rank far below every other major country in terms of our life expectancy. That’s outrageous. To me, equally outrageous is that, if you are working class in this country, you are going to live six or seven years shorter than if you are rich. In America today, 68,000 people die every year because they can’t afford to get to a doctor.
    Unbelievably, in this country, hundreds of thousands of people deal with cancer, struggling for their lives. You know what happens to them? They go bankrupt. They deplete their life’s savings.
    In other words, when we talk about making America healthy, we’ve got to talk about our broken, corrupt health care system.
    Your uncle, President Kennedy, and your father, Bobby Kennedy, a great senator from New York, both did the right thing. They said that health care is a human right. I’m not sure how we can move to making America healthy again unless we have the guts to take on the insurance companies and the drug companies and guarantee health care to all people. I’ll be asking you a question about that.
    Lowering the cost of prescription drugs. How do you make America healthy again if one out of four people in this country cannot afford the price of prescription drugs, which is far higher in America than any other country on Earth?
    Under President Biden, we made some progress and this committee played an active role in having Medicare begin, for the first time, negotiating the price of prescription drugs. And I’m going to ask you today whether or not President Trump will follow what we accomplished here.
    We are the only major country on earth not to guarantee paid family and medical leave. Mr. Kennedy, there are women today who are having babies and are forced to return to work in a week or two because they have no guaranteed paid family and medical leave. How do you have a healthy country when Americans get fired because they stay home taking care of their sick kids? That’s not making America healthy again.
    If you are working 50 to 60 hours a week making 13, 14 bucks an hour, can you be healthy? Will you join those of us who think that, in the United States, the wealthiest country in the world, people that work 40 hours a week should not live in poverty? We must raise the minimum wage to a living wage.
    Lastly, President Trump believes that climate change is a hoax. I happen to believe, most Americans believe and virtually the entire scientific community believes that it is an existential threat to this planet. I don’t know how you are going to make America healthy again or keep the world healthy when you have massive heat waves, droughts, floods and extreme weather disturbances. That’s not keeping America healthy. Now, that is not within the jurisdiction of HHS, but I surely hope that you will, if confirmed, demand that President Trump change his position and work with those of us who are trying to transform our energy system and keep America healthy by addressing the crisis of climate change.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Air pollution may protect against skin cancer, finds new study – but the health risks are far more serious

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Justin Stebbing, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University

    Air pollution might protect against the most dangerous type of skin cancer, melanoma, a new study finds. However, it’s crucial to approach these results with caution and consider the broader context of air pollution’s effects on human health.

    At first glance, the study’s conclusion is surprising. It showed that higher levels of particulate matter (PM), so-called PM10 and PM2.5 with the numbers 10 and 2.5 referring to the size of the actual air pollutant, may have a protective effect against melanoma.

    The researchers found that increased exposure to these air pollutants was associated with a decreased risk of developing melanoma. It’s important, though, to understand the limitations of this study and why we shouldn’t rush to embrace air pollution as a potential shield against skin cancer.

    One of the main issues with this study is its observational design which can only show associations, not prove causation. This means that while there might be a link between higher particulate matter levels and lower melanoma risk, we can’t say for certain that air pollution is directly causing this effect.

    It was also undertaken in one area of Italy, and there weren’t many participants compared to other studies of this type. While it’s possible that higher PM levels might block out exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the primary environmental risk factor for melanoma, this doesn’t mean that air pollution is good for our health overall.

    It’s crucial to emphasise that air pollution is extremely harmful to human health in numerous ways. Particulate matter, especially the fine particles (PM2.5), can penetrate deep into our lungs and even enter our bloodstream. This exposure has been linked to a wide range of serious health problems, including respiratory diseases.

    Air pollution can cause or exacerbate conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer. Exposure to particulate matter increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems. Additionally, a lot of recent research has shown links between air pollution and cognitive decline, dementia, and other neurological disorders.

    The list is very long here and air pollution has even been associated with low birth weight, preterm birth and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. In fact, long-term exposure to air pollution is estimated to cause millions of premature deaths worldwide each year, even at lower amounts of PM.

