Vaccine developers mobilize amid "great unraveling" of their work
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Hundreds of vaccine researchers gathered in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, still struggling to counter rising anti-vaccine sentiment and mistrust many blamed on top Trump administration health officials.
Why it matters: Researchers and manufacturers are facing federal funding cuts and other policy shifts, including a move by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to consider removing COVID-19 vaccines from the government's schedule of recommended childhood immunizations, first reported by Politico.
- A Health and Human Services spokesperson said late Tuesday that no final decision had been made on whether to pull the COVID shots.
What they're saying: "Today, we face the great unraveling, an anti-science regression back toward a world we thought we had left behind where vaccine preventable diseases remain and return, fueled by misinformation, mistrust and denial," Gregory Poland, chairman of the World Vaccine Congress, told the assembly Tuesday morning.
- At a time when industry and academic organizations are hesitating to push back, he implored attendees to speak out, write op-eds, take to social media and reach out to policymakers.
- "History will divide us, you and me, into those who spoke out and those who by their silence, gave tacit approval," Poland said.
State of play: This year's multiday gathering comes amid outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses like measles and whooping cough, as well as fears of a potential pandemic from bird flu and lingering worries about COVID.
- There were few federal health officials on the agenda of speakers, in contrast to past years.
- Several attendees said there are back-channel efforts to strengthen ties among research organizations, build new vaccine infrastructure between various foreign governments and to harness funding from wealthy individuals while addressing gaps in public health.
Yes, but: "There are a bunch of small, underfunded efforts that are working independently," Peter Hotez, a vaccine researcher at Baylor College of Medicine, told Axios.
- "The problem is people at the eleventh hour get scared, and then they don't want to call attention to themselves."
Former BARDA director Rick Bright tried to strike an optimistic note, saying the current situation could provide an opportunity to modernize the entire vaccine infrastructure through nongovernment organizations.
- "If you're relying on the government, any government, you're always under that potential for government manipulation and influence, and we're seeing it more and more," Bright told Axios.
- "This creates an opportunity for high-net-worth individuals, and many of them are stepping forward saying, 'How can I help?'" he said.
