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    <title>NPR: Shots - Health News</title>
    <link>https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103537970</link>
    <description>NPR&apos;s online health program.</description>
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    <lastBuildDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2025 17:02:26 -0400</lastBuildDate>
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      <url>https://media.npr.org/images/podcasts/primary/npr_generic_image_300.jpg?s=200</url>
      <title>NPR: Shots - Health News</title>
      <link>https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/</link>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>CDC&apos;s vaccine advisers meet this week. Here&apos;s how they could affect policy</title>
      <description>Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. chose everyone in the group. Their votes could affect vaccine access for certain childhood vaccines and and the COVID shots. Here&apos;s what&apos;s at stake.</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 2025 05:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/18/nx-s1-5543356/cdc-vaccine-advisers-acip-meeting</link>
      <guid>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/18/nx-s1-5543356/cdc-vaccine-advisers-acip-meeting</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/1024x683!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb1%2Fd0%2Fefe01aab4e428727cfd160ddbc8f%2Fgettyimages-2221377707.jpg' alt='Members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meet at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta in June.'/><p>Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. chose everyone in the group. Their votes could affect vaccine access for certain childhood vaccines and and the COVID shots. Here's what's at stake.</p><p>(Image credit: Ben Hendren/Bloomberg)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5543356' />]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator>Pien Huang</dc:creator>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Ousted CDC director testifies she was fired for resisting pressure from RFK Jr.</title>
      <description>Susan Monarez says RFK Jr. told her to commit to decisions in advance, without reviewing evidence and to dismiss vaccine experts.</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 17 Sep 2025 11:55:43 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/17/nx-s1-5544143/cdc-director-susan-monarez-testimony-rfk</link>
      <guid>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/17/nx-s1-5544143/cdc-director-susan-monarez-testimony-rfk</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/1024x683!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2c%2Fd0%2F8ec3319140d1986b5b1142c135f7%2Fgettyimages-2235936726.jpg' alt='Former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Susan Monarez, testifies before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Wednesday in Washington, DC.'/><p>Susan Monarez says RFK Jr. told her to commit to decisions in advance, without reviewing evidence and to dismiss vaccine experts.</p><p>(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5544143' />]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator>Will Stone</dc:creator>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RFK Jr. wants to end mental health screenings in schools. Experts say it&apos;s a bad idea</title>
      <description>Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and Education Secretary Linda McMahon are against schools giving kids standardized questionnaires about their mental well-being. But experts say they are wrong.</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:08:23 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/16/nx-s1-5543271/rfk-jr-mental-health-screening-schools-stigma</link>
      <guid>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/16/nx-s1-5543271/rfk-jr-mental-health-screening-schools-stigma</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5560x3748+0+0/resize/5560x3748!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6e%2F2c%2F33eba7204bb7b484f52ee343feef%2Fgettyimages-2232220875.jpg' alt='Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon generally sit next to each other during President Trump's cabinet meetings, as at this one on Aug. 26.'/><p>Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and Education Secretary Linda McMahon are against schools giving kids standardized questionnaires about their mental well-being. But experts say they are wrong.</p><p>(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5543271' />]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator>Rhitu Chatterjee</dc:creator>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Kennedy&apos;s vaccine panel expected to recommend delaying hepatitis B shot in children</title>
      <description>RFK Jr.&apos;s hand-picked panel of vaccine advisors is expected to vote to delay the hepatitis B shot for newborns. Doctors warn that could fuel a return of a disease virtually eradicated in U.S. kids. </description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 05:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/16/nx-s1-5542405/rfk-jr-acip-vaccine-advisory-panel-vote-delay-hepatitis-b-shot-in-infants</link>
      <guid>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/16/nx-s1-5542405/rfk-jr-acip-vaccine-advisory-panel-vote-delay-hepatitis-b-shot-in-infants</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/6000x4000!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F15%2F05%2Fe5536d154f738a89e1c8a3b28873%2Fgettyimages-1642387751.jpg' alt='The CDC currently recommends that all newborns get their first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine before leaving the hospital.  Pediatricians and infectious disease specialists are afraid that Health Secretary RFK Jr.'s appointees to a vaccine advisory panel will vote to change that, and recommend that the first shot is delayed until age 4.'/><p>RFK Jr.'s hand-picked panel of vaccine advisors is expected to vote to delay the hepatitis B shot for newborns. Doctors warn that could fuel a return of a disease virtually eradicated in U.S. kids. </p><p>(Image credit: <br>Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5542405' />]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator>Jackie Fortiér</dc:creator>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>On Texas border, uninsured people stress the health system. It&apos;s set to get worse</title>
      <description>In South Texas&apos; Rio Grande Valley, many people go without health insurance, and the health system struggles as a result. Similar communities dot the nation.</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 05:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/16/nx-s1-5542408/health-insurance-obbba-texas-uninsurance-rates</link>
      <guid>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/16/nx-s1-5542408/health-insurance-obbba-texas-uninsurance-rates</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/1920x1080!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbe%2F00%2F60b59244428c993ba8d869144c2b%2Frgv-01.jpeg' alt='The Rio Grande Valley in South Texas has some of the highest uninsured rates in the U.S. The number of uninsured residents is expected to swell over the next decade.'/><p>In South Texas' Rio Grande Valley, many people go without health insurance, and the health system struggles as a result. Similar communities dot the nation.</p><p>(Image credit: Sam Whitehead)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5542408' />]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator>Sam Whitehead</dc:creator>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>5 new members added to CDC vaccine advisory panel ahead of key meeting </title>
