FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNALThe professional association for city managers issued a public censure against a Michigan city official in part because he promised firefighters and police that he wouldnt impose a hypothetical vaccine mandate but would instead follow alternative COVID-19 protocols. Now, hes suing to restore his good name.
I was honestly heartbroken to see the [International City/County Management Association] publicly censure me, faulting me for violating a vaccine mandate that didnt exist, James Freed, city manager of Port Huron, Michigan, told The Daily Signal in a written statement.
The International City/County Management Association serves as the major professional association for city managers across the U.S. The organization claims to be politically neutral, but Freed says that it censured him in part as retaliation after he complained about an ICMA leaders left-wing political activity on Twitter, the social media platform now called X.
The management association appears to have believed that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, had imposed a vaccine mandate, although she did not. The association censured Freed in part for vowing that he wouldnt enforce such a mandate. The censure mentioned Freeds response to Whitmer after the governor falsely claimed that his city had violated COVID-19 protocols.
Freed spoke to The Daily Signal before the Supreme Court ruled in his favor on an unrelated matter regarding his decision to block another user on Facebook.
The story traces back to November 2018, when Freed noticed that a Twitter account with the handle @ICMAEthics started liking posts that opposed Republicans.
Freed wrote a letter to Martha Perego, the ICMAs director of member services and ethics who ran the account. He noted the accounts increasingly partisan activity, saying its handle leads the public to believe that this type of social media activity and behavior represents the members of our association.
I am requesting that either you delete and unlike any political activity and statements that may conflict with our Code of Ethics, or simply change your Twitter handle to something that does not appear to represent ICMA, Freed wrote to Perego.
Marc Ott, executive director of the International City/County Management Association, wrote a letter to Freed one month later, saying he had directed Perego to remove political activity from the Twitter account and disconnect it from the ICMA. Freed thought that was the end of the matter.
Yet ICMA launched an investigation into Freed, claiming that he had violated the management associations code of ethics by sharing information about an official ethics complaint in an improper venue. Freed had shared his concerns about the @ICMAEthics Twitter activity in a private Listserv for the Michigan Municipal Executives Association.
On Jan. 28, 2018, Jessica Cowles, ICMAs ethics adviser and an assistant to Perego, called Freed to notify him that the management association had launched an ethics investigation into his behavior. In the call, which Freed recorded and made available on the City Manager Unfiltered podcast, Freed repeatedly told Cowles that he had no intention of filing a formal ethics complaint against Perego. But Cowles didnt appear to receive the message.
In June 2019, the ICMA Committee of Professional Conduct cleared Freed of the accusations in the complaint. Later that year, the ICMA investigated another ethics complaint against Freed, claiming that his social media posts were political. The ICMAs Committee of Professional Conduct ultimately cleared Freed in that complaint, as well.
In his lawsuit against the International City/County Management Association, Freed argues that these investigations were frivolous acts of retaliation and signs of things to come.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Freed followed the guidance of health agencies, but faced a fine and ridicule from Michigans Democratic governor, Whitmer, over a false report that he had not done so.
Matthew Hartman, an inspector at the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration, issued a $6,300 fine to Port Huron, where Freed is city manager, after visiting on July 21, 2020. Hartman later testified under oath that he burned his notes from that visit, the Detroit News reported.
Hartman had not witnessed any city employee who wasnt wearing a face mask or was violating COVID-19 rules, but he claimed that employees he interviewed said they saw such violations. He also said he destroyed emails from his supervisor regarding the case.
Hartman confessed this in a deposition to Todd Shoudy, an attorney for Port Huron. Shoudy later notified Michigans occupational safety and health agency that he planned to depose its director, Bart Pickelman. Six days later, the agency announced it would dismiss the case against Port Huron.
Freed urged the state Legislature to investigate the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administrations governance structure.
My heart breaks for all the small businesses and mom-and-pops that didnt have an expert legal team, who didnt have the resources to put MIOSHA under oath, Freed told The Detroit News at the time. Port Hurons appeal cost between $15,000 and $20,000.
