Reports: RFK Jr. ordered measles deaths deletion; CDC still secretly counts them
CDC staff had already accepted the measles death reports when RFK Jr. meddled.
Beth Mole
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Beth Mole
Senior Health Reporter
beth.mole@arstechnica.com
Beth is Ars Technica’s Senior Health Reporter. Beth has a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and attended the Science Communication program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Before becoming a science writer and journalist, she conducted post-doctoral research on drug development and antibiotic resistance. Now, with over a decade of experience reporting on life sciences and biomedical research, she specializes in covering infectious diseases, public health, and microbes. Before joining Ars in 2015, her stories were featured in publications such as Nature, Science, The Scientist, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Science News. In 2014, her work was honored by the DC Science Writers Association. She currently resides in the Raleigh, NC area, where she runs, bakes, decorates cakes, and builds Lego and train sets with her family. You can find her on Bluesky @bethmariem.bsky.social.
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Historically, state health departments determine cases and deaths, not the CDC.
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The CDC has tallied nearly 30,000 confirmed and probable cases this summer.
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“RFK Jr. has lied to the Senate”: Lawmakers call for criminal probe, ouster
RFK Jr. went to Samoa to spread vaccine fears. The measles outbreak after killed 83.
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RFK Jr. goes full anti-vaccine bananas over two measles deaths—one was a newborn
Kennedy and his allies have a history of downplaying vaccine-preventable deaths.
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Florida Catholics slap down state AG by rejecting religious vaccine exemptions
The bishops’ snub comes as the state continues to attack vaccines.
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There are currently 3 categories. Without reason, RFK Jr. is considering changes.
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mRNA cancer vaccine succeeded in Phase 3 melanoma trial, Moderna and Merck say
The vaccine reportedly thwarted the cancer’s return and spread.
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Trump expected to pick conservative policy wonk Heidi Overton to lead FDA
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Beth Mole
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“Sabotage”: Experts, lawmakers blast RFK Jr. for destroying healthcare research
US healthcare is broken. Under RFK Jr., the research agency working to fix it is, too.
Beth Mole
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200
US vaccination rates fall again as exemptions continue to rise, CDC data shows
Again, the CDC did not publish a full report and instead simply put the data online.
Beth Mole
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119
Taylor Farms’ connections to Trump admin spurs probe into Cyclospora response
Senator Warren questions whether Taylor Farms’ influence swayed Trump admin.
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US wait times for cancer surgeries are getting longer and longer
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137
Toddler’s tragic death from brain-destroying amoeba offers lessons for doctors
Boy’s unusual symptoms could help identify the next case sooner.
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Trump wants Big Pharma to split MMR vaccine; Big Pharma thinks it’s idiotic
It took just hours for the leading pharma group to reject the recommendations.
Beth Mole
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198
Less than 2.5% of Taylor Farms’ recalled lettuce went to Taco Bells
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122
Trump signs bonkers order that cuts vaccines, promotes ones that don’t exist
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446
Taylor Farms recalls jalapeño products for Salmonella amid Cyclospora outbreak
Recall of jalapeño products spans 26 states, major retailers, a variety of foods.
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130
Flesh-eating screwworms feast on humans in Mexico; human cases top 500
Six deaths reported among screwworm cases, one directly attributed to the flies.
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157
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Doctors took a look at man’s painful shoulder—they found the joint was missing
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