Leading doctors sue RFK Jr. over COVID-19 vaccines. Here's why.
On May 27, Kennedy said the shot would no longer be included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women, a move that broke with previous expert guidance and bypassed the normal scientific review process.
The health secretary also fired all 17 original members of a federal vaccine panel June 9 and quickly appointed eight new members, including some vaccine skeptics. The panel met for the first time on June 25 but did not make COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for the fall.
The plaintiffs, which include the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, claim Kennedy's recent decisions were designed to mislead, confuse and desensitize the public to anti-vaccine and anti-science rhetoric. In the July 7 lawsuit filed in Massachusetts, they ask the judge to halt changes made to the COVID-19 vaccine policy.
Vaccine panel on thimerosal: What is that and why is there controversy?
'This wasn't just sidelining science,' said AAP President Dr. Susan Kressly. 'It's an attack on the very foundation of how we protect families and children's health. And the consequences could be dangerous.'
The American College of Physicians, American Public Health Association, Infectious Diseases Society of America, Massachusetts Public Health Alliance and an anonymous pregnant physician were also listed as plaintiffs. The organizations urge parents and patients to follow medical advice published on their websites.
'We will not stand by while a single federal official unilaterally and effectively strips Americans of their choice to vaccinate with actions that thoroughly disregard overwhelming scientific evidence and decades of established federal processes,' said IDSA President Dr. Tina Tan. 'As a community of clinicians, public health officials and scientists, our focus remains the protection of patients and public health.'
USA TODAY reached out to HHS for comment.
Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Tick bites sending more people to ER than years past, CDC data shows
The Northeast has been hit especially hard, with 283 ER visits per 100,000 attributed to tick bites. This summer is shaping up to be one of the worst tick seasons in recent years, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. Emergency room visits related to tick bites have spiked in 2025, reaching their highest point in five years nationwide, according to the CDC's Tick Bite Data Tracker. The Northeast has been hit particularly hard, with tick bites accounting for 283 ER visits per 100,000 during the peak month of May, up from 209 around the same time in 2024. The CDC reported by July 6 that the number of emergency department visits for tick bites had already exceeded nearly 10 years of July records, with 92 visits per 100,000 reported across the nation. Children ages 0 to 9 and people over the age of 70 were the most common of these ER visitors. Vector-borne illness, or disease transmitted by fleas, ticks and mosquitoes, has been on the rise in part due to climate change, said the CDC. With shorter and warmer winters becoming the norm, fewer disease-carrying ticks are dying off in the cold months, increasing the number that survive and can bite humans when the weather warms up. Other factors, including land use, pest control and access to healthcare, impact how many tick bites are reported and if related diseases are spread amongst the local human and pet population. Risk and symptoms of tick bites Lyme disease is one of the most common tickborne illnesses, but the insects can carry several other diseases capable of infecting animals and humans. Humans may contract a variety of pathogens from ticks, according to the CDC, including: The CDC notes that many tickborne illnesses have similar symptoms, with some of the most common including: How to prevent tick bites The best cure for tick-borne illness is prevention, according to the CDC, which suggests the following to protect yourself from bites: Contributing: Bailey Allen, USA TODAY Network; Iris Seaton, Asheville Citizen Times
Fox News
9 hours ago
- Fox News
Happy Hour: Health Is Wealth, People! Featuring Jillian Michaels
Health is wealth, people! Health and Wellness Expert Jillian Michaels joins Kennedy for a tall glass of sparkling…water & organic discuss Jillian's stance on the Make America Healthy Again movement, weight loss plans, and having farm animals as Jillian shares her favorite road trip snacks. Beef jerky, anyone? Follow Kennedy on Twitter: @KennedyNation Kennedy Now Available on YouTube: Follow on TikTok: Join Kennedy for Happy Hour on Fridays! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Miami Herald
11 hours ago
- Miami Herald
‘Most serious' kind of plague kills Arizona resident, health officials say
An Arizona resident has died from the 'most serious' form of the plague, health officials said. The person tested positive for pneumonic plague July 11 in Coconino County, the Health and Human Services Department said in a news release. Pneumonic plague is a 'severe lung infection caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium,' health officials said. It's the first reported death related to this form of the plague in Coconino County since 2007, officials said. That year, the person was infected after coming into contact with a dead animal with the disease, officials said. Health officials said it's rare for humans to get the plague as there are about seven cases in the U.S. every year. Because of this, the risk of exposure for the public is low, officials said. People are most commonly infected with three types of the plague: pneumonic, bubonic and septicemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Someone can get pneumonic plague when the bacteria spreads to the lungs while a person is infected with bubonic or septicemic plague, the federal agency said It can also be transmitted when a person inhales the droplets from a sick person or animal. 'Pneumonic plague is the most serious form of the disease and is the only form of plague that can be spread from person to person,' the agency said.