MIOSHA dropped the fine in November 2021.
Whitmer, Michigans governor, had said the agency fined only employers who flouted COVID-19 rules.
On the same day MIOSHA dropped the fine, Freed posted a Breitbart story on Instagram, tagging Whitmer.
@gewhitmer you shouldnt mess with a father who cares about the world his little girl grows up in, the city manager wrote.
Also in November 2021, the U.S. Labor Departments Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued an emergency temporary standard requiring large employers those with 100 employees or moreto make employees take a COVID-19 vaccine or get tested regularly for the disease. OSHAs emergency temporary standard didnt apply to Port Huron, but Freed anticipated that MIOSHA would apply similar rules.
I did everything I could to protect my employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, Freed told The Daily Signal.
He said he prepared to follow the testing regimen that OSHA presented as an alternative to the vaccine requirement. Even though OSHAs temporary standard didnt apply to Port Huron, he anticipated that MIOSHA would adopt the temporary standard.
Freed said many city employees told him they would quit if he forced them to take a vaccine, so even though he had taken a COVID-19 vaccine himself, he decided on the option that didnt mandate the vaccine for others. The city manager sent a letter to employees stating, I will never enforce a vaccine mandate upon my employees.
Freed predicted that a federal judge would issue an injunction against any such mandate, and that the Supreme Court also would rule against it. The Supreme Court unanimously blocked the rule in January 2022.
Freed insisted that Congress makes laws, not unelected bureaucrats.
I felt the liberty and personal choice of my employees warranted protection, and I needed to send a clear message to my employees that I would not force them to be vaccinated in order to avoid losing critical employees that would have been difficult to replace, Freed told The Daily Signal.
On July 5, 2022, the International City/County Management Association publicly censured Freed, in part for his apparent unwillingness to enforce a vaccine mandate that didnt exist. The association sent a press release to media and issued a post on its website announcing the censure. Freed has highlighted the differences between the documents.
The ICMA Executive Board voted to censure Freed on June 11, 2022.
The board determined Mr. Freeds personal social media post directed to Michigans governor following the citys successful appeal of a state workplace safety violation did not reflect the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity and was especially inappropriate for an ICMA-credentialed manager, the association said in the press release.
The board concluded Mr. Freeds preemptive declaration to city employees that he would never implement a specific law or policy when it is the managers duty to do so is contrary to the principles outlined in Tenet 3 of the [ethics] code, the statement continued. Finally, the board found his commentary to a colleague on the Michigan Municipal Executives listserv failed to adhere to his ethical obligation to treat colleagues with professional respect.
The ICMAs website post went into greater detail on the first two counts against Freed. For the post about Whitmer, the association claimed Freed failed to fulfill his ethical responsibility to ensure that his conduct builds trust and respect with elected officials as well as the public.
When it came to the issue of a vaccine mandate, the ICMA acted as though Freed had vowed not to enforce an existing law.
The management association said on its website: The board concluded (1) a member has an affirmative duty to follow the law as outlined in Tenet 3s commitment to honesty and integrity; (2) a member may choose to resign from their position if they find they cannot implement a law or policy because it conflicts with their personal or professional beliefs; and (3) a manager has a responsibility to ensure their conduct enhances public trust in their position, their organization, and the local government management profession. The board determined his preemptive declaration to city employees that he would never implement a specific law or policy was contrary to the principles in Tenet 3.
Before the public censure, the International City/County Management Association allowed Freed to appeal its recommendation for a censure. He did appeal, and the ICMA rejected his appeal.
Among other things, the association took issue with his complaint that unelected bureaucrats do not make laws because it overlooked the fact that the governor is an elected official. Whitmer played no role in OSHAs emergency temporary standard, however.
During Freeds June 11, 2022, appeal hearing, ICMA board members sent text messages condemning him as a douchebag and saying they wanted to punch him in the face.
William Fraser, city manager of Montpelier, Vermont, messaged Pam Anthill, city manager of Encinitas, California.
He just looks like a douchebag, Fraser wrote to Anthill.
He is, Anthill responded.
