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Measles is on the rise in Illinois as well as other parts of the U.S., with considerable variation in vaccination rates among students. DPH Coordinating Committee member warns this local magazine, “People think measles is just a childhood disease — you get it, and get over it But the risk is that children can die from it, and unvaccinated adults are also at risk.”

Pharma companies have stayed on the sidelines in the American Academy of Pediatrics lawsuit challenging recent CDC changes to vaccine recommendations. However, "The AAP case docket includes eight amicus filings signed by more than 100 public health experts and organizations such as the American Association of Immunologists, the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists and Defend Public Health."

At Casey Means' Senate confirmation hearing, she "dodged questions about her potential conflicts of interest, refused to affirm that anti-vaccine conspiracy theories have been debunked, and spread misinformation about contraception." With comments from DPH's Elizabeth Jacobs and Angela Rasmussen.

A MAHA influencer that Donald Trump has picked to be America’s top doctor has come under fire for failing to disclose her financial relationships with various wellness companies she was promoting. DPH member Angela Rasmussen comments that Means "has no public health background whatsoever outside of promoting scientifically unsupported disease remedies in her newsletter.”

As Casey Means faces a Senate confirmation hearing for U.S. Surgeon General, this influential tech publication notes, "Scientists and public health experts have blasted her nomination and are urging lawmakers to reject her for the role." Quotes from DPH include this from Coordinating Committee member Elizabeth Jacobs: "For a year now, RFK Jr. and his MAHA minions have been systematically destroying our nation’s public health system. It’s time for the Senate to grow a backbone and say, ‘Enough!’, starting with Casey Means.”

DPH members Arthur Lavin and Teri Mills address current vaccine debates about "personal freedom" from the point of view of grandparents old enough to remember the pre-vaccine era when polio was common. "In America, freedom has never meant the absence of limits when others are placed in danger," they write. "Polio vaccination is no different."

In this roundup of alarmed reactions to the appointment of COVID contrarian and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya to also be acting director of CDC, Coordinating Committee member James Alwine says Bhattacharya can't be trusted to lead either agency, adding, "“I think some of the things he’s doing certainly look to me like he’s getting back at those who came down on him because they criticized him so much about the Great Barrington Resolution.”

DPH members and GrandParents for Vaccines cofounders Teri Mills and Donna Gaffney address the role of ordinary citizens in the face of injustice. They write, "Democracy is not self-executing. The Constitution does not defend itself. It depends on citizens who understand that rights and responsibilities travel together. Freedom of speech means showing up and speaking."

In this roundup of alarmed reactions to the appointment of Jay Bhattacharya as acting director of the badly-damaged CDC, DPH Coordinating Committee member Bruce Mirken notes that Trump is likely dodging the Senate confirmation process as he tends to do when it's going to be difficult, "given the damage the administration's health policies have caused and the growing opposition to his assault on public health.”

As the highly controversial Jay Bhattacharya is tapped to be acting CDC director, DPH Coordinating Committee member James Alwine notes that the result of RFK Jr.-engineered appointments like this are "increased cases of measles, whooping cough, flu, tetanus, mumps, and more. Children are suffering and dying.”