https://arstechnica.com/health/2026/04/rfk-jr-s-rejection-of-germ-theory-debunked-in-senate-hearing

4/23/2026 6:19:22 PM

Full context:

Quote :

"Bhattacharya — acting CDC director and also NIH director — first delayed publication. After the Washington Post reported on the delay two weeks ago, he met with the authors, who declined to change their methodology. On Tuesday, the authors received a formal rejection letter. HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said MMWR’s editorial review flagged concerns about the method used to estimate vaccine effectiveness. Critics note the test-negative design is a standard approach previously published in NEJM, The Lancet, JAMA Network Open, and MMWR itself without methodological controversy. "

Quote :

"The implication of our findings is that the test-negative designs can, at best, be seen as an indication of effectiveness in highly idealized situations that are often far away from reality."

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jep.13888

4/24/2026 6:31:15 AM