    While this study focused on melanoma, air pollution has been linked to increased risk of other types of skin problems, including premature ageing, hyperpigmentation (a skin condition that causes patches of skin to darken) and exacerbation of dermatological conditions like atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

    It’s also worth noting that the potential reduction in UV exposure due to air pollution doesn’t make it a safe or desirable alternative to proper sun protection. There are much healthier ways to protect ourselves from harmful UV radiation, such as using sunscreen, wearing protective clothing and seeking shade during peak sunlight hours. Prevention is, after all, better than treatment or a cure.

    Risks far outweigh the benefits

    Although this study provides an interesting perspective on the complex relationship between environmental factors and melanoma risk, it should not be interpreted as evidence that air pollution is beneficial for our health. To the researchers’ credit, they do mention some of the limitations and issues with their own work in the paper.

    The potential slight reduction in melanoma risk, if confirmed by further research in larger studies and in other locations, would be far outweighed by the numerous and severe health risks associated with exposure to air.

    It’s important that we all continue to advocate for cleaner air and support policies that reduce air pollution. The overall benefits of clean air for our health, the environment and quality of life are immense and well established. At the same time, we should maintain good sun protection habits to reduce our risk of skin cancer, including melanoma.

    Future research may help us better understand the complex interactions between environmental factors and cancer risk, but for now, the message is clear: clean air is crucial for our health, and there are no shortcuts when it comes to protecting ourselves from both air pollution and UV radiation.

    Justin Stebbing does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Air pollution may protect against skin cancer, finds new study – but the health risks are far more serious – https://theconversation.com/air-pollution-may-protect-against-skin-cancer-finds-new-study-but-the-health-risks-are-far-more-serious-248587

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: A third of birthing women vaccinated in the first month of RSV offer

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Over a third of women giving birth got the new RSV vaccine in September, protecting newborns from severe illness.

    The new maternal Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine rolled out in September saw more than 1 in 3 women giving birth take up the offer during the first month, giving vital protection to newborns from the first day of life against what can be a severe and life-threatening illness.

    UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data from NHS GP practice records shows 33.6% of women who delivered in September had the RSV vaccine.

    With women delivering in September having a relatively short window to take up the offer, the data shows the new maternal RSV programme got off to a positive start in its first month of introduction. Further coverage data for October births, with pregnant women having had a longer window in which to get vaccinated, will be published in a month’s time.

    The most recent week-to-week data from the NHS in England shows that over 140,000 pregnant women have now been vaccinated since the programme launched in September.

    Pregnant women should be offered their RSV vaccine around the time of the 28-week antenatal appointment. Anyone who hasn’t heard by this stage should contact their maternity service or GP practice to make an appointment to ensure they don’t leave their newborn vulnerable to the virus.

    The data shows considerable variability in uptake by ethnic group ranging from 11% in women of mixed white and black Caribbean ethnicity to over 50% in white Irish and Chinese ethnic groups.

    RSV accounts for around 30,000 hospitalisations of children under 5 in the UK every year, and tragically causes 20 to 30 infant deaths.

    Despite infecting around 90% of children within the first 2 years of life, RSV is not something that many people are aware of. It typically causes mild, cold-like symptoms. However, it can lead to severe lung infections like pneumonia and infant bronchiolitis and is a leading cause of infant mortality globally.

    Having the vaccine during every pregnancy is the best way to protect your baby against RSV, as the vaccine boosts your immune system to produce more antibodies against the virus, and these then pass through the placenta to help protect your baby from the day they are born.

    To highlight the important protection provided by the RSV vaccine offered in pregnancy, UKHSA has produced new materials for pregnant women. These resources help to explain the impact of RSV infection and how by getting the RSV vaccine in pregnancy, women help protect their babies in the first few months of life when they are most at risk. The resources also act as a visual reminder to get vaccinated.

    Dr Conall Watson, Consultant Epidemiologist, UKHSA, said:

    The RSV vaccine offers a vital opportunity for any mums-to-be to protect their babies from severe RSV lung infection and it’s encouraging to see the RSV programme getting off to such a positive start with over a third of women who gave birth in September having had the vaccine.

    Every year in the UK around 30,000 under 5s are hospitalised, and tragically RSV causes 20 to 30 infant deaths. That is why every pregnant woman is eligible to get vaccinated as soon as they reach 28 weeks – providing protection for their newborn against RSV in the vulnerable early months of life.

    Steve Russell, NHS England National Director for Vaccinations and Screening, said:

    Thanks to the hard work of NHS staff, 140,000 pregnant women have had the RSV vaccine since we began offering it in September, with vaccination and maternity teams across the country raising awareness and making it as easy as possible for those eligible to get the life-saving jab.

