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Thousands More N.J. Kids Are Skipping Vaccines. See How Your County Compares.
Vaccination rates among New Jersey children continue to fall as religious exemptions rise, a trend that public health experts say may contribute to the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases. Data from the state Department of Health shows 24,962 kids skipped vaccines for religious reasons during the 2024-25 school year, a nearly 25% increase from the previous year.
The number represents just 5% of all pre-K, kindergarten, first grade, sixth grade and transfer students in the state. However, it’s nearly triple what it was a decade ago.
If the chart above is not showing, you can see it here. New Jersey’s religious exemption rate among kindergartners of 4.6% is even higher than the U.S. median of 4%.
New Jersey is one of 29 states that allow exemptions for religious reasons, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Four states — California, Connecticut, Maine and New York — do not allow any type of non-medical exemption.
Under New Jersey law, a parent or guardian can submit a written, signed request for exemption from mandatory immunization due to religious beliefs. They don’t need any other documentation, such as proof of membership in a religious organization.
FDA Halts Gene Therapy Trials After Brain Tumor Found in Patient
The Food and Drug Administration paused trials for two experimental gene therapies from Regenxbio after one child developed a brain tumor, the company announced Wednesday.
The two treatments are designed to replace the genes broken in mucopolysaccharidosis type I and type II, also known as Hurler and Hunter syndromes, devastating and fatal rare diseases that cause a string of cognitive, cardiac, and other impairments.
Regenxbio applied for approval of a treatment for Hunter syndrome earlier this year, but in August, the agency delayed its decision after asking for longer term data — one of several applications that was rejected or delayed last year after Vinay Prasad was appointed as the head of the FDA center that reviews cell and gene therapies.
Weight-Loss Drugs Draw Thousands of Lawsuits Alleging Serious Harm
A Maryland truck driver suffered an “eye stroke” that left him blind, first in one eye and then the other. A Louisiana woman vomited for weeks before being diagnosed with a brain dysfunction typically caused by a vitamin deficiency. An Oklahoma real estate agent heard her colon pop as it ruptured while she drove her granddaughter home from a softball game. “My colon blew up. Literally blew up,” she said. She had just wanted to finally lose that extra 40 pounds.
All three have filed lawsuits that blame the popular class of weight-loss drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which include Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, and they’re part of a growing number of lawsuits alleging the drugs’ makers failed to sufficiently warn of the risk of certain severe injuries.
The suits come as the use of the blockbuster drugs has skyrocketed, embraced by millions of Americans to manage diabetes, lower the risk of heart disease and lose weight. The drugs, which mimic a hormone that slows digestion, triggers insulin and helps people feel full longer, cut America’s stubbornly high obesity rates – for the first time in more than a decade – and show promise in aiding a range of conditions from kidney disease to drug addiction.
Antibiotic Use in US Meat Production Jumped 16% in 2024, Report Shows
Antibiotic use in US meat production increased 16% in 2024, representing the highest increase since the government began tracking data, a new federal report shows. The data covers “medically important” antibiotics that are also used in humans, including widely used drugs such as the Z-Pak.
The shift is raising fears of an increase in antibiotic-resistant “superbugs”, or pathogens that are difficult to treat because they evolve to become immune to drug treatments. These already sicken millions of people annually, and many of the drugs carry other potential health risks, as well, including cancer.
The jump comes despite federal efforts to rein in medically important antibiotic use, and an industry pledge to use less of it. After an unprecedented drop in antibiotic use nearly a decade ago, the medicines’ use has generally been trending in the other direction, data shows.
CIDRAP Launches New Effort to Boost Evidence-Based Vaccine Information
The University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) today announced a new collaboration with The Evidence Collective and Unbiased Science to support and expand access to clear, evidence-based vaccine information.
Under the partnership, CIDRAP (publisher of CIDRAP News) will work with the two organizations, which specialize in science communication across multiple platforms, to provide rapid and clear responses to emerging vaccine safety claims, inaccurate vaccine information, and major changes in federal vaccine policy. The responses will draw on independent reviews of vaccine safety and effectiveness conducted by CIDRAP’s Vaccine Integrity Project.
“Accurate vaccine information is essential for informed decision-making,” CIDRAP Director Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH, said in a CIDRAP news release. “But the challenge Americans face today in trying to sort fact from fiction is bigger than it has ever been. By partnering with Unbiased Science and The Evidence Collective, we are connecting CIDRAP’s research and policy expertise with teams that know how to explain complex scientific information in real time in terms people can understand through the channels they use.”
