Featured: New KFF-Washington Put up Survey Finds Many Mother and father Categorical Doubt and Confusion Over Childhood Vaccine Suggestions
The brand new KFF-Washington Post Survey of Parents takes a deep dive into dad and mom’ views and choices associated to childhood vaccines. The survey finds that whereas a big majority of fogeys report following present vaccine steering and are assured within the security of MMR and polio vaccines, some, together with bigger shares of Republican dad and mom and youthful dad and mom, categorical doubts in regards to the present childhood vaccine schedule. One-third (35%) of fogeys say that vaccines don’t undergo sufficient security testing earlier than being advisable for kids, and one in 4 (26%) say the CDC recommends too many childhood vaccines. Republican and unbiased dad and mom usually tend to categorical these views in comparison with Democratic dad and mom. There are additional divisions amongst Republican dad and mom, with those that help the Make America Nice Once more (MAGA) motion extra seemingly than non-MAGA Republican dad and mom to say that childhood vaccines don’t undergo sufficient security testing (57% v. 32%) and that the CDC recommends too many childhood vaccines (49% v. 28%). Mother and father beneath age 35 are additionally extra seemingly than dad and mom ages 50 and over to say vaccines don’t get sufficient security testing (39% vs. 26%) and that the CDC recommends too many vaccines (29% vs. 23%).
In relation to confidence within the security of particular vaccines, majorities of fogeys throughout partisanship categorical confidence within the security of polio (85%) and MMR (84%) vaccines for kids, whereas the flu and COVID-19 vaccines are way more divisive. Two-thirds (65%) of fogeys say they’re assured that flu vaccines are protected for kids, whereas fewer than half (43%) categorical confidence within the security of the COVID-19 vaccine for kids. Partisans are sharply divided on the COVID-19 vaccine’s security, with Democratic dad and mom greater than thrice as seemingly as Republican dad and mom to say they’re assured COVID-19 vaccines are protected for kids (70% v. 22%).
The KFF-Put up survey finds that giant shares of fogeys categorical uncertainty about false or deceptive claims about vaccines and measles – a lot of which have been amplified by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Total, few dad and mom say they assume it’s true that power illnesses are rising due to a rise within the variety of vaccines youngsters get (13%), that MMR vaccines may cause autism in youngsters (9%), that the measles vaccine causes the identical sickness it’s supposed to forestall (8%), or that vitamin A is an efficient therapy for measles (6%). For every of those false or deceptive claims, nevertheless, not less than 4 in ten dad and mom say they don’t know sufficient to say whether or not they’re true or false, suggesting many dad and mom could also be confused about a few of the science behind childhood vaccines.
In relation to dad and mom’ option to vaccinate their youngsters, a big majority (83%) report conserving their youngsters updated on childhood vaccines, nevertheless, about one in six (16%) say they’ve skipped or delayed not less than one vaccine for any of their youngsters (excluding vaccines for the flu or COVID-19). Mother and father’ causes for skipping or delaying vaccines for their very own youngsters mirror most of the common issues and uncertainty expressed by dad and mom general. About two-thirds (67%) of fogeys who skipped or delayed vaccines for his or her little one say issues about uncomfortable side effects had been a “main cause” for his or her choice, whereas half cited not pondering vaccines are protected (53%) or essential (51%) as main causes they skipped or delayed their little one’s vaccines.
Latest Developments
Well being Committee Delays Vote on Altering Hepatitis B Vaccine Advice
Final week, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) considered altering its advice that each one newborns obtain a hepatitis B vaccine at start to ready till newborns are not less than one month previous, however postponed the vote to permit extra time to debate security and timing. The dialogue and delayed vote got here after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and members of the ACIP questioned the company’s advice that each one newborns be vaccinated towards hepatitis B, saying that the virus is primarily unfold by way of sexual exercise and drug use in adults. Nonetheless, hepatitis B can be transmitted from mother to child during birth and probably trigger power an infection and loss of life. Whereas most adults recover completely from hepatitis B an infection, newborns contaminated at start have a 90% chance of growing a power type of the illness, and 15-25% of people with chronic infection die from cirrhosis or liver most cancers.
