Despite RFK’s funding block, mRNA vaccines are too impressive to ignore

It was a blow many were braced for, yet the block on US funding for mRNA vaccines by Robert F Kennedy Jr’s health department has left scientists reeling, with some stating the move could make the world less safe.On Tuesday, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would cancel $500m (£376m) in funding for mRNA vaccines, ending 22 federal contracts – including one with the pharmaceutical company Moderna for its bird flu vaccine for humans.“We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate,” Kennedy said in a statement issued on Tuesday.In many ways, it is not a surprise: Kennedy has long been known to be a vaccine sceptic, despite saying he is “not anti-vaccine”, just “pro-safety”, and has himself spread misinformation around immunisation, including falsely calling mRNA Covid jabs the “deadliest vaccine ever made”.In the statement, Kennedy said HSS had “reviewed the science, listened to the experts and acted,” and went on to claim mRNA vaccines failed to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections such as Covid and flu

Verbally abused children more likely to have poor mental health as adults, study finds

Parents who ridicule, threaten or humiliate their children risk leaving them with a 64% higher chance of having poor mental health as an adult, a study has found.The research also found physical abuse experienced among the research participants reduced over time, while verbal abuse increased.Published in BMJ Open, the study gathered data of 20,687 adults from seven studies published between 2012 and 2024.The studies used all involved questions on childhood physical and verbal abuse using the validated Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) tool and the Warwick-Edinburgh mental wellbeing scale to measure individual and combined components of adult mental wellbeing.Participants were asked over a two-week period about their mental wellbeing, with responses given a score to determine whether the participant had a low or high sense of mental wellbeing

Funding for English youth clubs aims to keep children off smartphones

Youth clubs and after-school activities in England will receive a funding injection of £88m as ministers try to get more children away from smartphones and computer screens.The package, which Keir Starmer announced on Tuesday, is intended to give pupils access to sport, outdoor activities, art, music, debating and volunteering.The prime minister said there was a “worrying trend” of young people finding themselves “isolated at home and disconnected from their communities”.He said the funds were designed to offer young people “a better alternative” and the opportunity to “develop the confidence and life skills that no algorithm can teach”.Of the £88m package, £22

Nostalgia and selective memory are clouding judgment on doctors’ strikes | Letters

I write in response to Prof David Cameron (Letters, 28 July). I also trained as a doctor during the 80s and early 90s and experienced the long working hours of that time. It is easy to fall into the trap of nostalgia and selective memory as we become older and detached from the frontline. I was looked after by the hospitals in which I worked, which were less managed than they are today. I worked in a close team, led by a consultant to whom I was responsible, and who was responsible for me

Prison bosses make room for possible influx before planned protests across England

Prison bosses will make room for a possible influx of arrested demonstrators this weekend amid concerns that some jails are close to full, the head of the national governors’ body has revealed.Police have threatened to make hundreds of arrests if a planned protest in London this weekend over the proscription of Palestine Action goes ahead. There are also at least eight planned demonstrations outside hotels housing asylum seekers.The Ministry of Justice confirmed it had initiated “capacity gold command” as it attempts to manage the use of prison cells, with jails across England and Wales 97.5% full

Jeremy Corbyn warns rules on council asset sales threaten allotments

Jeremy Corbyn has criticised Angela Rayner, the local government secretary, for rules that allow councils to sell allotments to fund day-to-day spending, saying it “makes the future of these precious spaces even more perilous”.Rules on council asset sales mean local authorities can sell off sites to help “deliver transformation and invest-to-save projects” they would otherwise not be able to afford.Corbyn, writing for the Telegraph, said the possible sale of allotments would fill many with “deep dismay”.https://composer.gutools