      <description>Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. picks more new vaccine advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, days before a two-day meeting to consider COVID and hepatitis B shots.</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 17:04:32 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/15/nx-s1-5542390/cdc-vaccine-advisers-committee</link>
      <guid>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/15/nx-s1-5542390/cdc-vaccine-advisers-committee</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4000x2667+0+0/resize/4000x2667!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5a%2Fc6%2Fdbd53c404a5e8b88821be0f6b734%2Fgettyimages-2221377707.jpg' alt='The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice will have five additional members when it convenes Thursday in Atlanta.'/><p>Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. picks more new vaccine advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, days before a two-day meeting to consider COVID and hepatitis B shots.</p><p>(Image credit: Ben Hendren)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5542390' />]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator>Pien Huang</dc:creator>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RFK Jr.&apos;s MAHA report on children&apos;s health leaves something out: nicotine</title>
      <description>The Trump administration&apos;s document about children&apos;s health and chronic disease doesn&apos;t mention the word &quot;nicotine&quot; once. Tobacco remains the top cause of preventable death in the U.S.</description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2025 08:53:35 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>https://www.npr.org/2025/09/14/nx-s1-5536979/maha-children-chronic-disease-nicotine-smoking-vaping</link>
      <guid>https://www.npr.org/2025/09/14/nx-s1-5536979/maha-children-chronic-disease-nicotine-smoking-vaping</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7359x4000+0+0/resize/7359x4000!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F78%2F10%2Fb1bf39c94f04837f777f8895fdee%2Fgettyimages-1723998140.jpg' alt='undefined'/><p>The Trump administration's document about children's health and chronic disease doesn't mention the word "nicotine" once. Tobacco remains the top cause of preventable death in the U.S.</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5536979' />]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator>Yuki Noguchi</dc:creator>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Wary of RFK Jr., Colorado started revamping its vaccine policies last spring</title>
      <description>While Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., dismantles the federal institutions that set vaccine policy, states like Colorado are changing laws and regulations in an effort to preserve access to vaccines.</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 05:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/12/nx-s1-5538401/rfk-jr-colorado-revamps-vaccine-science-policies</link>
      <guid>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/12/nx-s1-5538401/rfk-jr-colorado-revamps-vaccine-science-policies</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5616x3744+0+0/resize/5616x3744!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fd8%2Fe4%2F937b1e59479c938d71b49f48787a%2Fap21345075065732.jpg' alt='Jill Holm-Denoma holds her son, Tyler, after he received a COVID shot in 2021 from nurse Emily Cole at National Jewish Health in Denver.  After President Trump appointed anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, Colorado updated state laws to ensure continued access to the COVID shot and other vaccines.'/><p>While Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., dismantles the federal institutions that set vaccine policy, states like Colorado are changing laws and regulations in an effort to preserve access to vaccines.</p><p>(Image credit: David Zalubowski)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5538401' />]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator>John Daley</dc:creator>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>They want COVID shots to protect their health or family. They can&apos;t get them</title>
      <description>Though the FDA narrowed criteria for the shots, many people still want them, to avoid illness and protect vulnerable family members. Some are turned down at the pharmacy or have to jump through hoops.</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 19:33:05 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/11/nx-s1-5538105/covid-vaccine-shots-pharmacy-fda</link>
      <guid>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/11/nx-s1-5538105/covid-vaccine-shots-pharmacy-fda</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4240x2385+0+0/resize/4240x2385!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F79%2F86%2F4ad2d41046d8b1f22002d837fbe0%2Fcovid-triptych-color-16x9.jpg' alt='Therese McRae with her daughter (left), Stephan Neidenbach (upper right, with his wife Jennifer, and their children) and Jason Mitton (lower right) all want the COVID vaccine and are having trouble getting it.'/><p>Though the FDA narrowed criteria for the shots, many people still want them, to avoid illness and protect vulnerable family members. Some are turned down at the pharmacy or have to jump through hoops.</p><p>(Image credit: Therese McRae; Stephan Neidenbach; and Jason Mitton)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5538105' />]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator>Rob Stein</dc:creator>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Running your lab results by ChatGPT? Here&apos;s what to keep in mind</title>
      <description>While patients wait to hear back from their doctors about test results, many turn to AI assistants for answers. There are issues with privacy and accuracy.</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 06:00:00 -0400</pubDate>
      <link>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/11/nx-s1-5537067/ai-medicine-privacy-test-results</link>
      <guid>https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/11/nx-s1-5537067/ai-medicine-privacy-test-results</guid>
      <content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1024x683+0+0/resize/1024x683!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff5%2F1e%2Fd0dad9fd4da9895b51545d8d83c2%2Fgettyimages-2216579136.jpg' alt='People are turning to Chatbots like Claude to get help interpreting their lab test results.'/><p>While patients wait to hear back from their doctors about test results, many turn to AI assistants for answers. There are issues with privacy and accuracy.</p><p>(Image credit: Smith Collection/Gado/Archive Photos)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5537067' />]]></content:encoded>
      <dc:creator>Kate Ruder</dc:creator>
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