    With higher numbers of RSV cases circulating this winter is it vital you get protected if eligible – so please come forward and speak with your GP about getting your jab today.

    Updates to this page

    Published 30 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Turning the tide of hepatitis C treatment in Machar Colony, Pakistan

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    In southern Pakistan’s Sindh province, on the edge of Karachi’s bustling fish harbour, sits Machar Colony. It is an informal settlement where life is harsh, often unkind, and plagued by overcrowding, poor sanitation, and limited access to basic services. The community’s struggles with health and well-being have long been exacerbated by these conditions, leaving residents vulnerable to a range of medical issues. 

    Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) had been providing essential healthcare services in Machar Colony since 2012, offering emergency services, maternal health, and general health consultations. However, as the years progressed, MSF’s team noticed troubling patterns at our health clinic.  

    “Many residents started coming in with symptoms such as body aches, fatigue, decreased appetite, fever, or sometimes infection signs that hinted at a serious health issue,” says Dr Khawar Aslam, the project’s medical lead, who has been working with the team since 2014.

    “As we investigated further, we found that a significant number of these cases were related to hepatitis C, a viral infection that affects the liver and can lead to severe health complications.” 

    “Notably, during that time, Pakistan had the second-highest hepatitis C disease burden globally, and had already initiated its national hepatitis control programme in 2005,” says Dr Aslam. 

    A skilled lab technician carefully sets up a cartridge for accurate hepatitis C testing with the GeneXpert® at the MSF clinic in Machar Colony, Karachi, Pakistan, April 2024.
    Asim Hafeez

    Hepatitis C transmission in Pakistan is largely driven by inadequate sterilization of medical equipment and the improper reuse of needles and syringes. Contaminated blood transfusions also pose a significant risk. Common practices like barbering, tattooing, and piercing are contributing to the spread of the virus, as equipment is often not properly sterilized. In addition to these factors, the growing issue of intravenous drug use is also fuelling the transmission of hepatitis C in Pakistan.  

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of April 2024, Pakistan has the highest number of viral hepatitis C infections in the world, with around 8.8 million cases. The country accounts for 44 per cent of all new hepatitis C infections attributed to unsafe medical injections. People are usually screened for hepatitis C only when they start showing signs of liver disease, which is often too late. If left untreated for too long, hepatitis C can progress to severe liver disease and even liver cancer. 

    “Even those who recognised their condition, either elsewhere or at our clinic, often faced obstacles to treatment, including high costs and the challenge of travelling to distant hospitals.” 

    “Residents have limited income sources, primarily relying on fishing, daily wage work, or small-scale businesses, which barely cover their daily needs,” Dr Aslam continues.

    “Additionally, upon referrals to other hospitals, identity cards were required for hepatitis C care; however, most of the community in Machar Colony was undocumented, so they were refused treatment.”

    Recognising the urgent need for action, in 2015 MSF started a comprehensive programme to provide free testing and treatment directly to residents. The hepatitis C services were integrated into the existing healthcare facility, allowing our teams to reach people who would otherwise remain unaware of their condition. In 2018, we closed our basic healthcare services and shifted our focus solely to the treatment of hepatitis C patients. 

    During a mobile clinic in Machar Colony, Karachi, MSF nurse Aman Ullah explains more about the symptoms of hepatitis C, how it affects people, and what measures can be taken to prevent it, Pakistan, November 2023.
    Gul Nayab/MSF

    “My wife was diagnosed with hepatitis C about a year ago and received successful treatment at the MSF clinic in Machar Colony,” says Javeed Ali, one of the programme’s patients.

    “When I subsequently developed symptoms such as leg and back pain, as well as weakness, I sought medical attention and was referred to the MSF clinic.” 

    “Inspired by my wife’s positive experience, I underwent testing and was diagnosed with hepatitis C,” says Ali. “I then completed a three-month treatment course, and fortunately, my follow-up test results were negative. My wife and I are both now in good health.” 

    To effectively address the crisis, MSF implemented a proactive strategy focused on community engagement. In a basic healthcare setup, free-of-charge hepatitis C services including screening, diagnosis, treatment, health education, and patient support were provided under one roof.  

