Why adults need more shots

BIO is leading the conversation this week on topics including adult vaccination and Mexico’s looming GM corn ban. (634 words, 3 minutes, 10 seconds)

We must increase adult vaccination rates – here’s how

We are not doing enough to ensure adults are protected from preventable diseases through vaccination, Phyllis Arthur, BIO’s SVP of Infectious Disease and Emerging Science Policy, writes in STAT News today.

Why it matters: Research shows “adult vaccination programs paid for themselves many times over, returning up to 19 times the initial investment in societal benefits,” says Arthur.

The challenge: “Fewer than half of adults received updated COVID-19 and flu shots last year. New vaccines offer adults protection against RSV and shingles, but most Americans eligible for these shots aren’t getting them,” Arthur writes.

One solution: “Encouraging doctors, biopharmaceutical companies, and government leaders to work together to build awareness of recommended vaccines,” she explains. “Studies show that when physicians and community leaders recommend vaccination, it has a positive impact on increasing rates.”

Policy is needed: “Every American, regardless of their insurance status, should have equitable access to all recommended vaccines with no out-of-pocket costs,” Arthur writes. Lawmakers “should also ensure that different types of medical providers—including physician assistants and pharmacists—can administer vaccines to adults, no matter what state they work in.”

The bottom line: “The public health community can do better. During the pandemic, nearly 80% of U.S. adults completed their primary series of COVID-19 shots.” 

Read and share the full article.

Mexico needs corn, not protectionism

As drought ravages Mexico, protectionist plans to ignore science and block imports of U.S. biotech corn threaten the country’s food security, argues Nancy Travis, BIO’s VP for International Affairs, in the International Business Times.

What’s happening: Mexico’s president decreed that imports of genetically modified (GM) corn, which comprises 90% of U.S. corn, would stop this year, but Mexico’s worst drought in 70 years cut corn production “by as much as 50% in some parts of the country,” explains Travis.

Why it matters: “More than 10% of the Mexican population already lacks sufficient access to food, spending more than half their household income on corn-derived products,” she writes. “Under such an import ban, food insecurity levels could double or even triple in the nine poorest Mexican states.”

An unscientific ban: Mexico’s president claims the ban on GM corn for humans and phase-out of corn for animals will protect human health and local corn varieties. But GM corn, imported to Mexico for decades, has been highly studied and proven safe.

“Absent any new scientific risk assessment from the Mexican government, it is hard not to conclude that the import ban on GM corn is really intended to block American farmers' access to Mexican markets,” in violation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Travis writes.

Biotech corn helps maintain food security. Stronger, drought-resistant varieties, for example, can better withstand climate change.

The bottom line: “In addition to violating a trade agreement critical to the Mexican economy, the GM ban is agricultural folly and a humanitarian mistake. GM corn is necessary if Mexico is to avert a short-term crisis and will become even more crucial in the years ahead,” says Travis. 

Read and share the full article.

More Agriculture News:

Bloomberg: U.S. health officials to spend $100 million on bird flu surveillance
“The CDC will use $34 million to test for and analyze viral sequences, while another $29 million will be dedicated to tracing and monitoring people who may have come into contact with the virus. Other funds will be used to study vaccine candidates and wastewater sites. The CDC is also distributing protective equipment to farm workers, prioritizing those with infected herds.”

President Biden’s Monday: Delivering remarks for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, with a livestream beginning at 11:55 am.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Recess. On Wednesday, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability will mark up the BIOSECURE Act. This week, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, NIH Deputy Director Lawrence Tabak, and National Science Foundation Director Sethuraman Panchanathan will testify during hearings.