The CDC buried a measles forecast that stressed the need for vaccinations

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Last edited Mon Mar 31, 2025, 10:40 AM - Edit history (2)

Source: ProPublica, via CNN

The CDC buried a measles forecast that stressed the need for vaccinations

By Patricia Callahan, ProPublica
7 minute read
Published 7:00 AM EDT, Mon March 31, 2025

This story was originally published on ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.

ProPublica -- Leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered staff this week not to release their experts' assessment that found the risk of catching measles is high in areas near outbreaks where vaccination rates are lagging, according to internal records reviewed by ProPublica. ... In an aborted plan to roll out the news, the agency would have emphasized the importance of vaccinating people against the highly contagious and potentially deadly disease that has spread to 19 states, the records show.

A CDC spokesperson told ProPublica in a written statement that the agency decided against releasing the assessment "because it does not say anything that the public doesn't already know." She added that the CDC continues to recommend vaccines as "the best way to protect against measles."

Multistate measles outbreak crosses 450 cases, with possible international spread
But what the nation's top public health agency said next shows a shift in its long-standing messaging about vaccines, a sign that it may be falling in line under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime critic of vaccines:

"The decision to vaccinate is a personal one," the statement said, echoing a line from a column Kennedy wrote for the Fox News website. "People should consult with their healthcare provider to understand their options to get a vaccine and should be informed about the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines."

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Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/31/health/cdc-measles-forecast-propublica/index.html

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Hat tip, Radley Balko

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Meg Tirrell
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A CDC spokesperson told @propublica.org the agency decided against releasing a measles assessment that warned the risk of catching the virus is high near outbreaks where vaccination rates are lagging "because it does not say anything that the public doesn't already know." https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/31/health/cdc-measles-forecast-propublica/index.html.

The CDC buried a measles forecast that stressed the need for vaccinations CNN
Leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ordered staff this week not to release their experts' assessment that found the risk of catching measles is high in areas near outbreaks where...
www.cnn.com
March 31, 2025 at 7:42 AM
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