The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has terminated at least 33 research grants studying vaccine hesitancy and scaled back nine others, according to sources familiar with the matter. The decision comes as the US experiences one of its largest measles outbreaks in recent years.
Acting NIH Director Michael Memoli made the request for grant reviews last week, citing a need to realign agency priorities. However, some critics argue that this move is influenced by new HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has expressed vaccine skepticism.
The cuts include grants focused on vaccines for diseases such as mpox, human papillomavirus, and COVID-19, which aimed to boost uptake in minority groups. This decision comes as the Texas-New Mexico border measles outbreak has sickened at least 253 people, with most being unvaccinated.
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/anti-science/nih-cuts-research-grants-vaccine-hesitancy-mrna-vaccine-studies-next-target