I already want to punch him in the face, Fraser added.
Fraser told The Daily Signal he regrets making those comments.
During the hearing about Mr. Freeds ethics violations, I sent a private text message to a colleague which was uncomplimentary to Mr. Freed, he wrote in a statement Thursday. I very much regret making those comments.
Notwithstanding those remarks, I voted against issuing a public censure to Mr. Freed, Fraser added. I am no longer a defendant in Mr. Freeds civil suit and have completed my term as a member of the ICMA executive board.
Fifteen days after the ICMA formally censured Freed, the Port Huron Mayor and City Council sent the association a letter in which it stood by Freed.
In consultation with our legal counsel, we strongly disagree with your findings, the mayor and council wrote.
No law or pending law was preemptively declared to be violated, the elected city leaders added. You provided no such evidence to support your claim. On the contrary, our city manager took steps, by words and action, to comply with all current laws and any pending laws, while at the same time respecting the civil liberties of our dedicated employees.
Additionally, although you may not like professional criticism of elected or appointed officials, it is lawful [and] ethical by ICMA standards and constitutionally protected, the city leaders wrote. Our city manager did not breach or erode public trust.
The mayor and council members declared their confidence and trust in Freed, asking the ICMA to retract your baseless censure.
Despite the city councils support, Freed worries that the public censure may prevent him from getting a job in any other jurisdiction. While the city council has supported him, the censure may still stymie his career.
Freed sued ICMA and others in September 2022, alleging defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and conspiracy against him. The Port Huron city manager seeks $75,000 per defendant ($25,000 per claim), plus costs, interest, and attorneys fees. That doesnt include emotional and embarrassment damages, which the jury must decide.
Even though ICMAs case against me is based on their false understanding of the situation on the ground in Michigan at the time, the professional organization has refused to revoke the public censure which is very damaging to my professional reputation, Freed told The Daily Signal. Sadly, I am left with no other recourse but to sue to restore my good name and protect my ability to provide for my family.
Neither the International City/County Management Association nor Anthill nor Whitmers office responded to The Daily Signals request for comment by publication time.
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please emailletters@DailySignal.comand well consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular We Hear You feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.
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(Precision Vaccinations News)
The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Mortality Surveillance data available on March 14, 2024, indicates that 0.7% of the deaths that occurred during the week ending March 9, 2024 (Week 10) were due to influenza.
This percentage increased ( 0.1 percentage point change) compared to last week's data.
NCHS's data also confirmed that 13influenza-associated pediatric deaths were reported to the U.S. CDC during Week 10.The total number of pediatric deaths for the 2023-2024 flu season isnow 116.
As of March 17, 2024, theCDC continues to recommend that everyone six months and older get an annual flu vaccine as long as influenza viruses are spreading. Vaccinationcan still provide benefits this flu season.
Various egg, cell, and nasal flu shots remain available at most community pharmacies in the U.S.
The composition of flu vaccines is reviewed annually, and new flu vaccines are manufactured each year. For the 2024-2025 flu season, many countries are transitioning to trivalent flu vaccines.
Vaccines are crucial in preventing diseases, saving lives, reducing disability and lightening the burden on the nations healthcare system. Therefore, the government has a compelling interest in combating vaccine misinformation to prevent the promulgation of factually incorrect information that causes deaths.
That is the argument presented in anamicus brieffiled with the Supreme Court inMurthy v. Missouriby several prominent medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Physicians and American Geriatrics Society.
Vaccination is, after all, a pillar of disease prevention, and the CDC estimates that between 2021 and 2030,more than 50 million deaths will have been preventedworldwidethrough immunization.
The brief highlights the commitment to public health of the organizations, whose members are actively involved in the delivery of patient care and the development of disease-prevention strategies. The organizations represent hundreds of thousands of medical professionals who have witnessed the lifesaving effect of vaccination and recognize the destructive potential of misinformation.
The crux of the issue inMurthy v. Missouriis whether the governments challenged conduct transformed private social media companies content-moderation decisions into state action and violated respondents First Amendment rights. The governments stance is that its communication with social media companies was non-coercive and intended to address online misinformation hazards by identifying content violating the companies policies.
