TheVoiceOfJoyce The KFF Morning Edition 5/6 The government doesn’t want too many babies and single mothers and prevents them from seeking safe medical treatment. Women need access to the day after pill. This government not only wants to restrict women’s health, they’re keeping positive tests on vaccine efficacy hidden from the Public. Trump’s government preferred 1.5 million deaths from COVID, divisiveness among our population, rather than release the COVID Vaccine data showing its effectiveness?

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Morning Briefing 

In This Edition:

From KFF Health News:

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES1. Trump’s Drug Strategy Aims To Bolster Addiction Services — Despite Gutting of Government Support The White House’s strategy for tackling the drug and addiction crisis, released this week, sets lofty public health goals but highlights deep inconsistencies with the administration’s own funding cuts and other policies. (Aneri Pattani, 5/6)

2. A New Medicare Option for Weight Loss Drugs: What Older Americans Should Know It may soon get easier for millions of people with Medicare to get discounted GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. (Jackie Fortiér, 5/6)

3. Listen to the Latest ‘KFFHealth News Minute’ The “KFF Health News Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from our newsroom to the airwaves each week. (5/5)

Here’s today’s health policy haiku:

ACA UNDER SIEGE

Ugly bill healthcare:
Insurance unimportant?
Why not give up yours!

– Paul Hughes-Cromwick

If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Usand let us know if we can include your name. Haikus follow the format of 5-7-5 syllables. We give extra brownie points if you link back to an original story.

Opinions expressed in haikus and cartoons are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions of KFF Health News or KFF.

Summaries Of The News:

VACCINES4. Feds Kept Favorable Studies On Covid, Shingles Vaccines Under Wraps, HHS Confirms 

Scientists combed millions of patient records and determined that serious side effects from the covid and shingles shots are rare. The Trump administration withdrew the publication of those studies. Although HHS said “the authors drew broad conclusions that were not supported by the underlying data,” career scientists who reviewed the drafts say the studies were well done.

The New York Times: F.D.A. Blocked Publication Of Research Finding Covid And Shingles Vaccines Were Safe Officials at the Food and Drug Administration have blocked publication of several studies supporting the safety of widely used vaccines against Covid-19 and shingles in recent months, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed. The studies, which cost millions of dollars in public funds, were conducted by scientists at the agency, who worked with data firms to analyze millions of patient records. They found serious side effects to be very rare. (Jewett, 5/5)

In related news about covid —

The Hill: Rand Paul Pushes For Anthony Fauci Indictment Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday called for Anthony Fauci, former longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), to be indicted for what the senator claimed was his lying under oath about gain-of-function research. “6 days from now, on May 11th, the statute of limitations expires on the possibility of indicting Anthony Fauci for denying under oath that he funded gain-of-function research involving bat coronaviruses in Wuhan, the origin city of the pandemic,” Paul wrote on social media. (Choi, 5/5)

In other vaccine news about shingles, flu, and HPV —

MedPage Today: What A U.S. Study Found About The Shingles Vaccine And Dementia Older adults in the U.S. were less likely to develop dementia if they received the recombinant subunit zoster (shingles) vaccine (Shingrix), an analysis of 1.5 million Medicare beneficiaries showed. (George, 5/5)

CIDRAP: Giving RSV, Shingles Vaccines Together Appears Safe In Older Adults, With Good Immune Response Giving a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine at the same time as a shingles vaccine produces a similar immune response as spacing the shots a month apart, according to a phase 3 clinical trial published this week in Clinical Infectious Diseases. No safety concerns were identified with the co-administered vaccines. (Bergeson, 5/1)

CIDRAP: Adjuvanted And High-Dose Flu Vaccines Show Similar Protection In Older Adults A large, randomized study found no meaningful difference in protection between adjuvanted and high-dose flu vaccines for older adults during the 2023–24 flu season. The findings support the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation that either formulation can be used for adults 65 years and older. (Bergeson, 5/5)

CIDRAP: Evidence Review Finds HPV Vaccines To Be Safe, Extremely Effective Twenty years after the approval of vaccines that prevent infection with the cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV), data continue to find that the shots are safe and extremely effective. HPV vaccines reduce the risk of cervical cancer by 80% in women vaccinated by age 16 years and 66% in those vaccinated after 16, and aren’t associated with serious side effects, according to an evidence review published today by the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP), an initiative of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), which publishes CIDRAP News. (Szabo, 5/5)

