vaccines

The public’s faith in the safety and efficacy of prescription drugs and vaccines has been shaken as never before. There’s skepticism about the role the big pharma plays in rolling out new medications, yet there are amazing breakthroughs in treating once fatal diseases. And then there’s the price for critical treatments that can be beyond the reach for many. How did we get here and how can we fix it? We are joined by Dr Jerry Avorn, professor of medicine at Harvard University Medical School and author of the new book, “Rethinking Medications: Truth, Power and the Drugs you Take.”

With cuts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Texas and other states will have to spend more on public health. The biggest expense of a measles outbreak is the public health response in shutting down the outbreak.

Anti-Vaccine and medical misinformation spreader Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to be the health secretary. Vaccine researcher, Dr. Peter Hotez, joins us to explain why this is a concerning choice.

Two of the updated COVID-19 vaccines have arrived at pharmacies all over the country. On Friday, the FDA authorized the Novavax shot, which is also expected to be available in the coming days.

A virus doesn’t care if you are a Republican or a Democrat. But unfortunately, in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, vaccinations and the validity of medical science have become a partisan issue. Polling shows a significant number of Republicans question the safety of vaccines and say Americans shouldn’t be encouraged to get them. How is this hurting public health?

Politics, religion, distrust and disinformation all play a role. "I've realized that there's no convincing somebody once they have their mind made up," says a social worker in Beaumont, Texas.

Peter Hotez and Maria Elena Bottazzi used an oldie-but- goodie technology to devise a vaccine that's easy to make — and relatively cheap. India has already ordered 300 million doses.

A group of United employees had asked the court for a preliminary injunction to block United's policy of putting workers with religious or medical exemptions on unpaid leave.

Moderna says the FDA is looking into reports of a rare side effect — myocarditis, or the inflammation of the heart muscle — in those who've gotten the shot.

The Texas Supreme Court on Thursday evening denied Attorney General Ken Paxton's request to stay three temporary restraining orders in Travis County. At around the same time, the Texas Fourth Court of Appeals upheld an injunction against Gov. Greg Abbott on behalf of San Antonio and Bexar County over their mask mandate in schools.