Senate confirms new CDC director

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Topics
Public Health
Susan Monarez
CDC / Wikimedia Commons

The US Senate yesterday confirmed Susan Monarez, PhD, as the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Monarez has been serving as acting director of the agency since January. She was nominated to be the CDC director in March, after the Trump administration withdrew the original nominee, David Weldon, MD, from consideration when it became clear he didn't have the votes to clear Senate confirmation.

First nonphysician director in more than 70 years

Monarez is the first nonphysician to lead the agency in more than 70 years. A microbiologist and immunologist by training, she previously served as deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She has also held several other roles in government, including with the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Security Council, both within the executive branch.

Her work has included strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance, and she has led projects to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve health outcomes. 

Monarez was confirmed in 51-47 party-line vote. She is the first CDC director to be confirmed by the Senate under a law passed in 2023.

Study finds no safety issues with most recent mRNA COVID vaccines

News brief
Topics
COVID-19
COVID shot in arm
World Bank / Flickr cc

At a time when federal officials are calling into question the safety and necessity of COVID-19 vaccines, the mRNA COVID vaccine version used this past season showed no elevated risk of any of the 29 serious adverse events that researchers in Denmark assessed.

The nationwide cohort study, published this week in JAMA Network Open, included 1,585,883 people (54% female), of whom 1,012,400 (64%) received the updated mRNA COVID vaccines containing the JN.1 lineage. The scientists included all people eligible last season to receive the vaccine—everyone 65 or older and anyone in a high-risk group—who had already received three or more COVID vaccine doses.

No increased risk of 29 adverse events

The investigators assessed for serious side effects for 28 days after vaccine receipt. "We analyzed 29 adverse outcomes adapted from prioritized lists of adverse events of special interest to COVID-19 vaccines," they wrote. "Each adverse event was analyzed separately."

They found no statistically significant increases in the rate of hospital contacts for any of 29 adverse events during the 28-day period after patients received an mRNA vaccine. As examples, the authors listed an incidence risk ratio of 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76 to 0.94) for ischemic cardiac events (reduced blood flow to the heart), 0.92 (95% CI, 0.76 to 1.13) for intracranial (brain) bleeding, and 1.12 (95% CI, 0.41 to 3.10) for myocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle).

The study authors note, "Although we analyzed a nationwide cohort, some outcomes, such as erythema multiforme, occurred very rarely during follow-up, with consequently lower statistical precision, and some outcomes, such as transverse myelitis, could not be statistically compared."

The findings follow a national US poll in May that found only 56% of adults saying they were "somewhat confident" in COVID vaccine safety.

This week's top reads

  1. AAP calls for end to nonmedical vaccine exemptions for school attendance

    In a revised policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics says exempting children from immunizations for nonmedical reasons creates unnecessary risks to individuals and communities.

    Chris Dall
    Child receiving vaccine

  2. Measles traces detected in Austin wastewater as other states announce more cases

    Local health officials urged residents to make sure they are up to date with measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination.

    Lisa Schnirring

  3. Minnesota officials note rise in tularemia cases in humans and pets

    Five human cases of tularemia have already been identified this year.

    Stephanie Soucheray

  4. Quick takes: WHO chikungunya warning, mpox in Gambia, more H5N1 in California dairy cows

    WHO experts are seeing the same chikungunya warning signs that occurred two decades ago, when the virus swept across Indian Ocean countries.

    Lisa Schnirring

  5. Cambodian boy in ICU with H5N1 avian flu infection

    The case marks the eighth since early June and is part of a steady rise since late 2023.

    Lisa Schnirring
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  6. Brains aged faster during the COVID pandemic—even among the uninfected, data suggest

    The greatest brain aging was seen in older people, men, and those from socioeconomically deprived backgrounds. 

    Mary Van Beusekom
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  7. Four states announce more measles cases, exposures

    Smaller outbreaks and travel-linked infections continue to push the nation’s total higher, with new cases or exposures reported from Colorado, Iowa, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

    Lisa Schnirring
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  8. New surveillance tool can predict COVID variants of concern

    CoVerage is based on observations from the long-term evolution of certain influenza viruses such as influenza A H3N2.

    Stephanie Soucheray
    covid genes

  9. Ferret study suggests seasonal flu immunity may protect against severe H5N1 infection

    Findings suggest preexisting immunity to 2009 H1N1 or H3N2 reduces disease severity against the 2.3.4.4b clade, with H1N1 providing even greater protection than H3N2.

    Lisa Schnirring
    ferret testing

  10. SARS-CoV-2 detections in wastewater accurately predict illnesses within 1 week, study finds

    The surges in wastewater detection accurately predicted case counts for the following week. 

    Stephanie Soucheray

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