A version of this article has been published by The Ottawa Citizen on June 2, 2025, under the title, “Cancelling funding for mRNA vaccine is both risky and foolish“
With Donald Trump’s second administration, disruptive news seems to arise on a daily basis. Most concerning for clinicians and health scientists around the world was Trump’s appointment of anti-vaccination zealot Robert Kennedy Jr to the enormously influential position of Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy’s ideological dismantling of the US’s vaunted health research apparatus has been at speeds surprising even to his most ardent critics. But his recent decision to cancel a nearly $600 million contract with vaccine manufacturer Moderna might be among his most shortsighted and destructive moves. (more…)