The amicus brief focuses narrowly on the effect of misinformation on COVID-19 vaccination, emphasizing how false information that encourages vaccine rejection hampers the vaccines ability to control disease spread and save lives. It posits that combatting vaccine misinformation is a legitimate government effort to prevent factually incorrect statements from jeopardizing lives.
The brief cites studies showing the significant effect of COVID-19 vaccinations on preventing deaths and reducing mortality among hospitalized patients an estimated 235,000 COVID-associated deaths in the United States prevented in vaccinated adults just between Dec. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021, and reduced mortality by as much as 40 percent among hospitalized patients.
It also underscores the stress that under-vaccination places on medical resources and the worse health outcomes that result from increased strain on hospitals and health professionals. (And, thereby, vaccines reduce government expenditures on preventable diseases.)
The brief also points out that outcomes are worse when healthcare providers time and resources are diverted from clinical care to combating vaccine misinformation.
It also debunks some of the insupportable claims made by anti-vaxxers, such as that COVID vaccines magnetize individuals, implant them with tracking microchips, or make them infertile. It emphasizes that although such claims lack credible evidence, they and other inaccurate assertions have contributed to declining vaccination rates, leading to the resurgence of infectious diseases that were nearing eradication and increased healthcare expenditures.
Measles is a case in point. The most infectious vaccine-preventablediseasecaused by viruses, it illustrates what can happen when the public becomes blas about vaccination. Before vaccines were available, every year in the United States, there were 3 million to 4 million cases of measles,48,000 hospitalizations, and 400 to 500 deaths. Measles was declaredeliminatedin the United States in 2000 after there were no casesfor more than a year due to an aggressive vaccination campaign.However, the CDCissued an emergency warningon January 25, telling the public to remain vigilant after 23 cases were confirmed in eight states between December 1, 2023, and January 23, 2024.
What explains that? About 92 percent of U.S.children have been vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (by the MMR vaccine) beforeage 2 below the federal target of 95 percent, which would restore herd immunity.
The physicians organizations amicus brief reinforces the safety of FDA-approved vaccines and their lifesaving role. It argues that misinformation about vaccines reduces immunization uptake, hindering their effectiveness as part of a well-functioning public health system.
The legal timeline of the case involves a District Court ruling in July 2023 that limited the administrations communication with social media companies. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals partially upheld this ruling, and in October, the Supreme Court temporarily maintained the modified District Court order until a potential ruling in June.
I join with my physician colleagues in urging the Supreme Court to rule against the spread of toxic misinformation and in favor of promoting public health.
New research suggests COVID-19 vaccines could provide benefits aside from protecting against the coronavirus: they also seem to cut the risk of heart failure and blood clots linked to SARS-CoV-2.
The study, put together by an international team of researchers, involves an analysis of data covering 10.17 million vaccinated people and 10.39 million unvaccinated people in the UK, Spain, and Estonia.
After accounting for factors including age, sex, and pre-existing conditions, those who had been vaccinated were shown to have a significantly reduced risk of cardiac and clot-related complications after having COVID-19, for up to a year.
"Our findings probably reflect the fact that the vaccines are effective in reducing infection, and minimize the risk of severe COVID-19," says data scientist Nria Mercad-Besora from the University of Oxford in the UK.
"These results could encourage COVID-19 vaccination among hesitant people who are worried about the potential risk of vaccine side effects."
Compared with people who hadn't been vaccinated, COVID-19 vaccination was linked to a 78 percent reduced risk of blood clots in the veins, a 47 percent reduced risk of blood clots in the arteries, and a 55 percent reduced risk of heart failure in the first 30 days post-infection.
While those risk reductions dropped as time went on, they were still at 50 percent, 38 percent, and 48 percent respectively at 181-365 days. While previous studies have come up with similar findings, this is one of the most comprehensive investigations to date in terms of the number of people studied and the length of time they were monitored for.