Though ACIP finally postponed the vote, the debates about timing and necessity that led as much as final week’s assembly might contribute to public confusion. Administering the vaccine and immune globulin to newborns is 94% effective at preventing transmission of the illness, however the narrative that hepatitis B vaccines are pointless for infants unfold on social media all through September. Senator Rand Paul, who has greater than 6 million followers on X, posted that common new child vaccination is pointless as a result of moms are routinely examined for hepatitis B an infection and that the advice represented pharmaceutical business affect. Senator Invoice Cassidy, a doctor who chairs the Senate’s well being committee, shared one in every of Paul’s posts on X and disputed its claims, appropriately saying that not all mothers receive prenatal care or testing. Paul’s posts had been among the many most-engaged-with posts about hepatitis B vaccines recognized in KFF’s monitoring of social media in September so far, and had been reposted by influential accounts with giant followings that repeatedly put up about well being, together with one with almost two million followers. Reactions to the posts mirrored confusion about why the hepatitis B vaccine is given throughout the first hours of life, whereas most different vaccines are scheduled for later months. Kennedy has additionally alleged that the CDC hid findings from a research that he claimed confirmed the hepatitis B vaccine elevated the chance of autism, however he didn’t present proof to help these claims and research has shown there is no such thing as a such affiliation.
The timing of the hepatitis B vaccine has turn out to be a focus for public debate, and these discussions could affect belief in well being officers. Some dad and mom who would in any other case vaccinate their youngsters could really feel uneasy about giving the vaccine within the first hours of life, notably if the mom assessments damaging and there seem like few fast danger components. Framing the choice as a private selection somewhat than a scientific advice can create alternatives for confusion and vaccine hesitancy. On the identical time, the vaccine’s historical past underscores the rationale for early administration, with common new child vaccination helping to reduce cases of perinatal transmission from thousands to solely seven in 2023.
The KFF/Washington Post Survey of Parents discovered that about one in ten (9%) dad and mom report skipping or delaying the hepatitis B vaccine for not less than one in every of their youngsters, together with 5% who report skipping the vaccine and 4% who report delaying it. These are just like the shares that report skipping or delaying different advisable childhood vaccines like MMR or chickenpox.
ACIP Modifications COVID-19 Vaccine Steering After Security Debate
Federal well being authorities introduced deceptive knowledge in regards to the security of COVID-19 vaccines throughout final week’s assembly of ACIP, probably undermining public confidence in vaccine steering. The committee voted to eradicate common COVID-19 suggestions, as an alternative recommending that folks seek the advice of healthcare suppliers earlier than getting vaccinated. It additionally requested that the CDC take into account including language about what it stated had been dangers or uncertainties associated to COVID-19 vaccines to the Vaccine Information Sheet, a doc that explains vaccine dangers and advantages to recipients.
The votes got here after displays to the committee that included a lot of false or deceptive claims about COVID-19 vaccines. One presentation included a reference to a current research that purported to indicate the vaccines had been “contaminated” with DNA at charges past what’s allowed by federal regulators, however that research is now beneath investigation by the writer. One other research referenced on the assembly, which claimed that COVID-19 vaccines precipitated autism-like behaviors in rats, was retracted after it was discovered to comprise inconsistencies in strategies and knowledge.
Using unsubstantiated claims in a high-profile ACIP assembly to query vaccine security has the potential to undermine public trust in COVID-19 vaccines. Regardless of the hyperlinks made on the ACIP assembly, COVID-19 vaccines have been extensively studied and the risks of COVID-19 itself outweigh the dangers of the vaccine for many. False claims in regards to the vaccines’ security unfold on social media following the committee assembly, with one account with greater than 100,000 followers sharing information in regards to the new steering and claiming that COVID-19 vaccines had been harmful. The claims replicate broader issues about COVID-19 vaccine security. The KFF-Washington Post Survey of Parents discovered that about 4 in ten (43%) dad and mom are confident in the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for children, together with one in 5 who’re “very assured.”
The debates inside ACIP replicate a bigger battle over who’s seen as credible in setting vaccine coverage. Monitoring these reactions is a part of understanding how public belief within the CDC and federal well being officers shifts as disputes over childhood vaccines turn out to be extra seen. The day earlier than ACIP’s assembly, former CDC director Susan Monarez testified earlier than the Senate on September 17 that she was dismissed for refusing Kennedy’s request to pre-approve vaccine suggestions by ACIP and to take away profession scientists from their positions. Kennedy beforehand disputed Monarez’s accounts of their conversations, testifying earlier than an earlier Senate committee that she was fired after telling him she was not reliable, although Monarez refuted this declare. KFF will proceed to trace reactions to those developments to offer perception into how public notion of vaccine security and federal steering evolves over time.
HHS Hyperlinks Autism to Tylenol Use Throughout Being pregnant With out Conclusive Proof
On September 22, the Trump administration announced that FDA will now start warning towards Tylenol (acetaminophen) use throughout being pregnant, besides in instances of excessive fever, citing a doable hyperlink to autism regardless of inconclusive proof and opposition from main medical teams. The press launch acknowledged the shortage of established causation linking acetaminophen to neurodevelopmental problems, but it surely advises suppliers to make use of their greatest judgment when prescribing acetaminophen throughout being pregnant.
