NIH's funding shift raises concerns amid measles outbreak

The institute's notification addressed to over 40 beneficiaries states, as cited by The Washington Post, that "The National Institutes of Health will cancel or cut back dozens of grants for research on why some people are reluctant to be vaccinated and how to increase acceptance of vaccines, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Post on Monday."

Michelle Bulls, Director of the Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration, communicated this decision, which leaves open the possibility of maintaining funding in some cases if beneficiaries limit the scope of vaccination-related research.

According to the information, awards granted by the NIH, the world's largest funder of biomedical research, must be immediately terminated.

The NIH decision concerns public health experts, especially given emerging information about planned research on the link between autism and vaccines. The Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has long been interested in this topic. However, Extensive scientific research, excluding such a link, does not convince him.

Kennedy, known for his vaccine scepticism, is criticised for actions taken in the face of the measles epidemic in the USA. The epidemic, which led to the first death from measles in the USA in a decade, currently includes at least 222 cases. 94% of the cases involve unvaccinated individuals or those with an unknown vaccination status.

Kennedy initially downplayed the epidemic, claiming it was a fairly routine phenomenon. "There have been four measles outbreaks this year. In this country last year there were 16. So, it's not unusual. We have measles outbreaks every year," Kennedy told government representatives.