Blood clots, which can cause strokes, and heart failure are known to be far more common in the wake of a COVID-19 infection. While the research doesn't establish a clear cause and effect, it does suggest that being vaccinated against the disease also lessens the risk of further complications.
The team acknowledges it's a complicated picture, though COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be mostly safe and effective and the benefits outweigh potential disadvantages. However, they'd like to see more research done to look at the protective effects of COVID-19 vaccines in more detail.
"The protective effects of vaccination are consistent with known reductions in disease severity, but we need to do more research to understand the effects of a booster vaccination in different populations," says Mercad-Besora.
The research has been published in Heart.
The Boston Public Health Commission is encouraging residents to stay up-to-date on their COVID boosters. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
Hub health officials are again urging residents to get the updated COVID vaccine, as the citys vaccination rates remain low four years after the start of the pandemic.
The Boston Public Health Commission is encouraging residents to stay up-to-date on their COVID boosters, especially those who are 65-plus or immunocompromised.
Respiratory viral illnesses remain a public health threat, but we have tools to protect against severe illness, said Bisola Ojikutu, commissioner of Public Health and executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission.
The most important is vaccination against COVID-19, flu, and RSV which is the best way to prevent hospitalization, protect ourselves and our communities, and to ensure that our health care resources wont become overwhelmed as they have in the past, Ojikutu added.
BPHC reported that 20% of people in Boston have received an updated COVID vaccine since last July. Also, about 40% of city residents have received a flu vaccine.
It is particularly important for people aged 65 and older or immunocompromised to receive updated vaccine doses this spring, BPHC said in a statement. They should get vaccinated if its been more than four months since their last vaccination or three months after having COVID-19.
This renewed vaccination push comes in the wake of the CDC releasing updated recommendations on how people can protect themselves and their communities from respiratory viruses including COVID, the flu and RSV.
The updated recommendations are to stay home until your symptoms improve and it has been 24 hours since you had a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medication. Once returning to normal activities, people should continue to take additional precautions for the next five days, including wearing a well-fitted mask.
These updates come following a decrease in rates of hospitalization and death associated with respiratory illness, and more specifically COVID.
It is important to keep in mind that people can still spread viruses even when feeling better, BPHC said. Taking enhanced precautions, including wearing a mask in public when sick, are especially important for protecting those who are most at risk, including adults aged 60 and older, children younger than 5 years old, pregnant people, and people with chronic medical conditions.
Early May will mark the first anniversary of the officially declared end of the COVID-19 public health emergency by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nevertheless, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues urging Americans to keep up with updated vaccinations.
The agency is especially concerned about demographic groups at elevated risk for serious symptoms if infected. At the top of the list are adults 65 and older.
At the nonprofit, independent news site The Conversation, an academic geriatrician is helping spread the word.
Laurie Archbald-Pannone, MD, of UVA Health in Virginia urges seniors to consider three reasons for getting a jab this spring. Heres a summary.
Compared with other age groups, older adults have the worst outcomes with a COVID-19 infection, Archbald-Pannone points out. Increased age is, simply put, a major risk factor, she adds. More:
Even now, four years after the start of the pandemic, people 65 years old and up are about twice as likely to die from COVID-19 than the rest of the population. People 75 years old and up are 10 times more likely to die from COVID-19.
Being appropriately vaccinated is as critical in 2024 as it was in 2021 to help prevent infection, hospitalization and death from COVID-19, Archbald-Pannone writes. More:
The updated COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to be safe and effective, with the benefits of vaccination continuing to outweigh the potential risks of infection.
Keeping up to date with COVID-19 immunization has a fourfold decrease in risk of developing long COVID symptoms if you do get infected, Archbald-Pannone notes. Known as immunosenescence, this puts people at higher risk of infection, including severe infection, and decreased ability to maintain immune response to vaccination as they get older. More:
The older one getsover 75, or over 65 with other medical conditionsthe more immunosenescence takes effect.
All this is why, if youre in this age group, even if you received your last COVID-19 vaccine in fall 2023, the spring 2024 shot is still essential to boost your immune system so it can act quickly if you are exposed to the virus, Archbald-Pannone concludes. The bottom line: If youre 65 or older, its time for another COVID-19 shot.