    Between 2022 and 2024, MSF teams conducted widespread testing, going door-to-door and using mobile vans to offer in-home testing for residents aged 12 and older. This approach, called ‘bending the curve’, ensured that no one was overlooked and that those who tested positive were quickly referred for treatment, helping to bend the curve of hepatitis C prevalence in the community. 

    “By offering free services in one location, we made it easier for people to access care,” says Dr Aslam. 

    MSF also collaborated with the Ministry of Health to bring hepatitis C care closer to the community. In August 2022, we established a treatment facility at the Baldia town rural health centre, in Kemari district, Karachi. In this initiative, patients referred from Baldia hospitals’ outpatient departments, and those identified by community health workers, were screened for hepatitis C. The community health workers were trained to educate the community about hepatitis C risk factors and prevention.  

    Patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C received treatment for 12 or 24 weeks, depending on the severity of their liver disease. Additionally, all patients were offered hepatitis B vaccination to prevent future infections. This centre, handed over to the Ministry of Health in August 2023, serves as a crucial hub for hepatitis C treatment in the region. It is equipped with modern diagnostic tools and is now recognised as a key site for hepatitis care in Sindh province. 

    MSF team members during an outreach activity to find and support hepatitis C patients in a neighborhood of Machar Colony, Karachi, Pakistan, April 2024.
    Asim Hafeez

    In addition to reducing hepatitis C, MSF also played a vital role in Machar Colony during the COVID-19 pandemic. We supported vaccination efforts in Machar Colony and surrounding areas, ensuring residents received vital information about COVID-19 symptoms, prevention, and vaccination. MSF teams also distributed reusable masks and soap to help the community stay safe during the pandemic.

    As our hepatitis C programme concludes, the results are clear: thousands of lives have been transformed, and the rate of new infections has significantly declined. While hepatitis C remains a challenge in Machar Colony, the alarming spread has been curtailed, thanks to widespread awareness and early detection. 

    MSF has achieved the target of mobilising nearly 100 per cent of the community for hepatitis C awareness, and screening more than 72 per cent of residents.  Between 2015 and 2024, MSF screened over 129,922 individuals in our clinic and in the community, undertook 64,984 consultations for hepatitis C at the MSF clinic, performed 25,553 diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, and provided treatment to over 9,398 patients. Among them, 6,909 completed their treatment. Of the remaining people, 2,061 were lost to follow-up without completing treatment, 176 with completed treatment were lost to follow-up, 14 people died during this period, while for the remaining 50 people, either treatment was not completed or follow-up stopped. Of the 6,909 completed treatments, 6,755 were cured of hepatitis C, which is 93.3 per cent, while the remaining 459 failed treatment. The success of MSF’s treatment initiatives will serve as a model for similar programmes in other underserved communities across Pakistan. 

    Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) first began working in Pakistan in 1986 and currently provides a range of health services across all four provinces of the country, including maternal and child healthcare, primary healthcare, treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), and ongoing emergency responses. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Four diseases you have probably never heard of

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    In the most remote places in the world, people are daily battling diseases that many people may never have heard of. Called neglected tropical diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognises 20 such conditions. They’re called neglected diseases because diagnostics and treatments for them are overlooked by governments, pharmaceutical companies, and philanthropists.

    In Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) projects, from South Sudan to Nigeria, and Ethiopia to Honduras, these diseases are hard to neglect. Our teams see how they are distressing, disfiguring, and stigmatising for people who are infected. Here are four neglected tropical diseases we see in communities we serve, and what can be done to prevent, control, eliminate, and eradicate them.

    1. Noma

    In the extreme northwest of Nigeria, an MSF team works with the Ministry of Health at the Sokoto noma hospital – a place where noma patients can receive treatment, reconstructive surgery, and mental health support away from stigma. Noma is a disease that disfigures the people it infects, and it can be fatal for 90 per cent of children who contract it.

    Noma begins as ulcers in the mouth that quickly turn gangrenous, eating away at facial tissue. If antibiotics are used early enough, noma is completely treatable. That’s why our project also focuses on community outreach activities, as awareness and prevention measures.

    Noma is the newest neglected tropical disease recognised by WHO. It was added to the official list in December 2023 after years of advocacy from noma survivors and people who support them. While we hope that the addition of noma to the list will mean more investment into understanding, preventing, and treating the disease, new developments are yet to be seen. Insights into noma will be a game changer for the estimated 140,000 people who are infected every year. 

