KFF Health News 2d ago

Would hunters take a vaccine for Lyme disease? The question is more significant than you might think. A new Lyme vaccine is being submitted for approval by Pfizer and Valneva, including to the agency headed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr, a noted anti-vaccine activist. If it clears that hurdle, there’s still the question whether anyone would take it; lack of interest helped sink a previous Lyme vaccine at the turn of the millennium. Hunters tend to skew conservative, rural, and male, all identities associated with increased hesitancy toward vaccines. But they also spend long periods of time outdoors, potentially exposed to Lyme. So we went to a gun range outside St. Louis to ask hunters about the possible vaccine. We also called one of the most prominent hunters in the country and the host of MeatEater, Steven Rinella. Credit: Reporter - Bram Sable-Smith Video producer/editor - Hannah Norman Videographer - Kyle Pyatt Additional visuals - Getty Images; C-SPAN; Lydia Zuraw/KFF Health News Music - The Summit, Base Camp, and Balti by Blue Dot Sessions