Hungarian-American biochemist and researcher Katalin Karik has been selected by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego as the recipient of the 2023 Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest. Karik also recently received last years Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicinefor her groundbreaking work on COVID-19 vaccines, alongside co-collaborator Drew Weissman, a renowned physician and researcher at Penn Medicine.
She is best known for her research on messenger RNA the genetic material that tells our bodies how to make proteins and the development of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. Karik and Weissman MD, PhD invented the modified mRNA technology used in Pfizer-BioNTech and Modernas vaccines to prevent COVID-19 infection.
The public is invited to attend the award ceremony and a presentation from Karik in a free event on March 25 at 6 p.m. at the Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society and the Environment on the Scripps Oceanography campus.
Her presentation, Developing mRNA for therapy, will look at the progress and development of mRNA over the past six decades. Karik will discuss the journey from the discovery of mRNA in 1961 to its groundbreaking milestone as the first FDA-approved mRNA product in the form of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in 2021.
The Nierenberg Prize was created through a generous gift from the Nierenberg family to honor William A. Nierenberg (1919-2000), a renowned national science leader who served Scripps Oceanography as director from 1965 to 1986. He was a leading expert in several fields of underwater research and warfare and was known for his work in low-energy nuclear physics. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1971 and was the recipient of numerous awards and honors for professional research and public service.
The Nierenberg Prize, which includes a bronze medal and $25,000, is awarded for outstanding contributions to science in the public interest. Previous awardees include biochemist Jennifer Doudna and renowned geneticist Svante Pbo, both also recipients of the Nobel Prize; former NASA astronaut and administrator Charles Bolden; filmmaker Sir David Attenborough; and primatologist Dame Jane Goodall, among other luminaries.
I feel deeply honored to receive the Nierenberg Prize, Karik said. I did not have the fortune to know William Nierenberg, but we have a lot in common. My life, similarly to his, had a very humbled beginning. And just like his parents, I also immigrated to the United States from Eastern Europe.
Karik received her bachelors degree in biology and her PhD in biochemistry from University of Szeged in Hungary. After receiving her degrees, she worked with a research team at the Biological Research Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
In 1985, she immigrated to the United States and began collaborating with Weissman. A few years later, Karik joined the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where she now serves as an adjunct professor of neurosurgery. From 2013 to 2022, she held the role of senior vice president at BioNTech, located in Mainz, Germany.
For four decades, Karik has researched messenger RNA technology, focusing on RNA-mediated mechanisms with the ultimate goal of developing in vitro-transcribed (IVT) mRNA for protein therapy. During IVT, genetic information is transcribed from DNA to RNA, and the generated mRNA transcript is used to produce proteins in cells.
After investigating RNA-mediated immune activation through several experiments, Karik and Weissman discovered a way to modify mRNA. In this modified version, they encapsulate the mRNA in a certain lipid that prevents inflammation and allows mRNA to work without any interference. This groundbreaking discovery was instrumental in ensuring the safety and efficacy of FDA-approved COVID-19 mRNA vaccines developed by BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna, playing a vital role in fighting the pandemic. Karik is co-inventor on a total of 14 patents granted by the United States.
The Nierenberg family is thrilled with the selection of Dr. Katalin Karik as the 2023 winner of the Nierenberg Prize for Science in the Public Interest. Her thirty year quest against all odds to develop the practical use of messenger RNA literally changed the world with the introduction of vaccines for COVID-19, said Nicolas Nierenberg, the son of the late William A. Nierenberg for whom the prize is named. Dr. Karik is an inspiration to all of us and we are looking forward to hearing her story.
Karik and Weissman also worked together to found RNARx in 2006, a company dedicated to developing mRNA therapeutics for a wide range of diseases.
Along with Karikos pioneering research of COVID-19 vaccines, she and colleagues at BioNTech demonstrated functional use of nucleoside-modified mRNA, encoding antibodies targeting cancer and infectious diseases. Further research on this novel mRNA technology has also shown promise for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Karik initiated a clinical study in which tumors of patients were injected with modified mRNAs encoding cytokines, which promoted potent antitumor immunity and tumor eradication at local and remote sites.