    2. Schistosomiasis

    Schistosomiasis gets its common name, snail fever, because it is caused by a parasite in snails. These snails live in freshwater, making people who live near lakes and rivers susceptible to the disease. Schistosomiasis is found in tropical and subtropical countries around the world, but in South Sudan, the highest prevalence of the disease is in Jonglei state, where MSF runs a hospital in the remote town of Old Fangak.

    Old Fangak is subject to frequent and extreme flooding, and our teams suspect that many women and girls there are suffering from an advanced form of schistosomiasis, female genital schistosomiasis. Many of the interventions for the disease are preventive, and a vaccine is even in the early stages of development. But this is little comfort for people who have already been infected. People with female genital schistosomiasis have debilitating inflammation, and the disease can turn into cancer. In Old Fangak, we are working to ensure women and girls are accurately diagnosed and provided with the best treatment. 

    3. Visceral leishmaniasis

    Visceral leishmaniasis is also called kala azar (‘black fever’ in Hindi), and is most commonly found in Brazil, across East Africa, and in India. We’ve been treating visceral leishmaniasis for decades in Ethiopia. People infected with this neglected tropical disease will have their tissue attacked by a parasite, which is transmitted through the bites of sandflies. Initial mild symptoms – often mistaken for other diseases – develop into a prolonged fever, enlarged spleen, anaemia, and substantial weight loss. Without treatment, it can quickly become fatal.

    Thankfully, there is a cure. A combination of two drugs injected daily for 17 days can save an infected person’s life. Timely diagnosis and access to the drugs remain a challenge in the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis in East Africa, but continued advocacy has made progress in the last few years.

    4. Sleeping sickness

    In the last 25 years, there has been a 97 per cent reduction in the number of people suffering from sleeping sickness, also known as human African trypanosomiasis. This neglected disease, caused by parasites from tsetse fly bites, was eliminated in Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Uganda, and Chad in 2024. Now, Guinea also joins the list of countries that have eliminated sleeping sickness.

    The parasites that cause sleeping sickness attack the brain and spinal cord, leaving infected people to eventually fall into a coma. Without treatment, it’s fatal. Before the 1970s, the only available treatment, derived from arsenic, killed one in 20 people. Today, thanks to the work of our partner organisation Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, there is a simple and safe oral treatment. 

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Reverend Warnock to Vote Against Kennedy Leading America’s Health Care System Following Concerning Nomination Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock – Georgia

    Senator Reverend Warnock to Vote Against Kennedy Leading America’s Health Care System Following Concerning Nomination Hearing

    During a Wednesday Senate Finance committee hearing, Senator Reverend Warnock questioned Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
    Senator Reverend Warnock’s questioning defended the importance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which employs over 10,000 hardworking Georgians
    Senator Reverend Warnock expressed concerns over disturbing comments and long-held beliefs of Kennedy that would threaten health care costs, quality, and access for millions of Georgians and Americans
    Senator Reverend Warnock: “The CDC is an agency filled with hard-working, dedicated public health servants. They wake up every single day working to keep us safe. We don’t think often enough about their work because it’s easy not to celebrate folks who are protecting you from that which doesn’t appear because of the work that they’re doing”

