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.
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.
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.
Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
WASHINGTON – Ahead of confirmation hearings this week on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) again urged his colleagues to vote no, highlighting Kennedy’s pivotal role in causing a measles outbreak in Samoa in 2019, which resulted in over 5,700 people getting infected and 83 people – mostly young children – dying.
“The unique threat that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. poses to our country really cannot be overstated. And now it is up to us, the 100 members of the United States Senate, to deny him the opportunity to use America as one big test lab for bygone diseases,” said Senator Schatz. “I understand my Republican colleagues are facing a lot of pressure from within. But this nomination is not actually like the others. Look at what he’s done. Time and time again, he’s abandoned every physician’s first principle: Do no harm. He has caused disease. He has caused pain. He has caused death.”
Senator Schatz continued, “The vote we’re going to be taking on this nominee is much more than your party or mine. It’s life or death. And I promise you, if this person is confirmed, it will not age well: not in a Republican primary, not in a Democratic primary, not in your family, not in your community. Nowhere will an RFK ‘aye’ vote age well. This person is going to cause disease across the United States. I urge a no vote.”
Schatz likened Kennedy’s desire to run a “natural experiment” to see how people in Samoa would fare against the measles without protection to the Tuskegee experiment, in which the United States Public Health Service purposefully withheld treatment from men with syphilis in order to study the disease’s progression. The first person to raise the alarm about the cruelty of the experiment in 1965 was Schatz’s father, Dr. Irv Schatz.
“I never thought that 60 years later, I’d be standing in the very body that passed legislation in response to that shameful period, arguing against confirming someone who wants to replicate that experiment at scale. That’s what RFK Jr. wants to do. He wants to use Americans as lab rats in a national experiment. And if it means bringing back the measles or the mumps or rubella or polio, so be it. That is the cost of doing business, as he sees it,” said Senator Schatz.
A transcript of Senator Schatz’s remarks is below. Video is available here.
If you heard your doctor say, ‘there’s no vaccine that is safe or effective.’ Or ‘there are much better candidates than HIV for what causes AIDS.’ Or ‘school shootings started happening with the introduction of Prozac and other drugs.’ If your physician said any of those things to you, you would look for a new physician.
And yet, this week, my colleagues on the Senate Finance Committee and Health Committee are going to consider the nomination of someone who’s not only said all those things – and more. But if confirmed, he would be responsible for the health and well-being of the entire nation.
The unique threat that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. poses to our country really cannot be overstated. And now it is up to us, the 100 members of the United States Senate, to deny him the opportunity to use America as one big test lab for bygone diseases. And I want to explain what I mean by that. He thinks that FDA trials are not enough to determine the efficacy of a vaccine. And so he’s suggesting that we use placebo in the population. What does that mean? Something might save someone’s life, and something might be essentially a sugar pill. But you don’t get to know. There are international conventions against this approach. The Tuskegee experiments conducted by the United States Public Health Service were universally rejected, and the Congress banned this approach because you cannot withhold lifesaving care from anyone.
Now, saying crazy things doesn’t seem to be disqualifying for a nominee these days, I understand. But it’s not just that he said crazy things or holds deranged views. It’s that he has acted on them. And I want everybody to listen to what exactly happened in Samoa – not 20 years ago, not ten years ago, but in 2019. While he was chairman of the anti-vaccine group, he flew to Samoa because he sensed an opportunity to exploit people’s hesitations about taking the measles vaccine.
People were understandably worried after an accident… involving improperly prepared vaccines killed two babies. It was a tragedy, and it was a costly mistake, but not a reason to abandon the measles vaccine altogether. But RFK sought to make people more afraid. He discouraged people from taking the vaccine because he wanted to run a “natural experiment.” To see how people fared against the disease without protection. To see how people fared against the disease without protection? This guy is up for HHS, Health and Human Services? This guy just wants to see what would happen if we didn’t give people the lifesaving protection that they need. He literally flew to the other side of the planet to turn people’s fears into a data collection opportunity.
For some context here. Samoa is a small country and had a population of around 200,000 people at the time. People knew each other and word got around fast. A Kennedy was in town saying a thing. And so it was no small thing that this man from America, with the last name Kennedy, pretending to be a health expert, was there peddling all kinds of lies to prevent people from getting a lifesaving vaccine.
And those lies spread fast. Vaccination rates plummeted, and within five months, Samoa had a measles outbreak. 5,700 people were infected with the measles. 83 people died. Almost all of them were children. That was the conclusion of Mr. Kennedy’s natural experiment. Children died. This isn’t some ancient history I’m digging up here. This was less than six years ago, and it is alarmingly reminiscent of one of the darkest chapters in our country’s history with the Tuskegee experiment.
For 40 years, beginning in 1932, the United States Public Health Service ran an experiment with 600 black men in Alabama. The majority of them had syphilis, and the objective was to “observe the disease process.” And so even when penicillin became the standard of care in 1947, the men who needed that treatment, who could have been given lifesaving care, were denied penicillin. Researchers did nothing as men died and they went blind because they wanted to see how the disease would develop. A natural experiment.
It took a young doctor, not long out of medical school, who read about the study in a medical journal and couldn’t believe his eyes. He could not understand how the United States government had come to view these poor sharecroppers as expendable, as subhuman. He thought about the Hippocratic Oath, that he and every doctor like him had sworn to. What happened to, “first, do no harm”?
And so, not knowing what else to do, but knowing he was risking a whole lot by speaking out, he wrote to the study’s authors. And I want to read a bit of what he wrote: “I’m utterly astounded by the fact that physicians allow patients with a potentially fatal disease to remain untreated when effective therapy is available. I assume you feel that the information which is extracted from the observation of this untreated group is worth their sacrifice. If this is the case, then I suggest the United States Public Health Service and those physicians associated with it in this study need to reevaluate their moral judgments in this regard”.
The man who wrote that letter, and was the first, and for a long time, the only person to sound the alarm about the depravity of the Tuskegee experiment was my dad, Dr. Irv Schatz. It’s one of the many reasons that he’s my hero. But I never thought that 60 years later, I’d be standing in the very body that passed legislation in response to that shameful period, arguing against confirming someone who wants to replicate that experiment at scale. That’s what RFK Jr. wants to do. He wants to use Americans as lab rats in a national experiment. And if it means bringing back the measles or the mumps or rubella or polio, so be it. That is the cost of doing business, as he sees it.
I understand my Republican colleagues are facing a lot of pressure from within. It’s a new administration, and you want to give them deference. An executive, generally speaking, gets to have their team. But this nomination is not actually like the others, even if you don’t want to take Mr. Kennedy’s words so literally, maybe you think he’s just wondering aloud, look at his actions. Look at what he’s done. Time and time again, he’s abandoned every physician’s first principle: Do no harm. “I shall do by my patients as I would be done by. And I shall minimize suffering whenever a cure cannot be obtained.” That’s part of the oath every medical student takes at graduation before they can practice. And yet, the person nominated to lead the country’s entire health system has consistently done the exact opposite. He has caused disease. He has caused pain. He has caused death.
And so the vote we’re going to be taking on this nominee is much more than your party or mine. It’s life or death. And I promise you, if this person is confirmed, it will not age well: not in a Republican primary, not in a Democratic primary, not in your family, not in your community. Nowhere will an RFK ‘aye’ vote age well. This person is going to cause disease across the United States. I urge a no vote.
Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Committee on Finance and the Senate Committee on Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, pressed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Howard Lutnick in their respective nomination hearings on their commitment to preserving programs that provide critical services for New Mexicans. Senator Luján pressed both nominees on their commitment to upholding the law and serving the American people – not being a rubber stamp for the President.
In the nomination hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become Secretary of Health and Human Services, Senator Luján questioned Mr. Kennedy on his understanding of the importance of Medicaid and pressed Mr. Kennedy for his commitment to protect Medicaid from cuts. Mr. Kennedy did not commit to not cutting Medicaid if asked to by the President.
In the nomination hearing for Howard Lutnick to become Secretary of Commerce, Senator Luján questioned Mr. Lutnick on whether he would commit to not cutting funding that has been awarded to connect thousands of New Mexicans to the internet. Despite Mr. Lutnick’s acknowledgement of the importance of broadband buildout, he would not commit to maintaining crucial support for broadband.
Key Moments from the Nomination Hearing for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become Secretary of Health and Human Services:
Watch the exchange with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.here.
On Medicare:
Sen. Luján: Do you know how many babies born in this country are covered through Medicaid?
Mr. Kennedy: I would guess, I don’t know the answer, I would guess about 30 million.
Sen. Luján: I have it Mr. Kennedy, about 41% or 1.4 million babies, births are financed by Medicaid according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
Sen. Luján: If President Trump asks you to cut Medicaid will you do it?
Mr. Kennedy: It’s not up to me to cut Medicaid, it’d be up to Congress.
Sen. Luján: Mr. Kennedy, if you don’t want to answer, I’ll move on.
On Native American Health:
Sen. Luján: What are you going to do when programs are eliminated to require the inclusion of Native Americans in clinical trials when it comes to life-saving medicine?
Mr. Kennedy: I’m going to do everything I can to make sure there are Native American trials.
Sen. Luján: Will you commit to finalizing the Congressionally mandated FDA guidance to increase clinical trial diversity?
Mr. Kennedy: Yes.
Sen. Luján: Will you commit to reinstating all of the pages that were eliminated and people that were fired from this administration that have this responsibility?
Mr. Kennedy, in part: I cannot commit to that.
On Autism Services:
Sen. Luján: I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record and article from Autism Speaks titled “Do Vaccines Cause Autism” and I’ll note that the first sentence states “Vaccines do not cause autism.”
Key Moments from the Nomination Hearing for Howard Lutnick to become Secretary of Commerce:
Watch the exchange with Howard Lutnickhere.
Sen. Luján: If you’re asked to cut that program (broadband access) by the President of the United States, will you?
Mr. Lutnick: I work for him.
Sen. Luján: Is your response that if the president asks you to cut broadband infrastructure funding, you will do that? Is that what I just heard?
Mr. Lutnick, in part: I work for the President of the United States, and I am here to executive his policies.
Sen. Luján: We have a responsibility to communicate to each other for the people we work for. It’s not that you just work for Donald Trump sir, you work for the American people if you get this position.
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
January 29, 2025
Kennedy answers raise fresh questions about his ethics agreement
Kennedy could profit from anti-vaccine lawsuits he can influence as Health Secretary
Warren: “Kennedy can kill off access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it…Kids might die, but Robert Kennedy will keep cashing in.”
Round 1 Questioning (YouTube) | Round 2 Questioning (YouTube)
Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and member of the Senate Finance Committee, questioned Mr. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), about his dangerous conflicts of interest and record of profiting from anti-vaccine conspiracies.
Mr. Kennedy has made nearly $2.5 million in referral fees from the law firm Wisner Baum, in connection with lawsuits against vaccine makers. Mr. Kennedy receives a 10% contingency fee in these cases if the plaintiffs win, and his ethics agreement indicates he will continue to receive these payments even if he is confirmed as HHS Secretary. However, during his confirmation hearing, Mr. Kennedy initially appeared to agree to not accept any compensation from lawsuits against drug companies while serving as HHS Secretary, stating, “Well, I will certainly commit to that while I’m Secretary.” He then backtracked and did not clearly commit to ending this arrangement — through which he can profit off of anti-vaccine lawsuits even if he is confirmed as HHS Secretary.
If Mr. Kennedy does maintain his financial stake in anti-vaccine lawsuits, he will have a serious conflict of interest. Senator Warren highlighted seven ways Mr. Kennedy could benefit financially from anti-vaccine lawsuits and increase his payouts, including:
Publishing anti-vaccine conspiracies on government letterhead to influence juries;
Appointing anti-vaccine people to the CDC vaccine panel;
Opening vaccine manufacturers to lawsuits by removing vaccines from special compensation programs;
Making more injuries eligible for compensation even with no causal evidence;
Change vaccine court processes to make it easier to bring junk lawsuits to get vaccines pulled from the market; and
Turn over FDA data to his connections at law firm Wisner Baum, for their use in lawsuits.
Senator Warren also asked Mr. Kennedy if he would take responsibility for more than 80 deaths in Samoa after Mr. Kennedy spread anti-vaccine conspiracies in the country. Mr. Kennedy refused to take responsibility.
