RFK Jr.’s war on mRNA vaccines breeds distrust, threatens Canada’s access to development: Experts

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Canadian doctors and scientists say Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s defunding of mRNA vaccine development projects will have negative health effects in Canada and around the world.

University of Saskatchewan virologist Angela Rasmussen says unlike other vaccines, mRNA vaccines can be made very quickly and easily modified to fight new viruses and adapt to changing strains.

Rasmussen and other medical experts say that ability is critical as the world prepares for H5N1 bird flu as a possible next pandemic.

Canada Research Chair in Viral Pandemics Matthew Miller says the U.S. is one of the largest funders of medical research in the world and defunding mRNA vaccine research will likely stall development and threaten Canada’s access to vital vaccine technology.

Calgary pediatric infectious diseases specialist Dr. Cora Constantinescu says Kennedy’s false claims that mRNA vaccines are unsafe and ineffective will cause a “vaccine confidence crisis” on both sides of the border.

She says that disinformation can also affect people’s views of non-mRNA vaccines — something that’s especially dangerous right now when both Canada and the U.S. are seeing outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles.

On Aug. 5, Kennedy announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was halting funding for 22 mRNA vaccine projects worth nearly US$500 million.

In May, Kennedy cancelled funding for Moderna’s development of a pandemic influenza vaccine. A spokesperson for Moderna Canada said in an email Thursday that the company is “continuing to explore alternatives for advancing our H5N1 program, consistent with our global commitment to pandemic preparedness.”

Both Pfizer Canada and Moderna Canada confirmed to The Canadian Press on Thursday that the U.S. backing away from mRNA vaccines should not affect availability of their updated COVID-19 vaccines in Canada this fall.

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