The Intelligence from The Economist Call the shots: vaccine cuts imperil global health
Sep 2, 2025
Natasha Loder, the health editor at The Economist, discusses the perilous effects of funding cuts on mRNA vaccine research, significantly impacting future pandemic preparedness. She highlights the ongoing turmoil within the CDC following the firing of its director and challenges posed by health misinformation. The conversation also touches on Britain’s largest supercomputer, Isambard AI, reflecting on its groundbreaking research potential. Loder further explores the rising cultural fascination in Mexico with Japanese and Korean cultures compared to China's more economic focus.
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How mRNA Vaccines Work And Why They Matter
- mRNA vaccines deliver a biological message that temporarily instructs cells to make a piece of a virus for immune training.
- They are easier to design and scale and promise broad future personalised-medicine applications.
mRNA's Flexible Platform Potential
- mRNA's flexibility lets researchers change the message and create many different medicines from the same platform.
- Many experts view mRNA as foundational for personalised therapies and pandemic preparedness.
Politics And Misinformation Shape Vaccine Policy
- Vaccine scepticism about safety and speed fuels political opposition to mRNA despite scientific evidence.
- Misinformation has entrenched itself in parts of the political right, complicating public-health policy.