In the last two years, Karik has received many prestigious awards celebrating her mRNA work, including the Japan Prize, the Horwitz Prize, the Paul Ehrlich Prize, the Benjamin Franklin Medal, the Canada Gairdner International Award, the Kovalenko Medal, the Tang Prize, the Warren Alpert Prize, the Princess Asturias Award, the BBVA Frontiers Award, the Breakthrough Prize and the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award.
Seating is limited and registration is required for this event. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP in advance.
To the editor: Childhood vaccine delay and refusal is a critical threat to the health of our communities. As a pediatrician and vaccine delivery researcher, I have similar experiences with vaccine-hesitant parents to those presented in the article. (More parents are delaying their kids vaccines, and its alarming pediatricians, March 11)
However, before losing hope, it is essential to remember that most parents in the U.S. continue to recognize the value of vaccines and vaccinate their children.
In a recent New England Journal of Medicine piece, I argue along with my co-authors that incorrectly assuming parental vaccine hesitancy is the norm can be harmful. This false narrative can negatively influence vaccine policy, degrade healthcare providers confidence in their ability to influence vaccination behavior, and contribute to parental self-doubt about the value of vaccines.
Efforts to improve parental vaccine confidence should emphasize the overwhelming majority of parents who choose to vaccinate their children according to schedules recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
David Higgins, M.D., Centennial, Colo.
..
To the editor: I was born in 1946, before most of the vaccines we have today were invented. My sister and I had mumps and measles. She also had polio.
We were very sick with high fevers. Besides my sister, two neighbor kids had polio. I remember my sister screaming from the hot baths every day and my mother taking her to physical therapy. Cab drivers volunteered to take these sick children to their treatment. Ive seen kids crippled by polio.
There was no question when the Salk vaccine came out: My mother got it for us. My four girls and their children all got their shots as soon as possible.
If you do not vaccinate your children, there is an increased likelihood they will become very sick or even die. Your child could also infect others or cause the death of other kids with compromised immunity. Do you really want to be the one who kills these children?
Cheryl Younger, Los Angeles
..
To the editor: It is not complicated. Whenever a parent places a child in preschool, daycare or any environment requiring that child to interact with others, that parent must present a certificate of vaccination.
Parents these days need to work. Children these days need to be vaccinated. Full stop.
Joan Walston, Santa Monica
(Precision Vaccinations News)
Following detecting a new emergence of variant poliovirus type 2in six wastewater samplesin the Port Sudan locality, Red Sea State, the Republic of Sudan recently announced polio vaccinations will beginin April 2024.
Sudan's Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) announced on March 11, 2024, that this new detection comes 14 months after Sudan declared an outbreak of variant poliovirus type 2 from an emergence of the virus.
While no vaccination campaign has occurred since April 2023, surveillance for poliovirus in children focused on the most common indicator of a polio infection,acute flaccid paralysis.
While no child has been paralyzed due to the new emergence, detecting poliovirus in wastewater samples puts children across the country at high risk.
"The new detection has only redoubled our commitment to safeguarding our children's future. In collaboration with partners, we are mobilizing an outbreak response campaign to ensure that every child under five years in inaccessible areas receives the polio vaccine, and special plans will follow for hard-to-reach areas," said Dr. Dalya Eltayeb, Director-General of Primary Health Care in Sudan's FMOH, in a media statement.
In October 2022, the FMOH distributed 10.3million doses of oral polio vaccine(OPV) in Sudan.
This year, Sudan is deploying the WHO-authorized type 2 novel oral polio (nOPV2) vaccine, which has been used 1 billion times by over 30 countries.
nOPV2 is reported to be more genetically stable than OPVs, with a lower risk of reversion to neurovirulence and less likely to mutate and cause paralysis.
While the nOPV2 vaccine is not approved in the United States, the government's vaccine committee considered its use under specific conditions during its February 28, 2024 meeting.
