By Arthur Allen, KFF Health News

While the most serious measles epidemic in a decade has led to the deaths of two children and spread to 27 states with no signs of letting up, beliefs about the safety of the measles vaccine and the threat of the disease are sharply polarized, fed by the anti-vaccine views of the country’s most senior health official.

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About two-thirds of Republican-leaning parents are unaware of an uptick in measles cases this year while about two-thirds of Democratic ones knew about it, according to a KFF survey released Wednesday.

Republicans are far more skeptical of vaccines and twice as likely (1 in 5) as Democrats (1 in 10) to believe the measles shot is worse than the disease, according to the survey of 1,380 U.S. adults.

Some 35% of Republicans answering the survey, which was conducted April 8-15 online and by telephone, said the discredited theory linking the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine to autism was definitely or probably true — compared with just 10% of Democrats.

The trends are roughly the same as KFF reported in a June 2023 survey. But in the new poll, 3 in 10 parents erroneously believed that vitamin A can prevent measles infections, a theory Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has brought into play since taking office during the measles outbreak.

About 900 cases have been reported in 27 U.S. states, mostly in a West Texas-centered outbreak.

“The most alarming thing about the survey is that we’re seeing an uptick in the share of people who have heard these claims,” said co-author Ashley Kirzinger, associate director of KFF’s Public Opinion and Survey Research Program. KFF is a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.

“It’s not that more people are believing the autism theory, but more and more people are hearing about it,” Kirzinger said. Since doubts about vaccine safety directly reduce parents’ vaccination of their children, “that shows how important it is for actual information to be part of the media landscape,” she said.

“This is what one would expect when people are confused by conflicting messages coming from people in positions of authority,” said Kelly Moore, president and CEO of Immunize.org, a vaccination advocacy group.

Numerous scientific studies have established no link between any vaccine and autism. But Kennedy has ordered HHS to undertake an investigation of possible environmental contributors to autism, promising to have “some of the answers” behind an increase in the incidence of the condition by September.

The deepening Republican skepticism toward vaccines makes it hard for accurate information to break through in many parts of the nation, said Rekha Lakshmanan, chief strategy officer at The Immunization Partnership, in Houston.

Lakshmanan on April 23 was to present a paper on countering anti-vaccine activism to the World Vaccine Congress in Washington. It was based on a survey that found that in the Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma state assemblies, lawmakers with medical professions were among those least likely to support public health measures.

“There is a political layer that influences these lawmakers,” she said. When lawmakers invite vaccine opponents to testify at legislative hearings, for example, it feeds a deluge of misinformation that is difficult to counter, she said.

Eric Ball, a pediatrician in Ladera Ranch, California, which was hit by a 2014-15 measles outbreak that started in Disneyland, said fear of measles and tighter California state restrictions on vaccine exemptions had staved off new infections in his Orange County community.

“The biggest downside of measles vaccines is that they work really well. Everyone gets vaccinated, no one gets measles, everyone forgets about measles,” he said. “But when it comes back, they realize there are kids getting really sick and potentially dying in my community, and everyone says, ‘Holy crap; we better vaccinate!’”

Ball treated three very sick children with measles in 2015. Afterward his practice stopped seeing unvaccinated patients. “We had had babies exposed in our waiting room,” he said. “We had disease spreading in our office, which was not cool.”

Although two otherwise healthy young girls died of measles during the Texas outbreak, “people still aren’t scared of the disease,” said Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which has seen a few cases.

But the deaths “have created more angst, based on the number of calls I’m getting from parents trying to vaccinate their 4-month-old and 6-month-old babies,” Offit said. Children generally get their first measles shot at age 1, because it tends not to produce full immunity if given at a younger age.

KFF Health News’ Jackie Fortiér contributed to this report.

©2025 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Entering young adulthood saddled with debt has become standard for many who want an undergraduate degree, sometimes to the tune of tens-of-thousands of dollars.

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Around 45% of 2025 high school graduates will go on to a four-year college, according to NerdWallet analysis, and more than one-third of them will take on student loans to pay for their higher education. With interest rates on undergraduate federal student loans the highest in over 10 years, understanding how to best navigate college funding and loan repayment options can help these students prepare for the future.

Note: At the time of publication, developments are ongoing regarding the future of the Department of Education, university funding, some student loan repayment and forgiveness options and certain grants and scholarships. Incoming college students and their parents should rely on their respective support systems within academia for updates and guidance — these include financial aid offices, guidance and/or admissions counselors and nonprofit student help organizations.

2025 graduates could amass $40,000 in student loan debt

The average price that undergraduate students pay for tuition and fees at in-state, public four-year institutions — some of the most affordable — has been decreasing modestly since 2021, but this doesn’t mean the cost of higher education has gotten easy to bear. In fact, the current average tuition and fees at these institutions is about $11,600.