Transcript: Hearing to consider the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., of California, to be Secretary of Health and Human ServicesSenate Committee on Finance January 29, 2025
Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Kennedy, I want to start with something that I think you and I agree on: Big Pharma has too much power in Washington. You’ve said that, President Trump asked you to, “clean up corruption and conflicts.” Sounds great. You’ve said you will “slam shut the revolving door” between government agencies and the companies they regulate. That also sounds great.
So here’s an easy question: will you commit that when you leave this job, you will not accept compensation from a drug company, a medical device company, a hospital system, or a health insurer for at least four years—including as a lobbyist or board member?
Mr. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services: Can you just repeat the last part of the question? Can I commit to what?
Senator Warren: Sure, you’re not going to take money from drug companies in any way shape or form?
Mr. Kennedy: Who? Me?
Senator Warren: Yes. You.
Mr. Kennedy: I’m happy to commit to that.
Senator Warren: Good, that’s what I figured. I said, it’s an easy question to start with. And I think you’re right on this question –
Mr. Kennedy: I don’t think any of them want to give me any money, by the way.
Senator Warren: Let’s keep going. You are right to say yes because every American has the right to know that every decision you make as our number one health officer is to help them—not to make money for yourself in the future.
So, I want to talk more about money. I’m looking at your paperwork right now. In the past two years, you’ve raked in $2.5 million from a law firm called Wisner Baum. You go online, you do commercials to encourage people to sign up with Wisner Baum to join lawsuits against vaccine makers. And for everyone who signs up, you personally get paid, and if they win their case, you get 10% of what they win. So, if you bring in someone who gets $10 million, you walk away with a million dollars.
Now, you just said that you want the American people to know that you cannot be bought, your decisions won’t depend on how much money you could make in the future, you won’t go work for a drug company after you leave HHS. But you and I both know there’s another way to make money.
So, Mr. Kennedy, will you also agree that you also won’t take any compensation from any lawsuits against drug companies while you are Secretary and for four years afterwards?
Mr. Kennedy: Well, I will certainly commit to that while I’m Secretary. But I do want to clarify something because you make me sound like a shill. I put together that case. I did the science day presentation to the judge on that case to get it into court, the docket hearing –
Senator Warren: Mr. Kennedy, it’s just a really simple question. You’ve taken in $2.5 million, I want to know if you will commit right now that not only will you not go to work for drug companies, you won’t go to work suing the drug companies and taking your rake out of that while you are Secretary and for four years after.
Mr. Kennedy: I will commit to not taking any fees from drug companies while I’m Secretary. I –
Senator Warren: No, I’m asking about fees from suing drug companies. Will you agree not to do that?
Mr. Kennedy: You are asking me to not sue drug companies, and I’m not going to agree to that –
Senator Warren: No. You can sue drug companies as much as you want.
Mr. Kennedy: I am not going to agree to not sue drug companies or anybody.
Senator Warren: So, let’s do a quick count here of how, as Secretary of HHS, if you get confirmed, you could influence every one of those lawsuits. Well, let me start the list.
You could publish your anti-vaccine conspiracies, but this time on U.S. government letterhead – something a jury might be impressed by.
Mr. Kennedy: I don’t understand that.
Senator Warren: You could appoint people to the CDC vaccine panel who share your anti-vax views and let them do your dirty work.
You could tell the CDC vaccine panel to remove a particular vaccine from the vaccine schedule.
You could remove vaccines from special compensation programs, which would open up manufacturers to mass torts.
You could make more injuries eligible for compensation even if there’s no causal evidence.
You could change vaccine court processes to make it easier to bring junk lawsuits.
You could turn over FDA data to your friends at the law firm, and they could use it however it benefitted them.
You could change vaccine labelling.
You could change vaccine information rules.
You could change which claims are compensated in the vaccine injury compensation program.
There’s a lot of ways you can influence those future lawsuits and pending lawsuits while you are Secretary of HHS, and I’m asking you to commit right now that you will not take a financial stake in every one of those lawsuits so that what you do as Secretary will also benefit you financially down the line.
Mr. Kennedy: I will comply with all the ethical guidelines.
Senator Warren: That’s not the question. You and I—you have said repeatedly—
Mr. Kennedy: You are asking me—Senator, you’re asking me not to sue vaccine—pharmaceutical companies.
Senator Warren: No, I am not. My question is: stop enriching yourself.
Look, no one should be fooled here. As Secretary of HHS, Robert Kennedy will have the power to undercut vaccines and vaccine manufacturing across our country. And for all his talk about “follow the science” and his promise that he won’t interfere with those of us who want to vaccinate our kids, the bottom line is the same: Kennedy can kill off access to vaccines and make millions of dollars while he does it.
Kids might die, but Robert Kennedy can keep cashing in.
Mr. Kennedy: Senator, I support vaccines, I will—I support the childhood schedule, I will do that. The only thing I want is good science, and that’s it.
Senator Warren: How about then saying you won’t make money off what you do as Secretary of HHS?
Chair Mike Crapo: Before we go to Senator Tillis, I think it would be important for me to make it very clear that Mr. Kennedy has gone through the same Office of Government Ethics process as every single other nominee in the Finance Committee this year and in previous administrations. In addition to listing his assets, including the items that you’ve identified, he has signed an ethics letter that has been reviewed by the Office of Government Ethics concerning any possible conflict in light of its functions and the nominee’s proposed duties. And we have a letter from the Office of Government Ethics that he has complied completely with all applicable laws and regulations governing conflicts of interest.
Senator Warren: Mr. Chairman, point of information here: have we had a single nominee come through who’s made two and a half million dollars off suing one of the entities that it would be regulating and plans to keep getting a take of every lawsuit in the future? Have we had that before?
Chair Crapo: I haven’t reviewed the past documentation of every other nominee’s financial interests, and so no. But I know that every single time we get a nominee, their financial interests are attacked. That’s why we have the Office of Government Ethics. That’s why they’ve reviewed everything that’s in his record, and that’s why he has even—I think, and I don’t know that I want to ask him to get into it—but he has listed his assets and has gone through a discussion of the responsibilities under our ethics laws and is complied with all of those requirements.
Round 2
Senator Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Kennedy, I want to ask about your role in a 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa. In July 2018, two children died immediately after receiving a measles vaccine that nurses had mistakenly mixed with a muscle relaxant. The nurses get charged with manslaughter, but the vaccination rates go down.
I asked you about this in my office. You told me flatly that your visit to Samoa had nothing to do with vaccinations. We now know that’s not true. I have the documentation. You met with the Prime Minister, you talked about vaccinations. You met with an anti-vaccine influencer who described the meeting as “profoundly monumental for this movement.”
So what happens? Vaccinations go down. There’s a measles outbreak, and children start dying, but you double down. You didn’t give up just four days after the Prime Minister declared a state of emergency. 16 people already dead. You sent a letter to him promoting the idea that the children had died not from measles but from a “defective vaccine.” You launched the idea that a measles vaccine caused these deaths.
You are a very influential man. In fact, you are called the leader of the disinformation dozen. UNICEF and WHO, the World Health Organization, investigated this. They say the claims are false. It is not biologically possible what you claimed, and yet, ultimately, more than 70 people died because they didn’t get vaccines.
So my question is, do you accept even a scintilla, just even a sliver of responsibility for the drop in vaccinations and the subsequent deaths of more than 70 people? Anything you’d do differently?
Mr. Kennedy: No, absolutely not. After the—there were two incidents in which children died in 2015 and again in 2018. 2015, it was from the measles vaccine. That’s what the New Zealand General Hospital found. The government of Samoa banned the measles vaccine after 2018. I arrived in July of the next year, after the ban had been in place for a year, and the measles—
Senator Warren: Mr. Chairman, understanding that you wanted to hold this to a minute, and then I don’t get to present all the facts and documentation I’ve got. How about if we just decide to make entries for the record on exactly what the record shows about Mr. Kennedy’s participation? And I think he’s answered the yes or no question. He takes no responsibility.
Chair Crapo: Senator Warren, we will do that. And Mr. Kennedy, and to all the senators, every senator knows that following this hearing, they will be able to ask you questions off the record, and you will be able to put answers back onto the record. So please give that answer. I apologize that we’re shutting you off for giving a full response right now.
Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) issued a statement in support of President Donald Trump’s latest executive orders restoring lethality to the United States Armed Forces.
“For the past four years, I have sounded the alarm about Joe Biden and the far-left, progressive Democrats politicizing our military,” said Senator Tuberville. “As a result, recruitment has fallen to the lowest levels since before World War II. We need our military to be a fighting machine, not a playground for Democrats’ culture war. Thankfully, change is here. Yesterday’s executive orders from President Donald Trump eliminate DEI in the military, reinstate service members discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine, and ensure military standards are updated to prioritize readiness, restore lethality, and build confidence in our Armed Forces. With President Trump and Secretary Hegseth at the helm, our military will be 100% focused on protecting our country and putting America First on the world stage.”
MORE:
Tuberville: “We need a military that is 100% focused on protecting our country and enhancing national security.”
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Tuberville Demands Answers on Military’s Vaccine Mandate
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.
At least one girl and three boys were killed, and three boys injured, during an attack on the Saudi Hospital in the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher, North Darfur, on Friday.
The children were among the patients being treated in the hospital’s emergency ward for injuries from previous bombings in the area, said the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
“This heinous attack is a blatant violation of children’s rights. Children are being killed and injured in the very places where they should be safest from harm,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
“Such attacks exacerbate the dire situation for children and families who are trapped in areas affected by conflict, insecurity, and lack of protection.”
70 per cent of hospitals out of action
In Sudan, over 70 per cent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are currently non-operational due to damage, destruction, lack of supplies, or being used as shelters.
The delivery of medical supplies, vaccines, and routine immunisation has been hindered by ongoing security concerns and lack of access, worsening the humanitarian crisis and putting countless lives, especially those of children, at significant risk.
Under International Humanitarian Law, hospitals enjoy special protection and must not be targeted. Attacks on them undermine the essential care and relief the facilities provide to civilians, including children. All parties to the conflict have an obligation to ensure the protection of civilians, including children, and refrain from any actions that could impede access to life-saving medical services.
“Continued attacks on health facilities endanger children’s lives and restrict their access to lifesaving medical care, which can have immediate and long-term impacts on their health,” said Ms. Russell. “The violence must end now. Children in Sudan cannot wait any longer.”
US with pull out of Paris Agreement 27 January next year
The United States has officially notified the Secretary-General of its withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, effective 27 January 2026, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Tuesday.
The historic accord reached by 193 countries in December 2015 in a bid to keep temperature rises to below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, was signed by the US on 22 April 2016.
During the first Trump administration the US withdrew from the Agreement effective 4 November 2020, before his successor took the country back into the accord on 19 February 2021.
Fight continues against global warming
The UN Spokesperson said the latest withdrawal would not lead to any slowdown in the UN’s efforts to combat climate change.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the Paris Agreement and to support all effective efforts to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” said Mr. Dujarric.
The international community continues to work towards the goals set by the Agreement, despite the US’s decision to withdraw.
UN health agency leads call to fight neglected disease scourge
Health news now, and an appeal from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) for concerted action to tackle neglected tropical diseases, which impact more than one billion people – often with devastating health, social and economic consequences.
Every year, around 800 to 900 million people are treated for at least one neglected tropical disease, according to the UN health agency, which warned that global warming has emerged as a threat in this field of medicine.
Long list
The list of tropical diseases is a long one and includes Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease, dengue, chikungunya and dracunculiasis. They tend to thrive among vulnerable people who live in poverty and are caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi and toxins.
Progress in tackling these diseases remains hampered by a lack of investment and conflict, the WHO said, ahead of World Neglected Tropical Disease Day on Thursday.
Today, 54 countries have successfully eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease; WHO’s goal is for 100 countries to do the same by 2030.
Drawing strength from the rich Dogra legacy, it is time now to make a mark in the global world of which India has already become an essential part after 2014 when Prime Minister Sh Narendra Modi took over, says Dr Jitendra Singh; In the last 10 years during the Modi regime, there has been a resurgence of Dogra pride and it is mainly attributable to some of the long awaited decisions taken by this government including declaring of holiday on the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh, observing the Accession Day of Jammu & Kashmir and inclusion of Dogri as an official language
India of today is no longer what it was about two decades ago
There is no dearth of talent or potential in youth but what is required is the change of mindset and liberation from the obsession for “SarkariNaukri”: DrJitendra Singh
Posted On: 22 DEC 2024 7:14PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, MoS, PMO, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh said, drawing strength from the rich Dogra legacy, it is time now to make a mark in the global world of which India has already become an essential part after 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over.