CIDRAP: ‘The Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Gone Through’: Cervical Cancer Survivors Speak Out About Importance Of HPV Vaccine Tamika Felder always wanted a family. But her hopes for a future pregnancy were crushed when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer at age 25. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through,” said Felder, now 50, whose treatment included radiation, chemotherapy, and a hysterectomy, in which the uterus is removed. “I was glad I didn’t die, but losing my fertility honestly felt like death.” Vaccines that prevent infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes 90% of cervical cancers, weren’t available when Felder was a child. (Szabo, 5/5)

Also —

ProPublica: Parents Increasingly Reject Vitamin K Shots For Newborns, Hospitals Report  They entered the world the way babies should, with piercing cries announcing their arrival. They passed their newborn screening tests. Some made it to their 2-week wellness visits without concern. Then, without warning, their systems began to shut down. A 7-week-old boy in Maryland developed sudden seizures. An 11-pound girl in Alabama stopped breathing for 20 seconds at a time. A baby boy in Kentucky vomited before becoming lethargic. A brown-haired girl in Texas, not yet 2 weeks old, bled around her belly button. (Eldeib, 5/6)

ADMINISTRATION NEWS5. FDA OKs First Fruit-Flavored Vapes For Adults 21 And Older 

The move marks a shift after years of efforts by the FDA to regulate flavored vapes and just after The Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump pushed for the approval, The Washington Post reports.

The Washington Post: In A First, FDA Authorizes Fruit-Flavored Vapes For Adults The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday authorized the first fruit-flavored vapes for adults 21 and over amid President Donald Trump’s previous vows to “save” vaping. The agency green-lit electronic cigarettes from Los Angeles-based Glas in mango, blueberry and two varieties of menthol. The news came hours after the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump pressed FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to approve flavored vapes. (Roubein, 5/5)

Stat: FDA Turmoil Casts Shadow Over Gene Therapy Conference In Europe  When Tim Hunt, who leads an organization for cell and gene therapy makers, reached for some reasons for optimism for the jittery field at a conference here last week, he highlighted the recent approvals of rare disease treatments from the likes of Rocket Pharmaceuticals and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. (Joseph, 5/6)

On the surgeon general and CDC director —

CNN: Exclusive: Deleted Tweets Reveal New Surgeon General Pick Criticized Trump And RFK Jr. Health Policies  Just two months before she was selected as President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Dr. Nicole Saphier suggested the administration was hiding that measles was spreading widely enough in the United States for the country to lose its “elimination” status until after the midterm elections. (Kaczynski and Tirrell, 5/6)

Healthcare Brew: With A New CDC Director Potentially Chosen, How Can The Role Influence Healthcare? After a long hunt for the next CDC director, former Deputy Surgeon General Erica Schwartz officially got the nomination on April 16. But in the $5.3 trillion healthcare industry that makes up 18% of the country’s GDP, what sort of impact can just one job really have? Especially considering how the Trump administration has made major shifts that have impacted how federal agencies are used and viewed over the last year and a half. (McGrath, 5/5)

More news about the Trump administration —

AP: Trump Revives The Presidential Physical Fitness Award In US Schools President Donald Trump on Tuesday revived the Presidential Physical Fitness Award as part of his push to return an annual physical fitness test to America’s schools. The award is tied to the Presidential Fitness Test, which was a public-school fixture for decades but was phased out under President Barack Obama in favor of a program that minimized competition and focused on long-term health. Trump signed an order last summer to reestablish the fitness test, which was created in the 1950s. (Binkley and Superville, 5/5)

AP: Trump Administration Sues Denver Over Assault Weapons Ban The Trump administration sued Denver and its police department on Tuesday seeking to strike down an assault weapons ban that’s been in place for Colorado’s largest city since 1989. The lawsuit came a day after city officials publicly rejected calls by the Department of Justice to repeal the longstanding local ordinance that makes it a crime to possess assault weapons. (Brown, 5/5)

KFF Health News: Trump’s Drug Strategy Aims To Bolster Addiction Services — Despite Gutting Of Government Support  The White House’s newly released strategy for tackling the nation’s drug and addiction crisis calls for a number of ambitious public health approaches that some experts say are laudable but will be hampered by the administration’s own actions. The sweeping 195-page National Drug Control Strategy, published May 4, advocates for making access to treatment easier than getting drugs, preventing young people from developing addictions in the first place, increasing support for people in recovery, and reducing overdose deaths. (Pattani, 5/6)