Given current average loan amounts, according to the Department of Education, and a conservative growth rate, a 2025 high school graduate could take on an estimated $40,000 in student loan debt before they graduate with their bachelor’s degree. This amount is not set in stone, however, so taking steps to minimize and prepare for it can make the transition into the post-graduate professional world much easier.

Keys to minimizing student loan debt

Choose an affordable school. Long before accepting a financial aid award, students should think carefully about which school they’ll attend, and place a high priority on a good value. Consider taking some general education requirements through a more affordable community college before transferring those credits to the institution you want to receive your bachelor’s degree from.

Maximize “free” financial aid. Minimizing student loan debt begins early by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year. The FAFSA can unlock federal student loans, need-based grants, work-study and even some scholarships. Grants and scholarships do not need to be paid back, so maximize your exposure to these options. Use a scholarship search tool like the Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop to identify college funding options that may fit your needs.

Prioritize federal loans. Dependent undergraduate students can only take out up to $31,000 in federal student loans. So given our estimated need of nearly $40,000, students may have to find an additional chunk of change. If you’re unable to close the gap with cash from work, parents, scholarships or grants, private student loans are a potential option. However, private student loans generally come with fewer protections, higher interest rates and credit checks that federal loans don’t require. Use private student loans as a last resort.

Consider making interest payments while in school. Unless your student loans are subsidized, they’re accruing interest while you’re in school. Making relatively small interest-only payments while in school can reduce the overall debt burden you graduate with.

Choosing the right repayment strategy

Borrowers are automatically funneled into what’s known as the “standard repayment” plan for their federal student loans once they enter repayment — generally after a six-month grace period. While this isn’t the only option available to them, it does limit the repayment schedule to 10 years, helping to minimize the amount of interest paid when compared to repayment plans with longer terms and lower monthly payments.

Assuming a student borrows the $31,000 maximum amount of federal loans available throughout their undergraduate career, they’d graduate owing around $435 per month under the standard repayment plan. After the 10-year period, they will have paid about $14,000 in interest on top of the funds they borrowed.

Understanding loan repayment options

Generally, there are four repayment plan types available to federal student loan borrowers, but the current status of at least one category — income-driven repayment — is in flux.

Students should stay informed of developments in the student loan space to ensure they’re taking advantage of the option that best suits their financial picture now and into the years ahead. Use the loan simulator from the Department of Education to explore these options.

The standard 10-year repayment plan generally costs the least in interest, but it can come with higher monthly payments.
Income-driven repayment plans base monthly obligations on current income and extend the repayment term to 20 or 25 years, which can be helpful if monthly payments under other plans are too steep. Further, these plans may open the door to student loan forgiveness options.
A graduated repayment plan features lower initial payments that increase every two years, making them appropriate for people who want to ease into repayment but still have their loans paid off by the 10-year mark.
Extended student loan plans stretch repayment out for as long as 25 years, but come with higher total interest costs.

No matter what plan you choose, paying off your student loan as quickly as possible translates to lower interest costs overall. For maximum impact, if you decide to make additional payments, make sure to tell your student loan servicer to apply them to your principal balance rather than toward your next month’s payment.

The article Data: 2025 High School Grads Facing $40k in College Student Loans originally appeared on NerdWallet.

The University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy is launching an initiative to examine how non-governmental entities can help protect vaccine policy, information and utilization in the U.S.

Called the Vaccine Integrity Project, the initiative’s steering committee will gather feedback from professionals across the country during several sessions beginning this month and continuing into early August.

Sessions will include professional medical associations, public health organizations, state public health officials, vaccine manufacturers, medical and public health academia, health insurers, healthcare systems, pharmacies, health media experts and policymakers.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

“People who care about preventing needless suffering and death from vaccination diseases have watched the current measles outbreak and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy (Jr.’s) rhetoric about vaccines with rising alarm…” said Dr. Michael Osterholm, regents professor and director of CIDRAP on Wednesday. “Every day, we seem to see new and disturbing developments occur around our vaccine enterprise. There have been conversations happening for months now across the public health community about what is it we can do with U.S. government vaccine information becomes corrupted. What will we do? Or the system that helps to ensure their safety and efficacy are compromised.”

‘Science-based information’

The steering committee is comprised of eight leading public health and policy experts. Steering committee members include co-chairs Dr. Margaret Hamburg, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and co-president of the InterAcademy Partnership, and Dr. Harvey Fineberg, president of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and past president of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, then known as the Institute of Medicine.

“This project acknowledges the unfortunate reality that the system that we’ve relied on to make vaccine recommendations and to review safety and effectiveness data faces threats,” Osterholm said in a statement. “It is prudent to evaluate whether independent activities may be needed to stand in its place and how non-governmental groups might operate to continue to provide science-based information to the American public.”

The project is supported by a $240,000 gift from Alumbra, a foundation established by Christy Walton, philanthropist and widow of John T. Walton, son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.