Addressing a programme organised to observe “Dogra Diwas” commemorating the inclusion of Dogri language in the Indian Constitution and the “International Dogra Legacy Excellence Awards 2024” , Dr. Jitendra Singh said, there was a rich Dogra legacy from the earlier times which has even, after partition, produced some internationally acclaimed icons like the famous Space Scientist and Founder ISRO Prof Satish Dhawan and renowned singer of the Indian subcontinent MalikaPokhraj or musicians like Shiv Kumar Sharma and Ustad Allah Rakha, though this may not be a very widely known fact in some sections. He said, while celebrating the legacy gives us inspiration and confidence, nevertheless to keep the legacy alive for prosperity, it is equally important to carry it forward to the next destination which, in today’s context, would imply Dogra contribution in the making of Viksit Bharat of 2047.
Dr. Jitendra Singh observed that in the last 10 years during the Modi regime, there has been a resurgence of Dogra pride and it is mainly attributable to some of the long awaited decisions taken by this government including declaring of holiday on the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh, observing the Accession Day of Jammu & Kashmir and inclusion of Dogri as an official language. He recalled that in his parliamentary constituency also, at the entry point of Jammu & Kashmir, Lakhanpur, for the first time a majestic statue of Maharaja Gulab Singh, the founder of Jammu & Kashmir State, was established in recent years.
Exhorting the Dogra community, particularly the youth, to be part of the mainstream growth story of India, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, India of today is no longer what it was about two decades ago. He said, unlike in the past, we do not wait to adopt the successful practices from other countries but today we are developing our own best practices including technologies for other countries to follow. The success stories of Chandrayaan 3 and COVID Vaccine are the most illustrious examples of this, he added.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, at a time when we have risen to global rank 3 in the world StartUp ecosystem and when we are ahead of many others in Quantum Technology and Biotechnology, would we be doing justice to our Dogra legacy if we keep ourselves isolated and not be a part of the global journey of India as is seen in several other States. He said, there is no dearth of talent or potential in Dogra youth but what is required is the change of mindset and liberation from the obsession for “Sarkari Naukri”. He said, he sometimes feels pained to see youth on indefinite protest for a Rs.6,000 “Sarkari Naukri” when the Modi government has rolled out a series of attractive schemes, which promises a more lucrative source of livelihood. One of the examples is the Purple Revolution or the Lavender Entrepreneurship right in our immediate neighbourhood.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said that as India today stands among the league of frontline nations in the world, it offers an opportunity to the Dogra youth to draw strength from their rich legacy and seek recognition for themselves across the country and beyond. He said taking inspiration from the Dogra legacy, it is time for them to leave their own mark on the world. He said, this legacy should lay the foundation of giving further impetus to the journey for perfection, and enable the youth to play a visibly meaningful role in the making of a Vikisit Bharat.
“JAM(Jan Dhan, Aadhar, Mobile)TRINITY and digital revolution: A Decade of Financial Inclusion, Transparency and Corruption Free India” Ayushman Bharat: Path towards an Inclusive Healthcare Paradigm
There are more than 54 crore Jan Dhan Yojana accounts, with a total deposit balance of approximately ₹2.39 lakh crore- an increase of over 15 times since its inception.
37.02 crore RuPay cards have been issued to PMJDY account holders
In FY 2023-24, UPI transactions reached ₹200 lakh crore, a 138% increase from 2017-18.
UPI now operational in seven countries and more than 40% of the global real-time payment transactions are happening in India.
As on 30.11.2024, approximately 36 crore Ayushman cards have been created across the country and a total of around 29,929 hospitals are empaneled under the scheme including 13,222 private hospitals
AB-PMJAY is presently implemented in 33 States/UTs across the country.
Posted On: 20 DEC 2024 7:29PM by PIB Delhi
Modi Government has been working for the poor and more than 200 schemes have been launched in the last 10 years for the welfare of the 140 crore people of the nation, said Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs and Road, Transport and Highways,Shri Harsh Malhotra. Shri Malhotra was addressing a Press Conference on impact of path breaking reforms of JAM(Jan Dhan Yojna, Aadhar& Mobile) Trinity Schemes,Digital Transactions and AYUSHMAN BHARAT-PM JAY.
Shri Malhotra stated that under the visionary leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has solved a significant portion of India’s population by bringing them into the banking ecosystem. At present, there are more than 54 crore accounts, with a total deposit balance of approximately ₹2.39 lakh crore- an increase of over 15 times since its inception. The scheme has been particularly successful in rural ,semi-urban areas and amongst women, with around 66% of accounts coming from these regions. Furthermore, 37.02 croreRuPay cards have been issued to PMJDY account holders, with the average deposit per account rising significantly, reflecting increased usage and savings behaviour. The World Bank has also acknowledged that India has achieved its financial inclusion goals in just six years, a feat that would have taken 47 years without its advanced Digital Public Infrastructure.
PM-Jan Dhan Yojna coupled with JAM Trinity has become the world’s largest Financial inclusion program. Now, every rupee released from central Government reaches to the intended beneficiary directly without any middlemen which has further led to the enhancement of Indian Economy . The once neglected poor section of the country has been linked with the rising Indian Economy.This has been made possible with a mission-mode approach that involved both the government and the public.The Minister highlighted that JAM Trinity has driven the nation’s digital revolution and enhance transparency within the financial ecosystem. The government’s focus for the initiative is maximising value for every rupee spent, empowering the poor, and ensuring technology penetration among the masses has been achieved.The JAM Trinity has played a pivotal role in facilitating this progress, enabling more effective and inclusive financial transactions, particularly through Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT). This system has not only ensured subsidies and benefits reach the underprivileged directly but also reduced corruption and eliminated fake beneficiaries. The average deposits in the Jan Dhan Accounts as on 14.8.2024 is Rs 4352. The government has fought against poverty on all fronts and consequently,25 crore have come out of poverty in the last 10 years. Delhi alone has 65 lakh PM Jan Dhan Accounts with a total deposit of Rs 3114 crores along with 50 lakh beneficiaries of RuPAY Cards. 2,59,000 women have been benefited from the PM Ujjwala Scheme
Minister of State emphasised that the success of PMJDY and the JAM trinity has brought greater financial inclusion, empowering citizens with access to banking services while promoting transparency and curbing corruption.PMJDY has not only transformed the financial landscape for millions of Indians but also paved the way for India to emerge as a global leader in digital financial inclusion. About 10 crore fake beneficiaries have been weeded out from the system which has helped in prevent Rs 2.75 lakh crore from going into wrong hands.
Shri Malhotra stated that India’s digital payment landscape has also seen exponential growth, with UPI transactions expanding rapidly. In FY 2023-24, UPI transactions reached ₹200 lakh crore, a 138% increase from 2017-18. This growth in digital payments has positioned India as a global leader in this domain, with UPI now operational in seven countries, further boosting financial inclusion and remittance flows. Through the continued expansion of digital payment solutions and initiatives like UPI, India is setting new benchmarks for economic empowerment and financial transparency and also mentioned that more than 40% of the global real-time payment transactions are happening in India.
The Government’s focus on inclusive healthcare ensured that, India was just the fifth country to develop the COVID Vaccine and successfully executed the world’s largest vaccine program in which 221 crore doses were administered to the people of the nation.
Minister of State highlighted that Ayushman Bharat- PradhanMantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) which was launched on 23.09.2018 with an aim to provide health cover of Rs. 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation. AB-PMJAY is presently implemented in 33 States/UTs across the country.
In March 2024, 37 lakh families of ASHA, Anganwadi Worker and Anganwadi Helpers were also included in the scheme.
Shri Malhotra mentioned that on 29.10.2024, the Government of India expanded the scheme to provide free treatment benefits of up to ₹5 lakh per year on a family basis to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status. As on 30.11.2024, approximately 36 crore Ayushman cards have been created across the country and a total of around 29,929 hospitals are empaneled under the scheme including 13,222 private hospitals, to ensure delivery of quality healthcare services to the beneficiaries. Further, a total of around8.39 crore hospital admissions worth aroundRs. 1.16 lakh crore have been authorized under the scheme.
Source: United States Senator for Hawaii Brian Schatz
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) took to the Senate floor today to detail how President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., spread dangerous lies about vaccines which directly led to disease outbreaks and caused preventable deaths. Schatz recounted the story of how Kennedy traveled to Samoa in 2019 to discourage people from taking the measles vaccine which ultimately led to an outbreak in which thousands of people were infected and 83, mostly children, died.
“In 2019, he flew to Samoa to discourage people from taking the measles vaccine, deepening hesitancy that was already building. And it worked,” said Senator Schatz. “Vaccination rates for eligible 1-year-olds fell to lower than 33%. And just 5 months later, Samoa found itself in the middle of a measles outbreak. Over 5,000 people got the measles. 83 people died.”
Senator Schatz added, “Yes, this is a question of character and competence. But it is also a question of life or death. And who we want in charge, making decisions, when lives are on the line. And it’s our job, here in the Senate, to make damn sure that person isn’t RFK Jr.”
The full text of Senator Schatz’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, is below. Video is available here.
You’d think the person nominated to lead our nation’s top health department – an agency with a budget of over 2 trillion dollars and responsible for running everything from Medicare to vaccine trials. You’d think that person would at least be interested, if not experienced, in curing diseases and promoting public health. That they’d follow science and work to build the public’s trust in it. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is none of those things.
For the first time ever, we might have a health secretary who’s actively fueled disease outbreaks. He’s literally made a career out of lying about the safety of basic vaccines. And it is not an exaggeration to say: lives will be lost if this man gets confirmed. He has cost lives pretending to be a public health expert before. And he will do it again if he becomes the next health secretary.
This is not some random dude with his buddies kicking around wacky ideas for the hell of it. He’s a Kennedy, with an enormous fortune, parachuting into countries to tell flat out lies and stop people from taking life-saving vaccines.
In 2019, he flew to Samoa to discourage people from taking the measles vaccine, deepening hesitancy that was already building. And it worked. Vaccination rates for eligible 1-year-olds fell to lower than 33%. And just 5 months later, Samoa found itself in the middle of a measles outbreak. Over 5,000 people got the measles. 83 people died.
Aside from spreading baseless lies about vaccines, RFK Jr. has regularly spouted all kinds of deranged conspiracy theories, including that COVID-19 was “targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.” He’s also claimed – without any evidence – that antidepressants are to blame for mass shootings and that chemicals in our water are turning kids gay.
His plans to remake the Department of Health and Human Services are equally terrifying. He wants to revoke approvals for the polio and Hepatitis B vaccines for children and roll back guidance on other vital vaccines. There’s a reason we haven’t had to think about these awful, painful diseases in a long, long time. It’s because we’ve successfully vaccinated our way out of outbreaks.
He’s also vowed to fire hundreds of federal health researchers and scientists and stop all research into infectious diseases and vaccine development. Because “we’re going to give infectious disease a break for about eight years.” We’re going to give diseases a break.
This man, in his views and his actions, is as dangerous as they come. You wouldn’t put him in charge of a local clinic – let alone our country’s entire health system.
And look, I get it. Some people hear his critiques of our food system and agree with him. Our food system is broken. And people are getting sick because of it. We’ve subsidized the wrong things for so long that you can find an unhealthy meal faster and for cheaper than a healthy one. Ultra-processed foods are everywhere. Healthy, hearty meals are harder to come by. And that has to change. But we don’t fix that problem by inviting a measles or mumps outbreak. We don’t have to voluntarily conjure up the horrors of polio in the name of cleansing our diet. That’s a false choice I refuse to make.
There are many people – including my friend, Senator Cory Booker – who are working to solve this problem with the seriousness and the thoughtfulness it demands. To reign in factory farms, empower family farmers, and make healthy food more readily available and affordable. We can and must do all of that. But RFK Jr. is not the man to do it.
The medical profession, at it’s best, is about helping people. I think about doctors like my dad, Dr. Irv Schatz, aboard a hospital ship – the SS Hope – providing free medical care to people in Latin America. So many like him put their lives and careers on hold to travel far and wide and care for the less fortunate. Helping kids with cleft palates…distributing mosquito nets…delivering babies…treating and preventing diseases. It’s hard and unglamorous and unselfish work.
