Summary
The FDA canceled its March meeting to select flu strains for next season’s vaccine without explanation, raising concerns among health experts.
The annual meeting is important for updating flu shots, ensuring they are effective against evolving strains.
The cancellation follows a postponed CDC vaccine meeting and comes amid a severe flu season with 19,000 adult and 86 pediatric deaths.
The WHO will still hold its strain selection meeting, but U.S. officials have limited engagement due to Trump’s WHO withdrawal order.
Concerns grow over HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s influence on vaccine policy.
There was a strong emphasis on masks/isolation/hand washing for COVID that you generally don’t see for the flu. We’ve had flu vaccines for so long that a lot of people don’t realize how serious it can be for the elderly. They may find out the hard way.
People tend to think that the flu is a bad cold, not realizing that even healthy people can be laid up for 2 weeks at a time.