    Watch Senator Warnock at Wednesday’s Senate Finance committee hearing  HERE
    Washington, D.C. – Today, during a Senate Finance committee hearing on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Senator Reverend Warnock (D-GA) pressed Kennedy on disturbing comments and long-held beliefs of Kennedy that would threaten health care costs and thousands of Georgia health care jobs.
    “Mr. Kennedy, you have compared the CDC’s work to Nazi death camps. You’ve compared it to sexual abusers in the Catholic Church. You’ve also said that many of them belong in jail,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “For me, those are disturbing characterizations of the CDC workers that I know, who are trying to keep the American public safe every single day.”
    During the line of questioning, Senator Warnock also asked the nominee about the bureaucratic hoops many people in Georgia have to jump through in order to access health care. This line of questioning led to Kennedy admitting that people in these situations need health care as opposed to programs, like work requirements in Georgia, one of the many barriers to entry for Medicaid in the state.
    “A woman I think of all the time, her name is Heather. She’s a traveling nurse from Dalton, Georgia who falls into the Medicaid coverage gap. Heather experienced a series of small strokes leaving her unable to work full time. She’s dedicated her life to caring for patients, but now she can’t afford her own medical care out-of-pocket costs because she doesn’t make enough to qualify for tax credits to buy private insurance. What does Heather need? Does she need work requirements, or does she need access to health care so she can finally get healthy and get back to work?” Senator Warnock asked Kennedy.
    “The individual that you described would need healthcare and not a work requirement,” said Kennedy.
    Senator Warnock has long championed efforts to expand affordable health care access, starting with his advocacy to close the health care coverage gap in Georgia. Last year, the Senator visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia for the first time as Senator to learn about the agency’s efforts to protect public health, including work to combat the maternal mortality crisis and how federal funding plays a role in keeping Georgia and the country safe from infectious diseases. In addition to pushing for solutions to close the coverage gap, Senator Warnock led a delegation of Georgia lawmakers in urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide tools to Medicaid non-expansion states like Georgia to help them protect health care access for Medicaid enrollees who lose eligibility after the end of the public health emergency declaration. Senator Warnock made his first visit to Georgia’s legislative session as a U.S. Senator last year, highlighting the need to expand Medicaid for more than 640,000 Georgians.
    Watch the Senator’s full remarks and line of questioning  HERE.
    See below a full transcript of the exchanges between Senator Warnock and Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.:
    Senator Reverend Warnock (SRW): “I want to talk to you first about the CDC, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I’m proud of the work that the CDC does, proud that it’s located in Georgia, with more than 10,000 employees in my state. If confirmed, you would be the cabinet secretary over the CDC. Representing HHS is about 29% of the federal budget, CDC is a part of that.
    “Do you agree that the CDC’s work is critical to Georgia, critical for our country, and the health of the entire world?”
    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK): Yes, Senator.
    SRW: Senator Isakson, my Republican predecessor would have agreed with that, bless his memory, he was a fierce advocate for the CDC, as am I. The CDC is an agency filled with hard-working, dedicated public health servants.
    “They wake up every single day working to keep us safe. We don’t think often enough about their work because it’s easy not to celebrate folks who are protecting you from that which doesn’t appear because of the work that they’re doing. So grateful for the work that the CDC employees do, some of them are members of my church. I saw that deep commitment firsthand when I visited the CDC just last summer.
    “Mr. Kennedy, you have compared the CDC’s work to Nazi death camps. You’ve compared it to sexual abusers in the Catholic Church. You’ve also said that many of them belong, this is a direct quote, many of them belong in jail. For me those are disturbing characterizations of the CDC workers that I know who are trying to keep the American public safe every single day and as you are presented as the nominee for this position, I need to know, do you stand by those statements that you, you made in the past or do you retract those previous statements?”
    RFK: “Senator, I don’t believe that I ever compared the CDC to Nazi death camps. I support the CDC, my job is not to dismantle or harm the CDC, my job is to empower the scientists if I’m privileged to be confirmed.”
    SRW: “So, you retract those statements?”
    RFK: “I’m not retracting it. I never said it.”