And so it takes a special kind of person to do the exact opposite. To do what RFK Jr. did, which is to fly halfway around the world, and cause pain. Cause disease. Cause death. So yes, this is a question of character and competence. But it is also a question of life or death. And who we want in charge, making decisions, when lives are on the line. And it’s our job, here in the Senate, to make damn sure that person isn’t RFK Jr.
The City of Greater Bendigo is undertaking a review of its Immunisation Services to ensure the service is meeting the needs of the community.
Residents can have input into the review by completing a short online survey on the City’s community engagement website Let’s Talk Greater Bendigo by Wednesday December 4, 2024.
City of Greater Bendigo Acting Manager Community and Environmental Health, Sue Harrison said in the last financial year the City provided a total of 10,504 immunisations at community sessions (6,725), school sessions (3,333) and 446 influenza vaccinations for City staff.
“The City’s free immunisation services are accessed by a large number of people and by undertaking a review we want to find out residents experiences and satisfaction with the current service,” said Ms Harrison.
“This is an important project because we want to gain an understanding of the challenges and barriers residents may face when accessing the service and identify what’s working well and the areas where improvements could be made,
“The information provided by residents through the survey will help us to determine how often, and where, public immunisation clinics are held, if we need to provide better access to the clinics and if services are being delivered in the best possible way.
“The review is about building community trust and knowledge and we really want to hear the thoughts of residents about the services they use so we can ensure they can access the services they want and need.”
The survey opens on Wednesday November 6 and will close on Wednesday December 4, 2024.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
The Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, and the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH), Dr Edwin Tsui, visited Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association Tai Hon Fan Nursery School this morning (November 4) to view the implementation of the school outreach seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) service and appealed to parents to arrange early SIV for their children with a view to having better protection in the coming influenza season in winter. It is the first time for the school to choose to provide both injectable inactivated influenza vaccines (IIV) and live attenuated influenza vaccines (i.e. nasal vaccines) (LAIV) as the hybrid mode. Forty-two pupils received SIV during the vaccination activity. The DH procured and delivered the vaccines in advance, while a Public-Private-Partnership Team visited the school today to provide vaccination to the schoolchildren. “To boost the SIV coverage rate among schoolchildren, modified arrangements have been made under the SIV School Outreach Programme (SIVSOP) this year. Kindergartens and child care centres can choose to provide both IIV and LAIV at the same or different outreach vaccination activities. We are delighted with the smooth outreach vaccination service under the new arrangements. According to local experience, school outreach can double the rate of receiving SIV, effectively strengthening the immunity barrier of schoolchildren. We look forward to continuous and full support from schools and parents, as home-school co-operation has been of vital importance in enhancing vaccination coverage,” Dr Lam said. Dr Tsui added that SIV is one of the most effective means to prevent seasonal influenza and its complications, as well as greatly reducing hospitalisation and death. For schoolchildren, it can also reduce absenteeism and is beneficial for their personal health and learning. As the weather becomes cool, and with reference to previous surveillance data, the CHP expects that activity of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza may increase at the end of the year, and more school outbreaks will be reported. The CHP has noticed that some schools still have not arranged SIV outreach activities. We strongly urge schools that have yet to enrol in the SIV outreach programme to arrange SIV outreach activities as soon as possible to protect students and reduce the chance of influenza outbreaks in schools. For eligible children not receiving SIV through school outreach activities, parents should arrange vaccination for their children at clinics of private doctors enrolled in the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme. Dr Lam stressed that all persons aged 6 months or above, except those with known contraindications, are recommended to receive SIV for personal and family protection. As of October 27, the vaccination coverage rate for children aged 6 months to under 2 years was at a low level of about 8.4 per cent. To strengthen vaccination services and boost the SIV coverage rate among children aged 6 months to under 2 years, the DH’s Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHCs) are open to all children aged 6 months to under 2 years for SIV this year. Children aged 6 months to under 2 years can receive SIV services at any MCHCs when they are attending appointments. Parents may also book an appointment for their children to receive vaccinations at designated MCHCs via the online booking system: booking.covidvaccine.gov.hk/forms/sivfhs/index.jsp. Parents are advised to arrange SIV for their children as early as possible to protect health of their children. In addition, co-infection of COVID-19 and influenza is possible, and high-risk individuals should receive booster COVID-19 vaccine at appropriate times. Under the SIVSOP, secondary schools, primary schools, kindergartens, and child care centres can arrange outreach vaccination teams to provide free SIVs to schoolchildren. The DH will provide vaccines to participating schools and subsidy of $105 per dose to doctors. In addition, schools can also invite doctors to arrange outreach services for injectable IIV and/or nasal LAIV on their campuses under the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme School Outreach. Participating schools can select a doctor and make arrangements for the outreach activity, including the type of vaccine provided. The Government will provide a subsidy of $260 per dose to the doctor. In addition to schoolchildren, other individuals such as school staff and students’ parents can also receive SIVs during the outreach vaccination activity. At present, around 890 kindergartens and child care centres (81 per cent), 620 primary schools (93 per cent) and 410 secondary schools (80 per cent) have joined the SIV School Outreach Programmes. As of October 27, 2024, around 640 schools have completed the first dose vaccination, and more than 145 400 students have received SIV under School Outreach Programmes. “The DH has always maintained close liaison with our partners. Through concerted efforts from the education sector, healthcare sector, parents and other stakeholders, a total of about 204 100 doses of SIV have been administered for children aged 6 months to 18 years under various SIV programmes, accounting for 22.3 per cent of overall vaccination coverage rate. We urge early childhood educators to join hands in appealing the parents to arrange for their children to participate in SIV, and at the same time to play their part in educating parents on the importance of vaccination to encourage more young school children to get vaccinated. With increased vaccination coverage, the protection for children could be strengthened,” Dr Lam said. As of October 27, about 331 800 doses of seasonal influenza vaccines had been administered via the Government Vaccination Programme and 496 600 doses via the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme. Together with 126 900 doses via the SIVSOP, a total of 955 300 doses of SIV have been administered through various programmes. For the latest information, please refer to the CHP’s influenza page and Vaccination Schemes page.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirms 2 additional cases of Clade Ib mpox.
Two cases of Clade Ib mpox have been detected in household contacts of the first case, the UK Health Security Agency (UKSHA) can confirm. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 3.
The 2 patients are currently under specialist care at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London. The risk to the UK population remains low.
There has been extensive planning underway to ensure healthcare professionals are equipped and prepared to respond to any further confirmed cases.
Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said:
Mpox is very infectious in households with close contact and so it is not unexpected to see further cases within the same household.
The overall risk to the UK population remains low. We are working with partners to make sure all contacts of the cases are identified and contacted to reduce the risk of further spread.
Contacts of all 3 cases are being followed up by UKHSA and partner organisations. All contacts will be offered testing and vaccination as needed and advised on any necessary further care if they have symptoms or test positive.
Previous
30 October 2024
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected a single confirmed human case of Clade Ib mpox. The risk to the UK population remains low.
This is the first detection of this Clade of mpox in the UK. It is different from mpox Clade II that has been circulating at low levels in the UK since 2022, primarily among gay, bisexual and other men-who-have-sex-with-men (GBMSM).
UKHSA, the NHS and partner organisations have well tested capabilities to detect, contain and treat novel infectious diseases, and while this is the first confirmed case of mpox Clade Ib in the UK, there has been extensive planning underway to ensure healthcare professionals are equipped and prepared to respond to any confirmed cases.
The case was detected in London and the individual has been transferred to the Royal Free Hospital High Consequence Infectious Diseases unit. They had recently travelled to countries in Africa that are seeing community cases of Clade Ib mpox. The UKHSA and NHS will not be disclosing any further details about the individual.
Close contacts of the case are being followed up by UKHSA and partner organisations. Any contacts will be offered testing and vaccination as needed and advised on any necessary further care if they have symptoms or test positive.
UKHSA is working closely with the NHS and academic partners to determine the characteristics of the pathogen and further assess the risk to human health. While the existing evidence suggests mpox Clade Ib causes more severe disease than Clade II, we will continue to monitor and learn more about the severity, transmission and control measures. We will initially manage Clade Ib as a high consequence infectious disease (HCID) whilst we are learning more about the virus.
Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said:
It is thanks to our surveillance that we have been able to detect this virus. This is the first time we have detected this Clade of mpox in the UK, though other cases have been confirmed abroad.
The risk to the UK population remains low, and we are working rapidly to trace close contacts and reduce the risk of any potential spread. In accordance with established protocols, investigations are underway to learn how the individual acquired the infection and to assess whether there are any further associated cases.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, said:
I am extremely grateful to the healthcare professionals who are carrying out incredible work to support and care for the patient affected.
The overall risk to the UK population currently remains low and the government is working alongside UKHSA and the NHS to protect the public and prevent transmission.
This includes securing vaccines and equipping healthcare professionals with the guidance and tools they need to respond to cases safely.
We are also working with our international partners to support affected countries to prevent further outbreaks.
Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccination and screening, said:
The NHS is fully prepared to respond to the first confirmed case of this clade of mpox.
Since mpox first became present in England, local services have pulled out all the stops to vaccinate those eligible, with tens of thousands in priority groups having already come forward to get protected, and while the risk of catching mpox in the UK remains low, if required the NHS has plans in place to expand the roll out of vaccines quickly in line with supply.
Clade Ib mpox has been widely circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recent months and there have been cases reported in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Sweden, India and Germany.
Clade Ib mpox was detected by UKHSA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.
Common symptoms of mpox include a skin rash or pus-filled lesions which can last 2 to 4 weeks. It can also cause fever, headaches, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.
The infection can be passed on through close person-to-person contact with someone who has the infection or with infected animals and through contact with contaminated materials. Anyone with symptoms should continue to avoid contact with other people while symptoms persist.
The UK has an existing stock of mpox vaccines and last month announced further vaccines are being procured to support a routine immunisation programme to provide additional resilience in the UK. This is in line with more recent independent JCVI advice.
Working alongside international partners, UKHSA has been monitoring Clade Ib mpox closely since the outbreak in DRC first emerged, publishing regular risk assessment updates.
The wider risk to the UK population remains low.
UKHSA has published its first technical briefing on clade I mpox which provides further information on the current situation and UK preparedness and response.
Source: Australia Government Statements – Agriculture
4 November 2024
Who does this notice affect?
Importers and brokers of:
Australian registered (AUST R) human therapeutics and medicines imported under tariff 3002.41.00.01 — Vaccines for human medicine (AUST R human vaccines).
Australia’s COVID vaccine roll-out started slowly, with supply shortages and logistical shortcomings. Once it got going, we immunisedmore than 95% of the population.
This week’s COVID inquiry report contains a number of recommendations to improve Australia’s vaccine preparedness the next time we face a pandemic or health emergency.
While the inquiry gets most things right, as vaccine experts, we argue the government response should be broadened in three areas:
expanding compensation programs for people who suffer any type of vaccine injury
better understanding why people aren’t up-to-date with their vaccinations
equipping community helpers in marginalised communities to deliver information about vaccines and combat misinformation.
Australians should be compensated after vaccine injuries – not just during pandemics
The inquiry recommends reviewing Australia’s COVID vaccine claims scheme in the next 12 to 18 months, to inform future schemes in national health emergencies.
Early in the pandemic, vaccine experts called on the Australian government to establish a COVID vaccine injury compensation scheme.
This meant people who were injured after suffering a rare but serious injury, or the families of those who died, would receive compensation when there had been no fault in the manufacturing or administration of the vaccine.
Vaccine experts recommended the creation of such a scheme based on the principle of reciprocity. The Australian public was asked to accept the recommended COVID vaccines in good faith for their health benefit and the benefit of the community. So they should be compensated if something went wrong.
In 2021, the Australian government announced the COVID-19 Vaccine Claims Scheme. Australia had no such scheme before this, in stark contrast to 25 other countries including the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand.
any links between the scheme and vaccine hesitancy.
However, this is currently framed only within the scope of the scheme being used for future epidemic or pandemic responses.
Instead, we need a permanent, ongoing vaccine compensation scheme for all routine vaccines available on the National Immunisation Program.
As we’ve learnt from similar schemes in other countries, this would contribute to the trust and confidence needed to improve the uptake of vaccines currently on the program, and new ones added in the future. It is also right and fair to look after those injured by vaccines in rare instances.
Not getting vaccinated isn’t just about a lack of trust
The COVID inquiry recommends developing a national strategy to rebuild community trust in vaccines and improve vaccination rates, including childhood (non-COVID) vaccine rates, which are currently declining.
The COVID vaccine program has affected trust in routine vaccines. Childhood vaccine coverage has declined 1–2%. And there is a persistent issue around timeliness – kids not getting their vaccines within 30 days of the recommended time point.
The national Vaxinsights project examined the social and behavioural drivers of under-vaccination among parents of children under five years. It found access issues were the main barriers to partially vaccinated children. Cost, difficulty making an appointment and the ability to prioritise appointments due to other conflicting needs were other barriers. Trust was not a major barrier for this group.
However for unvaccinated children, vaccine safety and effectiveness concerns, and trust in information from the health-care provider, were the leading issues, rather than access barriers.
To improve childhood vaccination rates, governments need to monitor the social and behavioural drivers of vaccination over time to track changes in vaccine acceptance. They also need to address barriers to accessing immunisation services, including affordability and clinic opening hours.
It is also imperative we learn from the lessons during COVID and better engage communities and priority populations, such as First Nations communities, people with disabilities and those from different cultural groups, to build trust and improve access through community drop-in and outreach vaccine programs.
To address the decline in adult COVID vaccination we need to focus on perceptions of need, risk and value, rather than just focusing on trust. If adults don’t think they are at risk, they won’t get the vaccine. Unfortunately, when it comes to COVID, people have moved on and few people believe they need boosters.
Variant changes or enhancements to the vaccine (such as combined vaccines to protect against COVID and flu, or RSV or vaccines with long last protection) may encourage people to get vaccinated in the future. In the meantime, we agree with the inquiry that we should focus on those most at risk of severe outcomes, including residents in aged care and those with chronic health conditions.
Invest in community-led strategies to improve uptake
The COVID inquiry recommends developing a communication strategy for health emergencies to ensure all Australians, including those in priority populations, families and industries, have the information they need.
While these are not strictly focused on the promotion of vaccination, the suggestions – including the need to work closely with and fund community and representative organisations – are aligned with what our COVID research showed.
However, the government should go one step further. Communication about vaccines must be tailored, translated for different cultural groups, and easy to understand.
In some settings, messages about the vaccines will have the most impact if they come from a health-care worker. But this is not always the case. Some people prefer to hear from trusted voices from their own communities. In First Nations communities, these roles are often combined in the form of Aboriginal Health Workers.
We must support these voices in future health emergencies.
During COVID, there was insufficient support and training for community helpers – such as community leaders, faith leaders, bilingual community workers, and other trusted voices – to support their vaccine communication efforts.
The government should consider implementing a national training program to support those tasked (or volunteering) to pass on information about vaccines during health emergencies. This would provide them with the information and confidence they need to undertake this role, as well as equipping them to address misinformation.
Holly Seale is an investigator on research studies funded by NHMRC and has previously received funding from NSW Ministry of Health, as well as from Sanofi Pasteur, Moderna and Pfizer for investigator driven research and consulting fees.
Julie Leask receives a fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council and research funding from the World Health Organization. She received reimbursement for overseas travel costs from Sanofi in April 2024.
Margie Danchin receives funding from the Victorian and Commonwealth governments, NHMRC/MRFF and DFAT.
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tom Nyirenda, Extraordinary Senior Lecture in the Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University
The World Health Organization’s 2024 Global Tuberculosis report reveals a sobering reality. Formidable challenges remain in the fight against the world’s most infectious disease: persistent poverty in high burden countries; increased rates of infection among vulnerable populations; the inability to find and treat all missing cases; and funding shortfalls.
The WHO’s report measures progress in two ways: the number of TB-related deaths, and the number of people who become ill. There is still a long battle ahead to eradicate a disease that results in over 10 million patients among those already infected and claims around 1.5 million lives each year. This even though it is preventable and curable.
The good news is that some countries in Africa have made significant progress in reducing infection rates and TB-related deaths.
Global health specialist Tom Nyirenda assesses some of the report’s key findings and messages.
TB can be defeated because we have good diagnostic tools and effective treatment for the commonest forms of the disease. Global funding, which is critical in fighting TB, is not yet up to the scale that is required to stop the disease. Only 26% of the funding committed by global partners to TB prevention, diagnostic and treatment services has materialised so far.
Good diagnostic tools and treatment aren’t the panacea. Almost 87% of TB cases are from 30 high burden poor countries of the world. Slow or lack of economic progress of affected populations is one of the greatest challenges the world continues to face.
On the positive side, progress has been made in reducing TB related deaths in the Africa region. The continent saw the biggest drop in TB related deaths since 2015 of all six regions – 42%. The European region came next with TB deaths down by 38% in the same period.
When it comes to TB infections the WHO African and European regions have made the most progress: a reduction of 24% in Africa and 27% in Europe.
One of the main reasons for the success in Africa has been progress in treating HIV patients. This is because TB is one of the most common opportunistic infections among patients with HIV. (Opportunistic infections occur more often or are more severe in people with weakened immune systems.)
Before antiretrovirals transformed treatment for HIV patients, the African continent had the highest TB-HIV co-infection rates in the world. High mortality was experienced among co-infected patients.
At one stage HIV prevalence among TB patients was estimated to be as high as 90% in some areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
Treating co-infected patients with antiretrovirals has contributed significantly to the drop in TB-related cases and deaths on the continent.
Some countries have increased TB screening among vulnerable groups such as children and those who live in confined areas, such as prisoners and displaced people.
Mixed bag of infection rates
Successes within the African region vary from country to country.
For example Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo are among eight countries that accounted for about two-thirds of the global number of people estimated to have developed TB in 2023. Nigeria has 4.6% of the global new cases and the DRC has 3.1%.
It’s noteworthy that both countries have high levels of poverty; they are vast, with huge populations; and their health services are limited compared to the scale of disease burdens they face.
Sometimes increases in reported cases are not a bad thing. They can be due to improved case finding or better diagnostic procedures. But vigilance is required to maintain the drive towards achievement of global targets.
Barriers to seeking treatment
Families of TB sufferers often have to bear costs such as for medications, special foods, transport, and a loss of income.
Such expenses sometimes discourage TB sufferers from seeking treatment.
The WHO global report estimates families in many countries in Africa are among those facing “catastrophic total costs” as a result of members becoming ill with TB. This is when direct and indirect costs account for more than 20% of a family’s annual household income. The countries where this is the case include Niger, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Tanzania and South Africa.
A billboard warns locals about the dangers of tuberculosis in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. Getty Images.
Vaccine race
The only vaccine against TB, the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine, has been used for more than 100 years. It is largely effective for children under five, but less so in older people. And it can’t be used on patients who have certain medical conditions.
Development of vaccines is a lengthy and costly exercise. Only one-fifth of the finance necessary for research has been forthcoming to date.
The good news is that of all infectious diseases TB is probably the one that has the most vaccine candidates in the pipeline (about 17). There are currently six vaccine candidates for adults in phase III trials. They could be available within the next five years.
Beating the disease will require an effective primary or recurrent TB prevention vaccine or a therapeutic vaccine for those already infected with the TB bacteria but who have not yet developed the disease.
Future threats
Climate change will affect food security and nutrition, essential for recovery from TB, and also diverting TB resources to epidemics and pandemics associated with it.
Human conflict, migration and displacement are other threats that world faces that will hinder TB infection control and treatment.
These dangers strengthen the case for multi-sectoral collaboration to share rare resources and strive for a meaningful impact. The speed at which COVID-19 vaccines were developed in the middle of a pandemic and global lockdowns shows this is possible in better and worse times.
What needs to be done
Without government support the war against TB will never be won. Every country and every community is different. It is therefore essential that locally relevant economic research is conducted in every situation to guide policies that reduce the economic burden of TB on communities. Generated evidence should guide policy and practice. Above all good financing should be mobilised, with governments leading the course.
– TB in Africa: global report shows successes, but Nigeria and DRC remain important hotspots – https://theconversation.com/tb-in-africa-global-report-shows-successes-but-nigeria-and-drc-remain-important-hotspots-242489
Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Tom Nyirenda, Extraordinary Senior Lecture in the Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University
The World Health Organization’s 2024 Global Tuberculosis report reveals a sobering reality. Formidable challenges remain in the fight against the world’s most infectious disease: persistent poverty in high burden countries; increased rates of infection among vulnerable populations; the inability to find and treat all missing cases; and funding shortfalls.
The WHO’s report measures progress in two ways: the number of TB-related deaths, and the number of people who become ill. There is still a long battle ahead to eradicate a disease that results in over 10 million patients among those already infected and claims around 1.5 million lives each year. This even though it is preventable and curable.
The good news is that some countries in Africa have made significant progress in reducing infection rates and TB-related deaths.
Global health specialist Tom Nyirenda assesses some of the report’s key findings and messages.
TB can be defeated because we have good diagnostic tools and effective treatment for the commonest forms of the disease. Global funding, which is critical in fighting TB, is not yet up to the scale that is required to stop the disease. Only 26% of the funding committed by global partners to TB prevention, diagnostic and treatment services has materialised so far.
Good diagnostic tools and treatment aren’t the panacea. Almost 87% of TB cases are from 30 high burden poor countries of the world. Slow or lack of economic progress of affected populations is one of the greatest challenges the world continues to face.
On the positive side, progress has been made in reducing TB related deaths in the Africa region. The continent saw the biggest drop in TB related deaths since 2015 of all six regions – 42%. The European region came next with TB deaths down by 38% in the same period.
When it comes to TB infections the WHO African and European regions have made the most progress: a reduction of 24% in Africa and 27% in Europe.
One of the main reasons for the success in Africa has been progress in treating HIV patients. This is because TB is one of the most common opportunistic infections among patients with HIV. (Opportunistic infections occur more often or are more severe in people with weakened immune systems.)
Before antiretrovirals transformed treatment for HIV patients, the African continent had the highest TB-HIV co-infection rates in the world. High mortality was experienced among co-infected patients.
At one stage HIV prevalence among TB patients was estimated to be as high as 90% in some areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
Treating co-infected patients with antiretrovirals has contributed significantly to the drop in TB-related cases and deaths on the continent.
Some countries have increased TB screening among vulnerable groups such as children and those who live in confined areas, such as prisoners and displaced people.
Mixed bag of infection rates
Successes within the African region vary from country to country.
For example Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo are among eight countries that accounted for about two-thirds of the global number of people estimated to have developed TB in 2023. Nigeria has 4.6% of the global new cases and the DRC has 3.1%.
It’s noteworthy that both countries have high levels of poverty; they are vast, with huge populations; and their health services are limited compared to the scale of disease burdens they face.
Sometimes increases in reported cases are not a bad thing. They can be due to improved case finding or better diagnostic procedures. But vigilance is required to maintain the drive towards achievement of global targets.
Barriers to seeking treatment
Families of TB sufferers often have to bear costs such as for medications, special foods, transport, and a loss of income.
Such expenses sometimes discourage TB sufferers from seeking treatment.
The WHO global report estimates families in many countries in Africa are among those facing “catastrophic total costs” as a result of members becoming ill with TB. This is when direct and indirect costs account for more than 20% of a family’s annual household income. The countries where this is the case include Niger, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Tanzania and South Africa.
Vaccine race
The only vaccine against TB, the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine, has been used for more than 100 years. It is largely effective for children under five, but less so in older people. And it can’t be used on patients who have certain medical conditions.
Development of vaccines is a lengthy and costly exercise. Only one-fifth of the finance necessary for research has been forthcoming to date.
The good news is that of all infectious diseases TB is probably the one that has the most vaccine candidates in the pipeline (about 17). There are currently six vaccine candidates for adults in phase III trials. They could be available within the next five years.
Beating the disease will require an effective primary or recurrent TB prevention vaccine or a therapeutic vaccine for those already infected with the TB bacteria but who have not yet developed the disease.
Future threats
Climate change will affect food security and nutrition, essential for recovery from TB, and also diverting TB resources to epidemics and pandemics associated with it.
Human conflict, migration and displacement are other threats that world faces that will hinder TB infection control and treatment.
These dangers strengthen the case for multi-sectoral collaboration to share rare resources and strive for a meaningful impact. The speed at which COVID-19 vaccines were developed in the middle of a pandemic and global lockdowns shows this is possible in better and worse times.
What needs to be done
Without government support the war against TB will never be won. Every country and every community is different. It is therefore essential that locally relevant economic research is conducted in every situation to guide policies that reduce the economic burden of TB on communities. Generated evidence should guide policy and practice. Above all good financing should be mobilised, with governments leading the course.
Tom Nyirenda is affiliated with European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership -EDCTP.
NEW YORK/JERUSALEM, October 30, 2024 — The Israeli Knesset’s ban on UNRWA operations represents a devastating blow to Palestinians, further jeopardizing their survival in Gaza and greatly impacting communities in the West Bank, said Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières.
UNRWA is the largest health provider in Gaza, with over half of Gazans relying on it for essential health care services, including for the treatment of chronic diseases, displacement-related conditions, maternal and child heath, and vaccinations. Each day, UNRWA’s health teams provide over 15,000 consultations in the Gaza Strip. The ban of its activities threatens to create a vast gap in services within an already largely destroyed health system in Gaza—directly and indirectly endangering the lives of Palestinians.
“UNRWA is a lifeline for Palestinians,” said Christopher Lockyear, MSF’s secretary general. “If implemented, the ban on UNRWA’s activities would have catastrophic implications on the dire humanitarian situation of Palestinians living in Gaza, as well as in the West Bank—now and for generations to come. We strongly condemn this decision, which is the culmination of a long-running campaign against the organization.”
If implemented, the ban on UNRWA’s activities would have catastrophic implications on the dire humanitarian situation of Palestinians living in Gaza, as well as in the West Bank—now and for generations to come.
Christopher Lockyear, MSF secretary general
The newly voted legislation will make it almost impossible for UNRWA to work in Gaza or the West Bank. Coordination with Israeli authorities will be impeded and entrance permits to either of the occupied territories will be denied, essentially blocking delivery of UNRWA aid into and within Gaza. UNRWA handles almost all the distribution of UN aid coming into the Strip. This vote adds to the endless physical and bureaucratic impediments imposed by Israel to limit the amount of aid reaching Gaza, and contradicts Israel’s claims that it is facilitating humanitarian assistance into the Strip.
Earlier this month, the US sent a letter to Israel demanding they take steps to improve the humanitarian situation within 30 days, and not adopt this legislation. As the leading provider of military and financial support to Israel, the US has an obligation to assess if the conduct of the war is consistent with international and US laws designed to protect civilians and to apply the appropriate legal procedures.
The Israeli parliament’s passage of legislation banning UNRWA is shocking in its cruelty … In the face of this blatant criminalization of humanitarian aid, the US government yet again offers only weak warnings while maintaining its support for a war without rules.
Avril Benoît, chief executive officer of MSF USA
“After a full year of death, destruction, and deprivation in Gaza, Israel is moving to make it impossible for the largest humanitarian actor to deliver assistance and services amid the most severe humanitarian crisis Palestinians have ever endured,” said Avril Benoît, chief executive officer of MSF USA. “The Israeli parliament’s passage of legislation banning UNRWA is shocking in its cruelty. This ban would suffocate the humanitarian response in Gaza and cut off people’s access to basic services in the West Bank. In the face of this blatant criminalization of humanitarian aid, the US government yet again offers only weak warnings while maintaining its support for a war without rules and for the continued collective punishment of civilians.”
The impact of UNRWA’s ban will extend beyond Gaza. Critical services, including refugee camp management, health services, education, and social programs across the West Bank are also at risk of destabilization under this legislation. These bills set a grave precedent for other conflict situations where governments may wish to eliminate an inconvenient United Nations presence.
Israeli bill to designate UNRWA a terrorist organization is an attack on humanitarian aid
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected a single confirmed human case of Clade Ib mpox.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected a single confirmed human case of Clade Ib mpox. The risk to the UK population remains low.
This is the first detection of this Clade of mpox in the UK. It is different from mpox Clade II that has been circulating at low levels in the UK since 2022, primarily among gay, bisexual and other men-who-have-sex-with-men (GBMSM).
UKHSA, the NHS and partner organisations have well tested capabilities to detect, contain and treat novel infectious diseases, and while this is the first confirmed case of mpox Clade Ib in the UK, there has been extensive planning underway to ensure healthcare professionals are equipped and prepared to respond to any confirmed cases.
The case was detected in London and the individual has been transferred to the Royal Free Hospital High Consequence Infectious Diseases unit. They had recently travelled to countries in Africa that are seeing community cases of Clade Ib mpox. The UKHSA and NHS will not be disclosing any further details about the individual.
Close contacts of the case are being followed up by UKHSA and partner organisations. Any contacts will be offered testing and vaccination as needed and advised on any necessary further care if they have symptoms or test positive.
UKHSA is working closely with the NHS and academic partners to determine the characteristics of the pathogen and further assess the risk to human health. While the existing evidence suggests mpox Clade Ib causes more severe disease than Clade II, we will continue to monitor and learn more about the severity, transmission and control measures. We will initially manage Clade Ib as a high consequence infectious disease (HCID) whilst we are learning more about the virus.
Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said:
It is thanks to our surveillance that we have been able to detect this virus. This is the first time we have detected this Clade of mpox in the UK, though other cases have been confirmed abroad.
The risk to the UK population remains low, and we are working rapidly to trace close contacts and reduce the risk of any potential spread. In accordance with established protocols, investigations are underway to learn how the individual acquired the infection and to assess whether there are any further associated cases.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, said:
I am extremely grateful to the healthcare professionals who are carrying out incredible work to support and care for the patient affected.
The overall risk to the UK population currently remains low and the government is working alongside UKHSA and the NHS to protect the public and prevent transmission.
This includes securing vaccines and equipping healthcare professionals with the guidance and tools they need to respond to cases safely.
We are also working with our international partners to support affected countries to prevent further outbreaks.
Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccination and screening, said:
The NHS is fully prepared to respond to the first confirmed case of this clade of mpox.
Since mpox first became present in England, local services have pulled out all the stops to vaccinate those eligible, with tens of thousands in priority groups having already come forward to get protected, and while the risk of catching mpox in the UK remains low, if required the NHS has plans in place to expand the roll out of vaccines quickly in line with supply.
Clade Ib mpox has been widely circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recent months and there have been cases reported in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Sweden, India and Germany.
Clade Ib mpox was detected by UKHSA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.
Common symptoms of mpox include a skin rash or pus-filled lesions which can last 2 to 4 weeks. It can also cause fever, headaches, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.
The infection can be passed on through close person-to-person contact with someone who has the infection or with infected animals and through contact with contaminated materials. Anyone with symptoms should continue to avoid contact with other people while symptoms persist.
The UK has an existing stock of mpox vaccines and last month announced further vaccines are being procured to support a routine immunisation programme to provide additional resilience in the UK. This is in line with more recent independent JCVI advice.
Working alongside international partners, UKHSA has been monitoring Clade Ib mpox closely since the outbreak in DRC first emerged, publishing regular risk assessment updates.
The wider risk to the UK population remains low.
UKHSA has published its first technical briefing on clade I mpox which provides further information on the current situation and UK preparedness and response.
The Commission authorises medicines based on a recommendation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The vaccine Imvanex[1] is authorised in the EU to protect against smallpox, mpox and diseases caused by vaccinia virus in individuals aged 12 and older.
The product information[2] includes advice on the use of Imvanex in vulnerable populations, such as immunocompromised, pregnant women or children.
The recommendation to extend the use of Imvanex to adolescents is based on the interim results of a study[3] showing its ability to generate an immune response in adolescents similar to that in adults.
No additional risk was identified for the use of Imvanex in adolescents compared to adults. EMA requested the marketing authorisation holder to submit the study final results by 30 May 2025 to further characterise the safety information for adolescents[4].
As for all medicines, data on the use of Imvanex are continuously monitored. Side effects reported with Imvanex are evaluated, and any necessary action taken to protect patients.
On 13 September 2024, Imvanex was prequalified by the World Health Organisation (WHO)[5], with EMA as regulatory agency of record, i.e. EMA’s assessment was the basis for WHO prequalification to facilitate timely and increased access to this vaccine in communities with urgent need.
WHO also cooperated in EMA’s assessment of the extension of indication to adolescents, a population particularly vulnerable to mpox.
The Commission will continue to strive for the greatest transparency possible by complying with Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents[6] when applicable.
[1] Union Register of medicinal products https://ec.europa.eu/health/documents/community-register/html/h855.htm
[3] A Phase 2 Randomized Multisite Trial to Inform Public Health Strategies Involving the Use of MVA-BN Vaccine for Mpox https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05740982
[4] EMA recommends extending indication of mpox vaccine to adolescents https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/ema-recommends-extending-indication-mpox-vaccine-adolescents
The United States, through USAID, committed $57.4 million, working with Congress, to accelerate food security initiatives and advance novel climate-smart agricultural solutions to reduce global hunger, poverty, and undernutrition. Announced at the 2024 World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue in Iowa, more than $38 million will support Feed the Future – the U.S. government’s global hunger initiative – Innovation Labs.
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab network, including two newly funded labs, will advance technology development and draw on the expertise of top U.S. universities and host country research institutions to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges in agriculture and food security. The Climate Resilient Sustainable Intensification lab, led by Kansas State University, will conduct research to develop and adapt technologies that increase agricultural productivity on less land with fewer environmental tradeoffs. At Washington State University, the Veterinary Vaccine Delivery lab will accelerate the development and deployment of cold-chain-independent vaccines for livestock.
New investments in existing labs include World Coffee Research joining Cornell University to develop improved coffee varieties and the University of Florida partnering with the University of California, Davis to address poultry disease through advances in chicken breeding. Cornell, Purdue, and Michigan State Universities have been awarded extensions to continue work on climate resilient crops, food safety policies and regulations, and local food security policy, respectively.
The remainder of the funding includes an award to accelerate the development and deployment of disease-resistant wheat varieties through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and CIMMYT; a contribution to the Global Crop Diversity Trust to increase the availability of adapted crops and seeds to meet the challenges of new pests and diseases, higher temperatures, less water, and soil degradation; and funding to non-profit Akademiya2063 to support African leadership on agriculture policy reform.
Feed the Future has continued to deliver strong results, as demonstrated in this year’s newly launched Feed the Future Interagency Report. In the initiative’s first decade both hunger and poverty fell by 20 to 25 percent in areas of focus. In 2023 alone, Feed the Future worked with 6.2 million producers to apply improved agricultural practices on 4.5 million hectares of cropland and cultivated pasture. In addition, small and medium businesses and farmers accessed $1.4 billion in agriculture-related financing and leveraged $677 million in private-sector investment – double the level in fiscal year 2020 – resulting in record sales of more than $4.6 billion.
Building on this success, Feed the Future will continue to work with partner countries, donors, and both the public and private sector in the United States and abroad to accelerate transformational change.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Matt Rosendale (Montana)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02) introduced the University Forced Vaccination Student Injury Mitigation Act, which will require higher education institutions to pay the medical costs for any student who was required or is currently required to take a COVID-19 vaccine to attend classes and experienced an adverse reaction. The higher education institutions would lose all federal funds from the Department of Education if they do not comply with the requirements set out in the bill. The University Forced Vaccination Student Injury Mitigation Act is cosponsored by Congressman Eli Crane (AZ-02) and Congressman Bill Posey (FL-08), has received support from No College Mandates, and Dr. Joseph Marine who is Section Chief of Cardiology at Johns Hopkins Community Physicians.
Washington Examiner published an exclusive article highlighting new legislation. You can see the story by clicking on the image below.
“If you are not prepared to face the consequences, you should have never committed the act,”Rep. Rosendale said,“Colleges and universities forced students to inject themselves with an experimental vaccine knowing it was not going to prevent COVID-19 while potentially simultaneously causing life-threatening health defects like Guillian-Barre Syndrome and myocarditis. It is now time for schools to be held accountable for their brazen disregard for students’ health and pay for the issues they are responsible for causing.”
“No student in the United States should face crippling medical costs because of an experimental vaccine their school forced them into receiving. We must hold institutions to account for continuing to inflict COVID-era idiocy on their student body, and that’s exactly what this bill would accomplish. I’m proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation to help rectify this unjustified overreach,”said Rep. Eli Crane.
“College students were never at risk of severe injury or death from any variant of the COVID-19 virus and institutions of higher education had this data well in advance of mandating COVID-19 vaccines. Yet in the spring of 2021, college students were stripped of their fundamental right to bodily autonomy and informed consent when colleges imposed some of the most coercive and restrictive vaccination policies. Countless college students have been injured by COVID-19 vaccinations, and we are grateful that Representative Matthew Rosendale is introducing a new bill to hold colleges accountable for the injuries their unnecessary, unethical and unscientific policies have caused for without such legislation, these students and their families would have no other recourse,”said Lucia Sinatra,co-founderof No College Mandates.
“COVID-19 vaccine mandates for college students were flawed policies that did not alter the course of the pandemic and were not needed to keep college campuses “safe.” I had to make efforts to prevent my own high school and college age children from receiving COVID-19 booster shots that they did not want or need. It seems reasonable to me that institutions that implemented such policies without a sound medical or scientific rationale should take responsibility for any proven medical harm that they caused,”said Joseph Marine, MD, MBA, FACC, FHRS, Section Chief of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians.
Pupils at Holbrooks Primary have taken up the vaccine superhero challenge from Coventry City Council and have achieved silver status and on their way to achieving gold.
A group of students were presented with an award and prizes by Councillor Kamran Caan, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Cllr George Duggins, Leader of the Council, for recognising the steps they have taken to learn about immunisation and designing a bug character as part of the programme.
The Vaccine Superhero programme, run by Coventry City Council’s Public Health and School-Aged Immunisation Service (SAIS), is currently working with twenty-six primary and SEND schools with two schools attaining Silver awards and Holbrooks working towards Gold.
Cllr Kamran Caan, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Sport and Communities at the Council said:
“I’d like to congratulate Holbrooks Primary for their hard work and commitment in achieving silver status in this important Vaccine Superhero programme.
“I am delighted to see that here in Coventry, our schools, communities, public health and NHS teams have been working hard together to address the concerning rise in of vaccine preventable illnesses, such as measles.
“It’s not too late for other schools to sign up for the scheme. For more information, search vaccine superhero on the Council website.”
Nicki Kelsall, Deputy Headteacher at Holbrooks Primary School, added:
“At Holbrook Primary School, we recognise the importance of childhood immunisations to ensure that children have the best possible protection against dangerous diseases. By educating the children in a fun and exciting way we hope to increase the uptake of immunisations in our community and ensure that the children are fully protected to have a healthy start in life.”
Attendees were provided with an overview of the programme’s progress to date, celebrated the achievements of participating schools, and welcomed new schools to the programme.
Since the launch of the programme, pupils have delved into the world of microbes, learning about their roles, appearance, functions, and how to prevent illness.
Schools have been highly engaged, participating in various creative activities with Hill Farm Primary School recently earning a Silver award through an experiment by investigating mold growth on bread and its relation to the role of microbes in vaccines. Holbrooks Primary School is on track for the first Gold award, having started their journey before the summer break.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
For Immediate Release:
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an at-a-glance summary of news from around the agency:
Today, the FDA updated the advisory for the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7. A specific ingredient has not yet been confirmed as the source of the outbreak, but most sick people report eating McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers. Investigators are working to determine if the slivered onions or beef patties on Quarter Pounder burgers are the likely source of contamination. McDonald’s has temporarily stopped using Quarter Pounder slivered onions and beef patties in affected states. Diced onions and other types of beef patties used at McDonald’s have not been implicated in this outbreak. Additionally, Taylor Farms has initiated a voluntary recall of some onions sent to food service customers. Customers who are impacted have been contacted directly. As of Oct. 24, 75 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from 13 states. Illnesses started on dates ranging from Sept. 27, 2024, to Oct. 10, 2024. Of 61 people with information available, 22 have been hospitalized and two people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can cause kidney failure. One death has been reported from an older adult in Colorado. Of the 42 people interviewed, all 42 (100%) report eating at McDonald’s and 39 people report eating a beef hamburger. Consumers who have already eaten at McDonald’s and have symptoms of E. coli infection should contact their health care provider to report their symptoms and receive care immediately. The FDA is working closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state partners to determine if the slivered onions or beef patties on Quarter Pounder burgers are the likely source of contamination. Additional information will be published in the advisory as it becomes available.
On Thursday, the FDA issued guidance to help tattoo ink manufacturers and distributors recognize situations in which tattoo ink may become contaminated with microorganisms. The guidance titled “Insanitary Conditions in the Preparation, Packing, and Holding of Tattoo Inks and the Risk of Microbial Contamination” contains recommendations that include: testing ink and ink components for possible microbial contamination; ensuring the manufacturing process does not introduce microbial contamination; ensuring appropriate sterilization methods are used, when applicable; and taking corrective measures to prevent the release of any product containing microbial contamination.
On Wednesday, the FDA announced the virtual Medical Device Sterilization Town Hall – Sterilization Short Topics and Open Q&A that will be held on Oct. 30, 2024, from 1-2:30 p.m. ET. During this town hall, the FDA will discuss submitted questions and comments, activities to support medical device innovators and bundling sterility submissions. We will also host an open question-and-answer session. Registration is not necessary. We encourage attendees to submit questions to MedicalDeviceSterilization@fda.hhs.gov by 4 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.
On Wednesday, the FDA finalized Guidance for Industry (GFI) #293: FDA Enforcement Policy for AAFCO-Defined Animal Feed Ingredients. Draft GFI #294: Animal Food Ingredient Consultation (AFIC) has not yet been finalized but the agency will notify the public when final guidance is issued. The FDA will continue to accept comments submitted to docket FDA-2024-N-2979 in response to the Request for Comments on the FDA’s premarket animal food review processes until Dec. 9, 2024.
On Wednesday, the FDA published a Consumer Update, FDA’s Critical Role in Ensuring Safe and Effective Flu Vaccines, reminding the public that the flu vaccine received at a doctor’s office or pharmacy is the result of year-round work of highly skilled microbiologists, epidemiologists, physicians and other public health experts. As new strains of flu viruses emerge, the FDA closely coordinates with sister agencies and works with manufacturers to help the development of vaccines to protect from the flu. All FDA-approved flu vaccines are safe and effective.
On Tuesday, the FDA announced that Michelle Tarver, M.D., Ph.D., has been selected as the permanent director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH). Dr. Tarver is a board-certified ophthalmologist with a doctorate in epidemiology and has held various leadership positions at the FDA as a medical device regulator, helping drive strategic initiatives, conduct clinical research and changing organizational culture. Under her leadership, CDRH launched numerous efforts to amplify the perspectives of people living with medical conditions, foster collaboration across the health care ecosystem and stimulate creative evidence generation pathways.
“I am truly honored to lead CDRH and our talented staff across the Center who are committed to protecting and promoting public health,” said Michelle Tarver, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s CDRH. “As someone who has served the FDA for more than 15 years, I am immensely proud of the work we have accomplished together, always keeping the people we serve at the core of our mission. As we embark on CDRH’s next chapter, we remain committed in our service to public health and ensuring all patients in the U.S. have access to high-quality, safe and effective medical devices.”
On Tuesday, the FDA announced a new dataset generated in a clinical study that assessed the way people with Parkinson’s disease move over time compared with those who don’t have the disease. Researchers used wearable sensors and video cameras to gather data about study participants’ gait. The result is an open access dataset that can be used to assess the performance of algorithms used in wearable sensors and identify and validate digital biomarkers relevant to people with Parkinson’s disease. The use of this regulatory science tool may help to accelerate the development and evaluation of novel medical devices in this important area. The dataset is the result of a partnership between the FDA, VA Ventures and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
On Tuesday, the FDA approved the vaccine Abrysvo for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in individuals 18 through 59 years of age who are at increased risk for LRTD caused by RSV. Since 2023, Abrysvo has been approved for the prevention of LRTD caused by RSV in individuals 60 years of age and older and for use in pregnant individuals at 32 through 36 weeks gestational age for the prevention of LRTD and severe LRTD caused by RSV in infants from birth through six months of age. Abrysvo is manufactured by Pfizer Inc.
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The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, radiation-emitting electronic products, and for regulating tobacco products.
Aberdeen City Council has today launched the second and final phase of its Budget 2025/26 consultation.
The second phase provides additional proposed savings options and invites people to have their say on these, and comment on how changes might affect them if taken forward.
Councillor Alex McLellan, Convener of the Finance and Resources Committee, said: “The next phase of the consultation continues to offer the public an opportunity to express their views on proposed savings being put forward by council officers ahead of the Council setting the 2025/26 budget.
“It is important that people participate as this will give us a greater understanding of what services are important to individuals and their families, and the potential impact any change or removal of a service may have on them.”
Anyone who has access to the internet at home or on their mobile phone can access the consultation here.
For anyone who does not have internet access at home, digital assistance is available at local libraries including the Central Library, and at the Customer Service Centre, Marischal College during opening hours.
A series of virtual and in-person events have been arranged to help encourage public engagement. During these events, the public will have the opportunity to discuss any of the proposed options with council staff. There will also be targeted engagement with community groups and other stakeholders.
Monday 4 November – 5.30pm-7pm – virtual Microsoft Teams Advanced booking is required. To book, please click here
Monday 11 November – 11am-12.30pm – in-person
Town and County Hall, Town House (entry via Union Street)
Advanced booking is required. To book, please click here
Tuesday 12 November – 5.30pm-7pm – virtual Microsoft Teams Advanced booking is required. To book, please click here
Wednesday 6 November – 6pm-7.30pm – in-person Customer Service Centre, Marischal College, Broad Street Advance booking is required. To book, please click here
The Council will host a series of pop-up events to offer digital assistance to citizens who would like support to complete the consultation online. These sessions will be held within Aberdeen City Vaccination Centre located inside the Bon Accord Shopping Centre, George Street.
Advanced booking is NOT required to attend the below pop-up sessions.
Thursday 31 October – 2pm-4pm
Thursday 7 November – 2pm-4pm
Thursday 14 November – 2pm-4pm
For anyone who needs information provided in a different format, such as accessible PDF, large print, easy to read, audio recording or braille, or have any accessibility requirements, please email equality_and_diversity@aberdeencity.gov.uk
The consultation closes on Sunday, November 17 and the results will be presented to Full Council on Wednesday, December 11.
Source: Republic of France in English The Republic of France has issued the following statement:
In the framework of the Italian G7 Presidency, Mr Thani Mohamed-Soilihi, Minister of State for Francophonie and International Partnerships, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, went to Pescara, Italy, on 22 October 2024.
The Minister of State was able to signal France’s commitment to global public health, food security and the fight against malnutrition.
The G7 Development Ministers’ Meeting concluded with the adoption of a joint statement highlighting the priorities of the G7 and France as regards development:
to encourage the G7 Apulia Initiative, which works towards establishing sustainable, resilient, inclusive food systems;
to support the call for innovative projects to combat malnutrition, known as the Innovation Challenge, which will be promoted ahead of the next Nutrition for Growth summit, to be held in Paris on 27 and 28 March 2025;
to strengthen global health systems, particularly the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) initiative, which was launched in Paris in June 2024 and aims to produce in Africa 60% of the vaccines used on that continent;
to strengthen the G7’s cooperation with African countries to promote girls’ education;
to develop sustainable investment in sport, echoing the Paris appeal made on the eve of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Finally, with an International Conference in Support of Lebanon’s People and Sovereignty taking place in Paris today, the Minister of State called on the G7 partners to summon up the widest possible support for Lebanon and the civilian populations affected by the conflict.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The latest weekly flu surveillance data published by UKHSA today shows flu case numbers are twice as high among school children, aged 5 to 14 years.
As of 22 October (week 42), influenza positivity – the rate of laboratory confirmed flu cases – among school children aged 5 to 14 years is higher than any other age group, at a weekly average positivity rate of 5.7% compared with a whole population weekly average of 2.5%.
All school-aged children, up to and including year 11, are eligible for a free nasal spray flu vaccine. The spray, delivered through local NHS School Immunisation Teams, is quick and painless. The vaccine usually produces a better immune response in children and evidence from last year’s flu season shows strong effectiveness for children in England with a 54% reduction in hospitalisation for those between 2 and 17 years of age.
Delivery of the flu vaccine in schools started in early September and the local Immunisation Teams will move from school to school across their region throughout October and November, with school vaccination sessions completed by mid-December. It’s important that parents do sign and return the consent forms on time. In some areas this will now be sent digitally to make consent easier.
