ICAN DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM THE CDC ABOUT SPIKE IN RSV RATES

As reported on The HighWire last week, there has been an alarming spike in reported cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in children. This influenza-like virus can be particularly dangerous in very young children and it typically rises in the winter months.  What makes the current spike particularly alarming is that it is occurring off-season. 

On the HighWire episode, Del did a deep dive into the issue, observing that in the clinical trial for Moderna’s pediatric Covid-19 vaccine, the children who received the vaccine experienced higher rates of RSV than those receiving the placebo. Similarly, in Pfizer’s pediatric Covid-19 vaccine trial, RSV was listed as one of the serious adverse events among children receiving this vaccine. 

The issue is so serious that even the FDA’s vaccine committee, VRBPAC, which normally cheerleads even the most dangerous vaccine, noted the correlation and “stressed the importance of continued post-authorization safety surveillance, in particular for … certain respiratory infections (RSV and pneumonia) in the youngest age group, for which imbalances of uncertain clinical significance were observed in the clinical trial.”

Despite the noted importance of surveilling RSV post-authorization, no one at CDC or FDA seems to be drawing a connection between the increase in RSV and the Covid-19 vaccines being administered to children.  Incredibly, the CDC just issued an “Official Health Advisory” about the increase RSV and respiratory virus cases and, in it, the CDC recommends all individuals 6 months and up receive an influenza vaccine and a Covid-19 vaccine!  

Not surprisingly, the press has missed the mark, too.  While there are numerous articles detailing the troubling increase in sick children, none reference Covid-19 vaccination despite the data from the manufacturers’ trials.

To get to the bottom of this, on October 26, 2022, ICAN’s attorneys sent a letter to the CDC observing the clinical trial data showing a correlation between increased RSV cases and receipt of a Covid-19 vaccine.  ICAN’s letter demanded to know the percentage of children who tested positive for RSV and who had received a Covid-19 vaccine prior to their RSV diagnosis.   

ICAN will keep you posted. In the meantime, you can read the letter here