The Washington Post: Health Care Costs Outrank Food, Vaccine Concerns For MAHA Voters, Poll Shows  While the Make America Healthy Again movement has largely forged its identity around food, vaccines and pesticides, it turns out that the cost of health care is by far the top issue for voters who say they support the movement. The poll findings released Wednesday by health policy research and news organization KFF highlight how affordability is a chief concern this year for Americans across the political spectrum. (Roubein and Clement, 5/6)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’ This week, Jackie Fortiér shares tips to make the most out of a high-deductible health plan. Plus, some Make America Healthy Again supporters feel betrayed after the Trump administration gave several large companies an exemption from clean air rules. (5/5)

OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS6. 2 Cruise Ship Hantavirus Victims Had ‘Andes’ Strain That Spreads From Person To Person 

Health officials in South Africa confirmed the findings. Meanwhile, a battle over where to dock the MV Hondius continued Wednesday morning.

WION: Human-To-Human Transmissible Hantavirus Strain ‘Andes’ Confirmed In Two Cruise Ship Passengers Two people died aboard the ‘MV Hondius’ cruise after infection with the Andes strain of Hantavirus infection, South Africa confirmed. Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said it is the only strain known for human-to-human spread, raising concern. (Nandini, 5/6)

BBC News: Hantavirus Latest: Canaries’ Leader Opposes Plan To Let Ship Dock; Three Patients Evacuated  The ship is currently in Cape Verde – three patients, including a 56-year-old from Britain, were evacuated to the Netherlands on Wednesday morning. (5/6)

Also —

The Boston Globe: Boston Passenger On Cruise Ship Amid Outbreak Jake Rosmarin, who posts videos of his travels to tens of thousands of followers on social media, said in an emotional video posted Monday that he was aboard the MV Hondius, where nearly 150 passengers and crew are isolated due to the outbreak of hantavirus. “I normally wouldn’t make a video like this, but I feel like I need to say something,” he said, adding that “what’s happening right now is very real for all of us here.” (Fonseca, 5/5)

CNN: Masks, Movies And Solo Deck Walks: Life Aboard A Hantavirus-Hit Cruise Ship  Barely a month ago, they were embarking on a voyage of adventure to some of the world’s most remote islands. Encounters with whales, dolphins and penguins awaited; landscapes of icy expanses, towering cliffs and rolling green hills beckoned. Now they are isolating in their cabins, trapped aboard a ship anchored in the Atlantic, taking what measures they can to shield themselves from an outbreak of a deadly virus. (Humayun, 5/6)

The New York Times: Hantavirus Outbreaks Are Rare, But They Aren’t Going Away And There’s No Cure Hantaviruses have most likely been around as long as rodents, but little was known about these pathogens before the 20th century. This rare family of viruses that rodents carry has been cited as the source of a deadly outbreak aboard a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The virus is zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted to humans from animals. And while outbreaks have been rare, it is one of the most widely distributed zoonotic viruses on Earth. (Hassan, 5/5)

AP: Antarctica Tourism Surge Raises Biosecurity Concerns Driven in part by fears that the frozen landscapes of Antarctica may be irreversibly melting away because of climate change, tourism to the bottom of the world is soaring. And experts warn that with more visitors comes an increased risk of contamination, illness and other damage to the continent. While visitor numbers are still small — in part due to the high costs and time it can take — they are growing so fast that scientists and environmentalists are sounding alarms. (McNeil, 5/6)

On measles, EEE, bird flu, and TB —

CBS News: Confirmed Case Of Measles In Manhattan, NYC DOH Says There’s been a confirmed measles case in Manhattan, health officials said Tuesday. “The NYC Health Department is responding to a measles case in Manhattan through its robust disease surveillance and reporting system, working to identify and notify people who may have been exposed,” a New York City Department of Health spokesperson said. “The risk to the general public is low due to high vaccination coverage among New Yorkers and there have been no reports of secondary cases. This is a reminder of the importance of vaccination, which is the best protection against measles.” (Zanger and Rozner, 5/5)