    SRW: “Well, actually I have a transcript. Let me read your words, you said ‘That the institution CDC and the vaccine program is more important than the children that is supposed to protect and you know it’s the same reason we had a pedophile scandal in the Catholic Church it’s because people were able to convince themselves that the institution of the church was more important than those little boys and girls who were being raped’
    “That’s pretty provocative language you said in another statement to me ‘This is like Nazi death camp. […] What happened to these kids? 1 in 31 boys in this country, their minds are being robbed from them.”
    RFK: “I was not comparing the CDC to Nazi death camps, I was comparing the injury rate to our children to other atrocities and I wouldn’t compare the, of course, the CDC to Nazi death camps to any extent.
    “And any statement that I made has been interpreted that way, I don’t agree with that.”
    […]
    SRW: “It sounds like you stand by those statements?”
    RFK: “My objective is to support the CDC. There’s nothing I’m going to do that is going to harm CDC. I want to make sure that our science is gold standard science, that it’s free from that same government oversight investigation committee, and that the panels [… ] within CDC. I think 97% of the people on it had conflicts. I don’t believe that that’s right. I think we need to end those conflicts and make sure that scientists are doing unobstructed science.”
    SRW: “Last week the White House gagged HHS and the CDC, preventing them from communicating all important public health information to anyone. Including our allies in the United States and global disease prevention. Do you agree with that action?”
    RFK: “I was not consulted on it, but that’s pretty much standard operating procedure for the incoming administration.”
    SRW: “So you agree with the action that gagged HHS and CDC from communicating important public health information?”
    RFK: “That directive made sure that no use public health and only non-essential travel and mass communications were temporarily suspended, pending the confirmation of a new HHS secretary, this is standard operating procedure for administration.”
    SRW: “I don’t think what we’ve seen over the last several days is standard operation for a new administration. I think we’re seeing some unprecedented actions, but you agree with it.
    “Last night mem members of the CDC, along with other federal employees were actually invited to resign, these buyouts. I actually got text messages from folks I know from the CDC (who work) for the CDC that do this important work who got that note. It’s really important because my experience is that when you send out that kind of note, the folks who resign are the folks who you least likely want to see resign.
    “They got other options, they’re gifted folks, they’ve got a lot of expertise. A lot of them are doing this work because of their patriotism, because of their commitment. Do you agree with the buyouts that were presented to CDC employees just last night?”
    RFK: “I agree the vast majority of the scientists and experts at CDC are patriots and government servants.
    SRW: “Can you tell me yes or no? […] Ok, you agree with the buyouts.”
    “In our meeting, I asked you to confirm your support for the Affordable Care Act. You also mentioned that you and President Trump want to fix the ACA by making premiums more affordable.
    “Did you know that tax credits that help families afford health insurance and save George’s an average of $531 per month per person are set to expire at the end of the year? Did you know that?”
    RFK: “I do.”
    SRW: “Do you support Congress extending these tax credits so that Americans can continue to afford health care?
    *RFK gives non “Yes” or “No” response
    SRW: “I think that the fact that you find it difficult to answer basic questions is deeply troubling for me as you present yourself as a nominee to run HHS.
    SRW: “Based on our conversations, it’s my understanding that you support work requirements and Medicaid. In 2020, President Trump approved a proposal from Georgia state leaders requiring Georgians to jump through a number of onerous bureaucratic hoops and fill out even more paperwork, to verify work and get access to health care.
    “I asked this as someone who represents a state that has not expanded Medicaid, the federal government, because of this waiver, spent $70 million on Georgia’s Medicaid waiver. 82% of that went to administrative costs.
    “The point that I’m making is that the folks that they’re insisting need to work, 90% of those folks are working. They are caregivers or they have a disability.
    “Let me give you one example. A woman I think of all the time, her name is Heather. She’s a traveling nurse from Dalton, Georgia who falls into the Medicaid coverage gap. Heather experienced a series of small strokes leaving her unable to work full time. She’s dedicated her life to caring for patients, but now she can’t afford her own medical care out-of-pocket costs because she doesn’t make enough to qualify for tax credits to buy private insurance.
    “What does Heather need? Does she need work requirements, or does she need access to health care so she can finally get healthy and get back to work?
    RFK: “The individual that you described would need healthcare and not a work requirement.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner Questions RFK Jr. on Medicaid, Federal Funding Freeze, and His Pledge to Fire 2,200 HHS Employees

