Can herpes fight cancer? Plus, Trump’s vaccine order, a drug-resistant fungus and the mRNA flu shot

Welcome back to Health(y) Discourse. 

Last week, we examined the first deaths linked to the Cyclospora outbreak, whether new federal autism therapy guidance could affect families and the thorny question of who gets early access to experimental drugs. 

This week, we’re digging into what President Donald Trump’s latest vaccine order actually means for families, why cases of the drug-resistant fungus Candida auris are rising, whether the first mRNA flu vaccine offers an advantage over the shots we already have and how scientists are turning an unlikely ally — the herpes virus — into a cancer treatment. 

Some other stories that caught my eye this week: 

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., announced this past weekend that she is freezing her eggs, joining the more than 16,000 women who do so each year. According to a UCLA study, the number of planned elective egg freezing cycles quadrupled from 4,153 to 16,436 between 2014 and 2021 while the average age of women undergoing the procedure fell from 36 to 34.9 years.
• Health officials in Gulf Coast states are warning beachgoers about Vibrio vulnificus, the potentially deadly “flesh-eating” bacterium naturally found in warm coastal waters. Five people in Louisiana and two people in Florida have died from their infections so far this year. People with open wounds or underlying conditions such as liver disease face the greatest risk. 
• The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to worsen. The WHO now says the outbreak likely began back in February. Nearly 2,000 people have died and 60% to 70% of those deaths have occurred in the community rather than healthcare facilities.

Peer Review

Rehashing the week’s health headlines

💉 Reality Check

Trump wants more changes to childhood vaccines. Here’s how they impact Americans.

Trump signed an executive order Monday calling for more changes to the nation’s childhood vaccine recommendations, including separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three individual shots. The order also directs federal health officials to further review the number and timing of vaccines children routinely receive.

Pediatricians and other medical groups criticized the move, saying there’s no evidence that separating the MMR vaccine or spreading routine vaccinations over more visits makes them safer.

But, it’s important to remember that federal vaccine recommendations are only guidelines, not mandates. States ultimately decide which vaccines children must receive to attend school and, in many cases, daycare or other public programs. 

Bottom line: Your child’s vaccination requirements have not changed because of Trump’s order. For now, state laws still outline which vaccines kids need when they attend public school. The bigger question is how many states follow the administration’s lead — and whether changing federal recommendations eventually affects vaccine access and coverage.

🦠 Public Health Watch

A drug-resistant fungus is spreading. Who actually needs to worry?

Cases of Candida auris, a fungus that is resistant to many medications used to treat fungal infections, continue to climb across the U.S. The CDC has documented more than 3,000 cases this year across at least 23 states. While that sounds alarming, this infection isn’t something most healthy people need to worry about catching at the grocery store or gym. The fungus primarily spreads in healthcare settings and poses the greatest threat to people who are seriously ill, particularly those with long hospital stays, invasive medical devices or weakened immune systems.

Bottom line: For most healthy people, the risk of this infection is very low. The bigger story is antimicrobial resistance: C. auris is another example of bacteria and fungi evolving faster than the pharmaceutical arsenal we rely on to treat them.

👀 Worth Watching

The first mRNA flu vaccine is here. Should you get it?

For the first time, Americans will have an mRNA option for their annual flu shot. The FDA approved Moderna’s mFlusiva last week for adults 50 to 64. In a large clinical trial involving more than 40,000 people across 11 countries, mFlusiva was about 27% more effective than a standard flu vaccine at preventing the flu. The mRNA shot did lead to higher rates of mild side effects such as fatigue, headaches and arm soreness.

There’s another potential advantage of mRNA technology. Traditional flu vaccines take months to manufacture, forcing scientists to choose which strains to target well before flu season begins. mRNA vaccines can potentially be designed and manufactured more quickly, which could eventually allow vaccine makers to better match circulating strains. 

Other flu vaccines are already reaching pharmacies, and Moderna says mFlusiva should arrive at select retailers in the coming weeks. There is one wrinkle: The CDC has not formally recommended the new vaccine, which could complicate insurance coverage.

Bottom line: For most adults, experts recommend being vaccinated in September or October rather than waiting for a particular brand. “The best flu shot you can get is the one you do get,” one physician told me.

🧬 New Development

Herpes vs. cancer

Last week, the FDA approved a genetically modified herpes virus to help treat certain patients with advanced melanoma.

The treatment, called Tudriqev, is injected directly into tumors. Scientists modify the virus so it preferentially replicates inside cancer cells, causing them to rupture while also helping alert the immune system to attack the cancer. Patients do run the risk of contracting or reactivating a herpes infection and may even spread it to close contacts such as caregivers. 

This isn’t the first time scientists have used a virus to fight cancer, and the approval came through the FDA’s accelerated pathway, meaning researchers still need to confirm the treatment’s clinical benefit in additional trials. But it offers another example of scientists turning something we normally think of as a disease-causing enemy into a therapeutic tool.

Bottom line: Doctors aren’t about to start treating every cancer with herpes. But cancer-fighting viruses represent a fascinating and increasingly legitimate branch of cancer treatment — using viruses not simply to kill tumor cells, but to help the immune system recognize and attack them.

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Get in Touch

That’s all for this week. If you have questions about a health-related story or study you saw in the wild, send me an email at jcraig@san.com or share them below.
— Jess