CIDRAP: Vermont Documents Rise In Eastern Equine Encephalitis Cases In People, Horses In 2023-24 In 2023 and 2024, Vermont reported an increase in humans, horses, and mosquito pools that were positive for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), a mosquito-borne disease with a 33% case-fatality rate, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Vermont health departments report. For the study, published last week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, CDC researchers reviewed an investigation conducted by the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (VAAFM). (Van Beusekom, 5/5)

CIDRAP: Sampling Reveals Possible Novel Sources Of H5N1 Avian Flu Transmission On Dairy Farms Sampling on 14 California dairy farms positive for H5N1 avian influenza uncovers infectious virus in the air of milking parlors and wastewater, viral RNA in cows’ exhaled breath and milk, and antibodies in the milk of seemingly healthy cows, per a study published today in PLOS Biology. A team led by Emory University researchers performed air, wastewater, and milk sampling on H5N1-positive dairy farms in two regions of California in 2024 and 2025. The findings, they said, highlight potential alternative sources and viral transmission modes on farms, as well as the presence of viral strains in air and wastewater that may be able to infect people. (Van Beusekom, 5/5)

CIDRAP: Large Tuberculosis Outbreaks In US Doubled From 2017 To 2023, CDC Reports Large tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks in the United States more than doubled in recent years and disproportionately affected socially and economically vulnerable populations, according to a report yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. (Bergeson, 5/1)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH7. While Courts Hash Out Mifepristone Case, Providers Eye Misoprostol For Abortion Care 

If the Supreme Court rules that mifepristone can’t be prescribed via telehealth or dispensed by mail, providers say, misoprostol alone has been found to be a safe and effective method for ending pregnancies. Some countries already rely on misoprostol for abortion care.

NBC News: If The Abortion Pill Mifepristone Can’t Be Mailed, Providers Have A Plan If people can’t get mifepristone by mail, what are their options? Some abortion providers say they would send misoprostol, the other medication in the two-pill regimen, on its own. (Bendix, 5/5)

NPR: Medication Abortion Works With Misoprostol Only. Here’s How  Misoprostol alone can be used effectively for abortions — and is commonly prescribed in some countries. A grassroots effort among women in Brazil, Argentina and other South American countries in the late 1980s and early 1990s spread word that the medicine originally on the market as an ulcer treatment could be used to end unwanted pregnancies. “This regimen is still incredibly safe and effective,” says Dr. Kristyn Brandi, a New Jersey family planning specialist and spokesperson for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (Gordon, Simmons-Duffin and Webber, 5/4)

More abortion developments —

The Washington Post: Mifepristone Legal Battle Returns Abortion To Political Spotlight  Democrats with presidential aspirations are raising alarms while congressional candidates in competitive districts have stayed relatively quiet, a sign that the party is still figuring out how to react. Advocates view the legal scuffle over the pill as a fresh opening for Democrats to take abortion off the back burner and capitalize on the issue as they look to win back majorities in Congress. “Reproductive freedom is not safe,” said Mini Timmaraju, president of the national abortion rights group Reproductive Freedom for All. “And moments like this are opportunities to continue to drill that down.” (Somasundaram and Roubein, 5/5)

Roll Call: Cassidy Calls For Expedited Abortion Pill Review As Primary Nears  Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, at risk of further distancing himself from President Donald Trump as his primary election draws closer, says the administration isn’t doing enough to restrict access to abortion pills. Cassidy, one of the few remaining Republicans in Congress who voted to convict Trump at his impeachment trial after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, on Tuesday accused the administration of moving too slowly in reviewing the safety of the abortion medication mifepristone. (Cohen, 5/5)

The CT Mirror: CT Looks To ‘Shield’ Reproductive Care Amid Mifepristone Uncertainty A legal battle over medication abortion cast uncertainty in recent days over patients’ ability to access it. Connecticut elected officials and advocates gathered Tuesday morning to decry the “chaos” and encourage — with less than 48 hours to go in the legislative session — the strengthening of state laws that protect reproductive care providers. (Golvala, 5/5)

Missouri Independent: Missouri Senate Republicans Drop Lawsuits Over Medication Abortions From ‘Born-Alive’ Bill  Missouri Senate Democrats secured a victory Tuesday evening in a deal with Republicans to ax provisions in an anti-abortion a bill that sought to open the door for lawsuits against anyone involved in an illeg

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