# @chapelboronews on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DNltyyTvq3s
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/33528379-chapelboronews-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/bf332cb2a8.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-08-20T19:54:52.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Chapelboro.com (@chapelboronews) — https://gondola.cc/chapelboronews

## Caption

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced the cut of roughly $500 million worth of contracts for mRNA research and vaccine development for emerging pathogens. It comes after the agency also canceled $600 million for similar vaccine development against bird flu.

The moves set off a series of warnings from infectious disease scientists, who argue the mRNA techniques – which were used for COVID-19 vaccines – better position public health for such threats.

In the Aug. 5 announcement of plans to terminate 22 vaccine development contracts, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his agency’s review concluded the use of mRNA “poses more risk than benefits” and he wants to instead focus on “safer, broader” vaccine strategies.

“Most of these shots are for flu or COVID,” said Kennedy in the video. “But as the pandemic showed us, mRNA vaccines don’t perform well against viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract. Here’s the problem: mRNA only codes for a small part of the viral proteins, usually a single antigen. One mutation, and the vaccine becomes ineffective.”

Kennedy argued because of that, the method encourages mutations and prolongs pandemics – pointing to the antigenic shift seen in adaptable viruses. Scientists and infectious disease experts, however, say the mRNA approach allows for vaccines to be similarly adaptable and raises the floor of how protected one can be against long-standing illnesses like COVID-19 or influenza.

One of those experts is Dr. David Wohl, who leads the Infectious Diseases Clinical Trials Unit at UNC and coordinated UNC Health’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Wohl maintains using mRNA development allows researchers to remain “nimble and flexible” to emerging viruses or mutations, while calling the method “revolutionary” compared to the older practice of incubating virus proteins in cells before an injection. mRNA is something already in the human body and encourages cells to make certain proteins.

Full story on Chapelboro.com.
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#mrna #unchospital #rfkjr #vaccine #vaccines

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rfkjr, unchospital, mrna, vaccine, vaccines

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