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

     

    BROADCAST-QUALITY VIDEO OF THE FULL EXCHANGE IS AVAILABLE HERE 

    WASHINGTON – Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, today questioned President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy’s career has focused on touting disproven claims about vaccines, and he has a rapidly changing record on abortion rights. 

    Responding to Kennedy’s statements maligning Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, Sen. Warner said (0:05):

    “Well, I have to tell you, for literally hundreds of thousands of Virginians, Medicaid is what prevents them from health crises on a daily and weekly basis. And some imaginary new plan? If there was a new plan, that was to be the basis of what Trump was going to do on repealing Obamacare… I would have thought by now we’d have seen it.” 

    Sen. Warner’s questions also follow an unlawful directive from President Trump on Monday night to freeze trillions in government grants, loans, and programs. While the action was successfully blocked until Feb. 3 by a federal judge, it could still go into effect at that point, directly threatening countless federal benefits, funding for public schools and community health centers, local domestic violence shelters, firefighters and law enforcement, and much more.

    Kennedy’s campaign fundraised off this unlawful directive in an email to supporters, celebrating it as a way to “prevent unelected bureaucrats from further undermining our health freedom.” Kennedy’s unsuccessful presidential campaign is $2 million in debt, and the email was an attempt to garner donations from supporters to cover that shortfall. Questioning Kennedy on these decisions, Sen. Warner said (1:20),

    “So the fact that you celebrate this freeze, do you think that was a good idea to put all of this on hold for 90 days, NIH funding, and any kind of further work in your research? I’d like you to explain to a domestic violence center in Richmond that’s saying, because of this freeze, they may have to close down… where are those battered women going to go? Or to a rural nonprofit I’ve got in the Shenandoah Valley saying that freeze is going to potentially shut down their ability to operate…”

    Sen. Warner also pushed Kennedy on his pledge to remove 2,200 HHS employees, and asked what departments he might be firing people from. He also touched on President Trump’s questionably legal action to offer all federal employees a “buyout” (2:41):

    “Now, you’ve said publicly you want to immediately get rid of 600 workers on job one on day one… When we had our meeting, you said you actually like to get rid of 2,200 people from HHS. Which offices are you going to start cutting and ripping these 2,200 workers from? … When we’re looking at this purge and we’re looking at laying off workers, when we’re looking at potentially the president’s illegal offer to try to buy out federal employees, which I would say to any federal employees, think twice… has this individual in his business role ever fulfilled his contracts or obligations to any workers in the past? … But if you are in this position, will you pledge that you will not fire federal employees who work on food safety, work on trying to prevent things like salmonella?”

    While Kennedy refused to answer any specific departments he would protect or fire, Sen. Warner pushed him to see if his determinations on worthy departments would be at his discretion or based on President Trump’s ideas. When Kennedy responded that it would be his choice, Sen. Warner answered (5:09),

    “So I guess that means a lot of folks who’ve had any type of views on vaccines will be out of work.”

    Sen. Warner went on to question Kennedy about protecting funding for community health centers (5:20) and continue to push him on the federal funding freeze (6:00). His full comments can be watched here.

    Kennedy will face additional questioning in front of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) tomorrow, before the Finance Committee eventually votes on his nomination.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PSI Chairman Johnson Subpoenas HHS for Records on COVID-19 Vaccine Safety; Dr. Fauci’s Communications

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) announced that on Jan. 28, 2025 he issued his first subpoena as chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for records relating to COVID-19 vaccine safety data and communications about the COVID-19 pandemic, including a subset of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s emails. The announcement came during Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee.
    Sen. Johnson’s subpoena to HHS is a culmination of a multi-year fight to overcome the obstruction of the Biden administration to get unredacted records and data about the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. For years, Biden officials at HHS and its subcomponent agencies withheld crucial health information from Sen. Johnson and the public. Many of Sen. Johnson’s more than 70 oversight letters to the Biden administration were either completely ignored or inadequately addressed. Now, having recently been named chairman of PSI, Sen. Johnson has the authority to issue subpoenas.
    Sen. Johnson stated, “In the waning days of the Biden administration and after years of obstructing my oversight efforts, I warned HHS officials that when I become chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, I will subpoena records and data on the COVID-19 pandemic that have been inappropriately withheld from Congress and the American people for far too long. 
    “Just days after being named chairman of the Subcommittee, I have kept my word.  
    “Yesterday, I subpoenaed HHS for documents on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic—including a subset of Dr. Fauci’s emails—and the development and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines. Many of these records should have been turned over to me years ago, but the Biden administration opted to keep Congress and the public in the dark.
    “I look forward to HHS’s full compliance with the subpoena.” 

    Sen. Johnson signing the Jan. 28th subpoena to HHS
    Sen. Johnson’s subpoena requires HHS to produce:
    Previously withheld or heavily redacted communications about the pandemic, including Dr. Anthony Fauci’s emails, including but not limited to the approximately 50 pages of his emails that have been withheld from my office since September 2021;
    Safety surveillance data on the COVID-19 vaccines including proportional reporting ratios and empirical Bayesian data mining;
    Unredacted records previously released through Freedom of Information Act requests regarding the government’s awareness of myocarditis and pericarditis cases in post-vaccinated individuals;
    Data and records relating to COVID-19 vaccine lots associated with higher rates of adverse events;
    Order forms and receipts showing government researchers purchasing DNA sequences from a biotechnology company; and
    All communications relating to HHS’s receipt of and response (or lack thereof) to my oversight letters between January 2021 and the present. 
    HHS is required to comply with the subpoena by Feb. 18, 2025.
    Sen. Johnson’s questioning of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. can be found here.
    The complete subpoena can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –