Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Amid Growing Measles Outbreak, RFK Jr. Touts Unconventional Theories
In a sweeping interview, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary, outlined a strategy for containing the measles outbreak in West Texas that strayed far from mainstream science, relying heavily on fringe theories about prevention and treatments. He issued a muffled call for vaccinations in the affected community, but said the choice was a personal one. He suggested that measles vaccine injuries were more common than known, contrary to extensive research. (Rosenbluth, 3/10)
The National Institutes of Health will cancel or cut back dozens of grants for research on why some people are reluctant to be vaccinated and how to increase acceptance of vaccines, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Post on Monday. The email, titled required terminations 3/10/25, shows that on Monday morning, the agency received a new list of awards that need to be terminated, today. It has been determined they do not align with NIH funding priorities related to vaccine hesitancy and/or uptake. (Johnson and Achenbach, 3/10)
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pledged to purge conflicts of interest from the government agencies he's now in charge of, alleging close ties between employees and the pharmaceutical industry. In his confirmation hearings for the role, he took aim at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee that plays a key role in setting policies around vaccine schedules and access, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP. (Huang, 3/11)
More on the measles outbreaks
The building where hundreds of families are lining up for measles care amid a fast-growing outbreak in West Texas looks more like an abandoned car dealership than a doctors office. Theres no signage, nothing saying Open or indicating office hours. But nearly every day, dozens of pickup trucks from all over Gaines County fill the parking lot, squeezing into any available space. (Edwards and Zadrozny, 3/10)
It will likely be weeks before public health agencies know the full extent of measles exposure in Virginia and Maryland following the discovery of an infected person living in Howard County, officials said. (Gluck, 3/10)
In other news about HHS Chief Robert Kennedy Jr.
Three senators are calling on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to disclose what he and President Donald Trump discussed with drugmakers during closed-door conversations. Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden and Bernie Sanders sent a letter dated March 10 to Kennedy, who is a longtime critic of the pharmaceutical industry. They accused him of attending unofficial, million-dollar dinners with industry executives at Mar-a-Lago. (Muller and Garde, 3/10)