Last year saw a sudden increase in the number of people having to be hospitalised, due to a flu peak in the week leading up to Christmas and then again at the end of January. So even getting a vaccination in November will protect children for the usual peak flu season in December and January, and also importantly help stop them spreading the virus to others who are more vulnerable, such as grandparents or baby brothers and sisters.
If your child has missed out on getting their flu vaccine at school, there will be further opportunities to get vaccinated, potentially at NHS community clinics. The school immunisation team will be able to provide further details. For children in a clinical risk group who have missed out, it is possible to make an appointment for the vaccine at your GP surgery.
Younger children, aged 2 years (before the flu vaccination seasons starts on 1 September) and all 3 year olds, are also able to receive a flu vaccine from their GP surgery.
To help reduce the impact of winter viruses on those most at risk, as well as ease NHS winter pressures, UKHSA – with Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England – has launched a scaled-up Get Winter Strong campaign. The campaign is currently running on broadcast TV, on demand and community TV, as well as radio channels, outdoor poster sites across England and on social media channels.
The campaign will urge those eligible to get their flu and COVID-19 vaccination when invited, ahead of winter, targeting those at greatest risk.
Flu can be very serious for some younger children and puts many thousands in hospital every year. Maryam Sheiakh, a mother from Manchester, recounts the fear and anxiety she went through 2 years ago, when her then 4 year-old daughter, Saffy, spent more than a week at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital after being admitted with flu, suffering with a severe cough and high temperature. She was transferred to a High Dependency Unit as she was struggling to breathe and needed oxygen. Maryam said:
I was seriously concerned we might lose Saffy. I honestly thought she might die from this. I was so distraught watching her struggling to breathe day after day, worried about her breathing difficulties and getting oxygen to the brain – would she be the same little girl before she got ill?
Thanks to the NHS staff, Saffy made a full recovery and, now aged 6, is thriving. Maryam, a nursery teacher, is now urging all parents to vaccinate their children to ensure they have the best protection against flu:
Just go and get it, don’t take the risk. No parent wants to watch their child suffer like we did with Saffy.
Dr Suzanna McDonald, Flu Vaccination Programme Lead at the UKHSA, said:
This week’s data shows that while flu remains at low levels, it is highest among school children. Children’s immune systems respond well to flu vaccines, which for most children is given as a quick and painless nasal spray in school, helping to give them good protection as winter approaches. Flu season can often peak around late December, so getting your children vaccinated now will help ensure flu doesn’t ruin their and your family’s Christmas – as the vaccine will also help stop them spreading the virus.
Parents should ensure they sign and return their vaccination consent forms so your children don’t miss out. But if they have missed the opportunity at school, you should still be able get them vaccinated at a community clinic. Flu can be a very nasty illness for anyone and every year thousands of children do end up in hospital. Nobody wants this for their child, so please ensure they get their flu vaccine on time.
Steve Russell, NHS national director for vaccinations and screening said:
Today’s data is a stark reminder of how easily viruses can spread in schools – especially during the colder months when students are more likely to gather indoors – but vaccination is one of the best ways to stop the spread and help prevent yourself and others from getting sick this winter.
Despite delivering almost 10 million flu vaccines to all eligible groups since kicking off this year’s Autumn campaign, it’s still as important as ever to ensure your child is protected as winter approaches.
NHS staff continue to ensure getting vaccinated is as quick and convenient as possible – by visiting schools across the country to deliver jabs or providing the painless flu nasal spray in ‘Bluey’ themed children’s vaccine clinics – all to help avoid the growing risk of a tripledemic this winter as pressures on NHS services are increased.
Latest NHS data published this week shows there has been 9,641,272 flu vaccinations delivered so far this Autumn – with 1,337,530 given to school aged children and 321,678 to children aged 2 and 3.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) will roll out the updated JN.1 Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and JN.1 Moderna/Spikevax vaccines from 28 October 2024. This is based on the 2024/2025 recommendation of the Expert Committee for Immunisation (ECI). The vaccination is especially applicable to individuals at increased risk of severe COVID-19, such as seniors and those who are medically vulnerable.
2. With close to 500 Healthier SG General Practitioner (GP) clinics and 10 polyclinics offering COVID-19 vaccination in the community, the five remaining Joint Testing and Vaccination Centres (JTVCs) will cease operations from 1 December 2024.
ECI’s Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
3. We are living with COVID-19 as an endemic disease. The severity of COVID-19 infection is low in the healthy general population, given that most of our local population has either taken the vaccine and/or been infected with COVID-19 and recovered safely.
4. Hence the ECI has recommended that individuals at increased risk of severe COVID-19 should receive both the initial (if unvaccinated) and additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, as they will benefit most from increased protection with vaccination. The persons recommended for COVID-19 vaccination in 2024/2025 are:
a. Individuals aged 60 years and above;
b. Medically vulnerable individuals aged 6 months and above; and
c. Residents of aged care facilities.
5. Healthcare workers and persons living or working with medically vulnerable individuals are encouraged to consider receiving the vaccine. Other individuals aged 6 months and above who wish to receive the COVID-19 vaccine can continue to do so.
6. Unvaccinated individuals who are receiving COVID-19 vaccination in 2024/2025 should receive:
a. Ages 6 months to 4 years: Two vaccine doses, eight weeks apart; and
b. Ages 5 years and older: One vaccine dose.
7. The number of initial doses recommended for unvaccinated individuals aged 5 years and above has been reduced from two doses (as previously recommended) to one dose, as most in this population would have some level of protection from past COVID-19 infection. One initial dose is now assessed to be sufficient to ensure an adequate level of protection in unvaccinated persons aged 5 years and above.
8. Vaccinated individuals aged 6 months and above who are receiving an additional dose of COVID-19 vaccination in 2024/2025 should receive it at an interval of around one year (and at least five months) from the last vaccine dose.
Rollout of Updated JN.1 Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna/Spikevax Vaccines
9. The Health Sciences Authority has approved the use of the updated JN.1 Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and JN.1 Moderna/Spikevax vaccines in Singapore.
10. From 28 October 2024, all vaccination locations offering the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and/or Moderna/Spikevax vaccines will begin administering the updated JN.1 vaccines.
11. The updated COVID-19 vaccines provide a stronger immune response against current and emerging strains compared to previous versions of the vaccines, and therefore confer better protection against COVID-19. The safety profiles of the updated vaccines are comparable to that of previous versions.
Closure of JTVCs from 1 December 2024
12. The JTVCs have served us well in offering mass testing and vaccination services during the pandemic. To bring COVID-19 vaccination closer to the community, close to 500 Healthier SG GP clinics and 10 polyclinics located island-wide are now providing COVID-19 vaccination services. In addition, more Healthier SG GP clinics will be onboarded to offer the COVID-19 vaccines.
13. With this, the five remaining JTVCs at Bukit Merah, Jurong East, Kaki Bukit, Sengkang and Woodlands will cease operations from 1 December 2024. Individuals who wish to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations at these locations may walk in by 30 November 2024, or visit https://vaccine.gov.sg/covid to book an appointment.
14. Mobile vaccination teams offering the COVID-19 vaccines will continue to be deployed across the island. Members of the public can visit https://gowhere.gov.sg/vaccine for the latest schedule.
15. COVID-19 vaccination continues to be free for all eligible individuals under the National Vaccination Programme. Members of the public can visit https://gowhere.gov.sg/vaccine for the nearest vaccination sites and the vaccine types offered. Individuals may book an appointment at a Healthier SG GP clinic through https://vaccine.gov.sg/covid, or at a polyclinic through the HealthHub booking system.
16. COVID-19 waves will continue to occur from time to time and can cause severe disease among those who are older or medically vulnerable. To increase their protection against severe disease, we encourage everyone to remain updated with their vaccination based on the prevailing recommendations, much like vaccination against influenza.
Headline: NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kinsley to get Fall Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines
NC Health and Human Services Secretary Kinsley to get Fall Flu and COVID-19 Vaccines hejones1
North Carolina Health and Human Services Secretary Kody H. Kinsley will get his fall flu and COVID-19 vaccines on Friday at Health Park Pharmacy in Raleigh. Secretary Kinsley will get both vaccines at 10:30 a.m. and hold a brief media availability after.
Flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are expected to increase over the coming weeks, and NCDHHS announced the first flu-related death of the season last week. Health officials recommend everyone 6 months and older get their seasonal flu shot and COVID-19 vaccine. Both the flu and COVID-19 vaccines have been updated to protect against new strains of the virus during the 2024-2025 respiratory season. Vaccinations are especially important for those at higher risk of severe viral respiratory disease, including people 65 years and older, children younger than 5, pregnant women, those with a weakened immune system and those with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
Flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccines can be given at the same time to help people get vaccinated quickly and easily. Visit MySpot.nc.gov or Vaccines.gov for guidance, information and resources about flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccines.
What: Secretary Kody H. Kinsley to get fall flu and COVID-19 vaccines
Who: Kody H. Kinsley, Secretary, NCDHHS Steve Adkins, Pharm.D, Pharmacist, Health Park Pharmacy
When: Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 10:30 a.m.
Where: Health Park Pharmacy 8300 Health Park, Suite 227 Raleigh, NC 27615
Register: Credentialed media are invited to attend and should RSVP to news@dhhs.nc.gov. Media should arrive by 10:20 a.m.
Today, the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada annual report on the state of public health in Canada, entitled Realizing the Future of Vaccination for Public Health, was tabled in Parliament by the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health.
October 24, 2024 | Ottawa, ON | Public Health Agency of Canada
Today, my annual report on the state of public health in Canada, entitled Realizing the Future of Vaccination for Public Health, was tabled in Parliament by the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health.
Vaccination is one of the most significant public health achievements in modern history, helping people to live longer and healthier lives. In fact, over the past 50 years, researchers estimate vaccines have saved over 150 million lives worldwide. In addition to direct health benefits, vaccination also provides important social and economic benefits, such as reduced sick time in schools and workplaces, and increased job productivity. Vaccination can also help reduce the burden on our healthcare system by reducing hospitalizations and the need for medical care.
Although vaccination is a foundation of public health practice, we haven’t taken full advantage of its potential to tackle existing and emerging public health threats. Gaps in vaccination access and uptake in Canada, fueled in part by the spread of mis- and disinformation, have led to an increase in vaccine-preventable outbreaks, such as measles and pertussis. Some populations also face disproportionate barriers to vaccination such as those living in rural and remote areas, individuals who have difficulties connecting with health services, or those who have experienced stigma in the health system.
The public health system must be prepared to take advantage of scientific breakthroughs in vaccine technology. In the coming years, new vaccines will have the potential to address an expanding range of health threats, including the treatment of chronic diseases, cancers, and anti-microbial resistant pathogens. New ways to administer vaccines are also emerging, such as nasal vaccines and microneedle patches, that could help improve the vaccination experience, enhancing the acceptability and accessibility of vaccines.
This is why we must strive to create the conditions for everyone in Canada to experience the full benefits of vaccination at every stage of life.
Strengthening our vaccination system now and into the future
To help realize this vision, we must address gaps in our current vaccination system. This includes working with partners across governments and communities to reduce vaccination inequities and improve access to vaccines. Promising examples from the pandemic include setting up mobile clinics and community health workers to reach people who have difficulties in connecting with care, and providing trusted healthcare professionals with the resources to support the vaccination needs of their communities. Public health also has a responsibility to integrate rights-based approaches in vaccination for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. Protecting these rights and supporting self-determination is fundamental to the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples.
More timely and comprehensive data is required to better understand and respond to population health needs and evolving public health threats. Strengthening vaccination data and evidence systems will help to identify vaccination coverage gaps, barriers to vaccination and how to meet the needs of communities as equitably and responsibly as possible.
Looking to the future, it will also be important to evaluate the high cost of introducing and delivering new vaccines, as well as evaluating vaccination programs, against their health and economic benefits for society. By being more strategic we will help minimize health risks while ensuring that public funds are allocated in a sustainable and impactful manner.
Public health can continue to play a leadership role in helping plan for the future of vaccination. We need vaccine research, development and implementation to be rooted in equity, based on the best available evidence, and driven by population health needs in Canada. By considering this work alongside the development of pandemic preparedness plans, we can help ensure that we are ready to act in the face of future public health emergencies.
Now is the opportune time to reflect on the lessons we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and mpox. By strengthening our vaccination system, we can improve the health and well-being of all people in Canada and contribute to global health security.
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Media Relations Public Health Agency of Canada 613-957-2983 media@hc-sc.gc.ca