Large, well-designed studies have discovered no elevated danger and scientific consensus pointing to a robust genetic basis for autism. Though some smaller observational research reported associations, they could have relied on self-reporting of acetaminophen use and failed to adequately control for different danger components. For instance, one recent review of 46 research was shared by information retailers to warn of a hyperlink between maternal acetaminophen use and neurodevelopmental problems. Nonetheless, the conclusion from the evaluation authors was consistent with the present standard of care and the authors cautioned that their findings didn’t show a causal hyperlink and referred to as for additional analysis. Of the 46 research, solely eight investigated autism, and most both relied on self-reported acetaminophen use or didn’t adequately management for genetic components, household historical past, or different confounders.
The anticipation of HHS’s announcement contributed to a big enhance in individuals discussing the alleged hyperlink between acetaminophen and autism on X. In August, earlier than information of the anticipated HHS report was shared, KFF’s monitoring of social media discovered slightly below 4,000 posts, reposts, or feedback mentioning phrases associated to each autism and acetaminophen previous to reporting in regards to the upcoming HHS announcement. The narrative acquired a small bump within the variety of posts about it on August 19, when Kennedy’s former group posted in regards to the connection on X. Over the following few days, a number of information stations ran segments claiming that taking acetaminophen whereas pregnant might enhance a toddler’s danger of growing autism. In September, after reports indicated the HHS steering was forthcoming, the variety of posts, reposts, and feedback mentioning these phrases on X elevated to nearly 150,000, as of the morning of September 22. Actually, greater than 90% of such posts in 2025 so far occurred within the month of September. Most of the most-engaged-with posts challenged the supposed hyperlink, with some sharing private anecdotes about their experiences elevating youngsters with autism.
Acetaminophen is among the few advisable remedies for ache and fever throughout being pregnant, as ibuprofen and different nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDs) are known to increase risk of miscarriage and start defects. Main medical organizations, together with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), proceed to state acetaminophen is protected in being pregnant however advise session with a physician. Unsupported claims about its security might discourage pregnant individuals from treating fevers and ache when medically essential, placing them at increased risk of extreme adversarial outcomes. Deceptive narratives linking widespread medicines to autism may additionally contribute to stigma against people with autism and their families by reinforcing the concept autism is a situation that would have been prevented, echoing historic patterns which have often sought to assign blame to mothers of youngsters with autism.
AI & Rising Know-how
Deepfakes of Medical doctors Used to Promote Unproven Well being Merchandise
Synthetic intelligence (AI) instruments are getting used to create convincing faux movies impersonating docs to promote unproven well being merchandise, with know-how now refined sufficient to generate practical impersonators from only some photographs or movies. Reporting from The New York Times and CBS News has documented an increase in deepfake movies throughout social media platforms that includes fabricated medical professionals, some utilizing the identities of actual physicians to present well being recommendation or promote merchandise primarily associated to magnificence, wellness, and weight reduction. One doctor who is understood for debunking false well being claims on-line found deepfake movies utilizing his likeness to advertise merchandise he had by no means endorsed, showing throughout TikTok, Instagram, Fb, and YouTube.
Most of the movies promoted merchandise as supposed “miracle cures,” with one that includes a deepfake of a physician selling a non-FDA authorised product that the video stated was “96% more practical than Ozempic.” Some had been considered tens of millions of instances earlier than being eliminated, and the docs who had been impersonated reported problem getting the content material eliminated by way of customary reporting channels.
Celebrities and popular entertainment figures have been the topic of health-related deepfakes earlier than, typically selling comparable “miracle remedy” or weight-loss merchandise. Analysis has proven that most individuals battle to determine deepfake movies, with one meta-analysis displaying that on common, people didn’t precisely detect deepfake movies at ranges considerably above probability. Movies impersonating docs could exploit belief in physicians, which KFF polling has proven stays excessive whilst belief in federal well being businesses declines. So why does this matter? Individuals are typically poor at detecting deepfakes and could possibly be persuaded to buy dangerous or ineffective merchandise. Traditional health literacy advice, which emphasizes verifying credentials or institutional affiliations, is essentially undercut by these new methods. The unfold of deepfake movies of healthcare suppliers could erode belief in authentic healthcare communications and make it tough for sufferers to acknowledge genuine medical steering, probably placing them susceptible to following harmful well being recommendation or buying ineffective remedies.
