Many thanks @BBCWorld for hosting me today to discuss new FDA guidelines for annual COVID immunizations and boosters, including a shift away from universal immunization recommendations to those >65 or a list of underlying health conditions as detailed in @NEJM
My concern is that the new recs are based only on acute sequelae including case fatality rates and hospitalizations, but ignore the chronic consequences such as long COVID or thromboembolic complications that can occur even in well adults and teens
While the companies can do new clinical trials for health adults or kids I’m guessing this might not be of interest due to the size of the trials required and the ginormous costs
My latest in PLOS Biology: it’s not as dark as you might think, there are still lots of opportunities, but they require strategy, long-term planning, openness to the realities that things will be different. Here are some ideas
1/n Being about the role of Vitamin A and its role in the treatment and prevention of measles. It’s actually an interesting story, but unfortunately one that is being twisted and weaponized by the wellness/influencer $multibillion to push vitamin A like they did for ivermectin
2/n it starts from an interesting findings 1970s/80s that kids in low-income countries with malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency (and xeropthalmia) had higher mortality from infection. Al Sommer an ophthalmologist from @JohnsHopkinsSPH led those studies
@JohnsHopkinsSPH 3/n Dr. Sommer who went on to become dean at @JohnsHopkinsSPH also demonstrated in Tanzania a therapeutic benefit for hospitalized kids under 2 with measles. I think those studies are sound, but remember they’re malnourished kids or with xerophthalmia
Disastrous measles epidemic in my state of Texas now up to 48 in 4 counties: my chart on what happens when children acquire measles vs a very safe and effective MMR vaccine. From my new paper in @PLOSGPH
Long COVID impacting more than 1 million children: CDC study suggests. Also a reason why it was important to vaccinate kids vs COVID. It wasn’t only about deaths and hospitalizations. Covid vaccines reduce the risk of long Covid. Papers attached abcnews.go.com/Health/long-co…