Based on initial session feedback, the initiative may develop a network of subject matter experts for vaccine evaluations and clinical guidelines development; identify knowledge gaps and recommend studies to improve vaccine-related evidence, practice, and policy; and review government decisions and messaging in order to provide clear, evidence-based information, according to a release on the project.

“And I think the key thing is, this should not be a us versus them,” Osterholm said. “Ideally, it would all be we’re all working on this together. But this is far too important of an issue to leave it to the possibility that something might work. Every day children are not being vaccinated. They could and should be. Every day we’re seeing more cases of vaccine preventable diseases. Every day we see a greater erosion of vaccine confidence occurring. And so we do believe that all of them deserve comment. They deserve a factual approach, and we’ll just continue to pursue that.”

Sessions also will help develop scope, membership criteria and other factors, including priorities, communication channels and triggers to begin or end such efforts.

CIDRAP will provide regular updates on the project once the sessions are completed. A website on the initiative is also expected to be launched.

CIDRAP’s mission is to “prevent illness and death from targeted infectious disease threats through research and the translation of scientific evidence into real-world, practical applications, policies, and solutions.”

Efficacy of vaccines questioned by Kennedy

Kennedy has questioned the safety monitoring systems and efficacy of vaccines. While Kennedy insisted during his confirmation hearings that he is not anti-vaccine, he repeatedly refused to acknowledge scientific consensus that childhood vaccines don’t cause autism, that COVID-19 vaccines saved millions of lives and falsely asserted the government has no good vaccine safety monitoring, according to the Associated Press.

The project is looking at bringing together a consortium of officials and others to come up with a science-based approach to issues, Osterholm said.

“Just this past week here in Minnesota, a group of state legislators submitted a bill to declare the mRNA vaccine technology as a weapon of mass destruction and that it should be immediately taken off the market, and anyone using it would be liable for a criminal activity,” Osterholm said. “Who’s going to respond to that? Is anybody at the federal government level going to respond to activities like that? That’s a question I think we are left to at this point unanswered.”

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By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish made from salted and fermented vegetables, most often with napa cabbage and some sort of radish along with carrots, garlic, ginger and chili.

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Seasoned with two other staples in Korean cooking — umami-rich fish sauce (made from fermented anchovies) and gochugaru (dried red chili powder) — the condiment adds a salty and sometimes fiery punch to any number of dishes. Think rice bowls, stews, noodles, fritters and even tacos or crispy, flavor-stuffed pancakes.

Here, tangy kimchi adds a spicy kick to an easy shrimp stir-fry.

Spring onions, garlic and ginger, the building block for the sauces and aromatics that give Asian dishes their amazing flavor, are key components of this recipe that also includes a couple generous handfuls of crunchy, bright-green snow peas.

I opted for extra-large shrimp to give it some wow factor, but you could easily substitute large or medium shellfish to make the stir-fry a little less expensive.

A sunny-side-up egg garnished with sesame seeds and a heavy drizzle of chili crisp completes this protein-rich rice bowl, but if you’re not a fan it’s OK to go without. When the yolk is runny, it’s easy to mix it in with the rice and other ingredients.

Don’t love the uncooked taste of an egg cooked only on one side? Flip the eggs over and cook the yolks over-medium (slightly cooked but still soft) or over-hard (fully cooked).

All told, this dish only takes about 15 minutes to prepare, making it the perfect nosh for a busy weeknight.

Kimchi and Prawn Fried Rice

PG tested

9 ounces uncooked basmati rice
19 ounces water
1/2 teaspoon salt
8-10 spring onions
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3/4 pound raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
10 ounces snow peas
12 ounces kimchi
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
Crispy chili oil, optional, for serving

Give the rice a quick rinse in a sieve before tipping into a small saucepan with a lid.

Add water and salt, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to the lowest setting and cover with a lid.

Cook for 10 minutes, until water has been absorbed, then turn off the heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Remove lid and fluff up rice; let as much moisture evaporate as you can before using.

Slice the green parts of the spring onions into rounds, and cut white parts lengthwise into thin strips. Reserve the green rounds for garnish.

Heat oil in a large work or deep frying pan over medium heat. Add spring onion whites and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until soft and just beginning to color.

Stir in garlic and ginger, then add shrimp and snow peas. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes before adding kimchi and cooking for 1 more minute.

Finally, add cooked rice along with soy sauce, and fry for a 2-3 minutes more until piping hot.

Meanwhile, heat sesame oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Once hot, add eggs, sprinkle with sesame seeds and fry for 3-4 minutes until the edges are crisp and the whites are completely set.

Serve fried rice in large bowls, each topped with an egg and a drizzle of crispy chili oil. Garnish with reserved spring onion greens.

Serves 4.

— adapted from “Pull Up a Chair: Recipes for Gathering Big and Small, Morning to Night” by Martha Collison (Kyle, $33)

©2025 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.