Latest news with #AdvisoryCommitteeforImmunizationPractices
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Editorial: Ax to the vax — RFK Jr. continues on his anti-vaccine warpath
It's time for President Donald Trump, despite his own casual relationship with the truth, to stop putting American lives at risk and get rid of his dangerous quack in chief, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In his latest broadside against science, Kennedy is removing all 17 members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, the CDC's main advisory body, to ostensibly restore 'public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda.' God protect us, as RFK won't. This is how a society becomes undone. Science and reason get stepped on by half-truths and conspiracy theories. Next comes preventable death and disease. The problem is that there is no anti-vaccine side in the legitimate practice of science and medicine. The department's accompanying press release denigrated 'public health ideology' as if the practice of public health wasn't the CDC's only function. Researchers and doctors should be biased in favor of evidence-based therapeutics that save lives. Railing against bias towards vaccines is like a politician condemning researchers biased in favor of seatbelts in cars or keeping lead out of household paint. It's idiotic. We understand that the Make America Healthy Again movement Kennedy leads is all about questioning medical and nutritional practice. On a really abstract level, we are in agreement that no scientific truisms should be entirely above questioning — such a perspective would be anti-science. But there is a specific and long-standing methodology for actually answering those questions, and it is not debate club or who can most incite crowds of followers. It is the scientific method, under which hypotheses can be rigorously tested in ways that are replicable and based on clear and clearly laid out evidence. In that arena — really the only arena that actually matters when it comes to public health — the safety and efficacy of vaccines has been conclusively established. There is no additional discussion necessary or appropriate, particularly when it comes to immunizations that have now been standard-issue for decades and have by all measures radically decreased illness and mortality where they've been successfully deployed. The measles vaccine will always be better for individuals and public health than getting the measles. The same is true for polio, tetanus, COVID and all else. Preying on public skepticism of the pharmaceutical and health industries to hawk alternative approaches that are often unregulated and don't work is damaging it enough. Yet a true believer like RFK is more dangerous, especially now that he stands at the pinnacle of our nation's public health bureaucracy, a position that allows him to substantively impose his own anti-science view on an unsuspecting public and take the choice away from the American people. If RFK's new picks for ACIP — which the secretary falsely promised Sen. Bill Cassidy he wouldn't touch during his confirmation process — step back from recommending various crucial vaccines, this could substantially prevent even those who want to make the informed decision to receive inoculations or have their children vaccinated from being able to do so. As much as Kennedy and his followers emphasize the need for people to be able to make individual choices about their health, they seem hell-bent on taking that choice away entirely, especially given that insurance is not required to cover vaccines that are not CDC-recommended. We wonder what RFK will have to say for himself as once-eradicated diseases begin cutting through the U.S. population again. Is there anything that will get him to veer off this disastrous course? If the answer is no, and we suspect it is, then he must be removed before he can further damage public health. _____
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
RFK Jr. bring on eight members on vaccine panel
"All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense," wrote Kennedy in a post on X on June 11. "They have each committed to demanding definitive safety and efficacy data before making any new vaccine recommendations." The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices makes recommendations on the safety, efficacy and clinical need of vaccines to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It comprises medical and public health experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines in the civilian population of the United States. "The committee will review safety and efficacy data for the current schedule as well," noted Kennedy, who has a history of controversial views on vaccines. Dr. Paul A. Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the Food and Drug Administration Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, previously told USA TODAY that Kennedy was "fixing a problem that doesn't exist," by overhauling the committee. Picking members for the committee generally involves a three- to four-month vetting process by the CDC. Offit said he would "presumably pick people who are like-minded, and I think that will shake confidence in this committee." The list of appointees includes: Dr. Joseph R. Hibbeln, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist with a career in clinical research, public health policy, and federal service; Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a biostatistician and epidemiologist formerly at Harvard Medical School and a leading expert in vaccine safety and infectious disease surveillance; Retsef Levi, a professor of operations management at the MIT Sloan School of Management who specializes in healthcare analytics; Dr. Robert W. Malone, a physician-scientist and biochemist who claims to be the inventor of mRNA vaccine technology and has said spike proteins from COVID-19 mRNA vaccines often causepermanent damage to children's vital organs; Dr. Cody Meissner, a professor of pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth; Dr. James Pagano, an emergency medicine physician; Vicky Pebsworth, who holds a doctorate in public health and nursing from the University of Michigan and Michael A. Ross, a clinical professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University. and will replace them with new members, a move that the Trump administration's critics warned would create public distrust around the government's role in promoting public health.
USA Today
16 hours ago
- Health
- USA Today
Unpacking RFK's lengthy social media post after firing vaccine committee members
Unpacking RFK's lengthy social media post after firing vaccine committee members Show Caption Hide Caption RFK Jr. expels entire CDC vaccine advisory committee Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. removed a 17-member panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that issues recommendations on vaccines. unbranded - Newsworthy A day after abruptly firing the entire committee that advises the federal government on vaccine safety, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would reconstitute it with 'highly credentialed physicians and scientists' amid backlash from his detractors about the terminations. In a long post on X on June 10, Kennedy criticized the process by which the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices recommends new vaccines, implying that "adequate safety trials" were not being conducted before recommending new vaccines to children, a notion that was strongly disputed by vaccine experts. Kennedy, who has a long record of promoting anti-vaccine views, also said the new Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices will have no 'ideological anti-vaxxers' but that the committee will apply 'evidence-based decision-making with objectivity and common sense.' 'The most outrageous example of ACIP's malevolent malpractice has been its stubborn unwillingness to demand adequate safety trials before recommending new vaccines for our children,' he wrote. Kennedy said a compliant American child receives more shots now from conception to 18 years of age compared to 1986, none of which required placebo-controlled trials. That was the year when the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program was set up, protecting vaccine makers from liability and establishing a federal program to compensate individuals injured by certain vaccines. 'This means that no one can scientifically ascertain whether these products are averting more problems than they are causing,' he wrote. A placebo-controlled study is a type of clinical trial where one group of participants receives an active treatment, while another group receives an inactive substance, helping researchers to determine whether the active treatment is truly effective. But conducting placebo-controlled studies on vaccines that are improvements on existing vaccines presents ethical and practical challenges, say vaccine experts. 'If a vaccine for a serious disease (e.g., measles, polio) already exists and is proven effective, giving participants a placebo instead of the vaccine could expose them to preventable harm or death,' wrote Dr. Jerome Adams, the former U.S. Surgeon General under President Trump's first term, in a June 9 post on X. How do vaccines work? Medical experts explain. New vaccines always undergo a placebo-controlled study, said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the Food and Drug Administration Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee. But Kennedy's definition of placebo is different from FDA's, said Offit. Kennedy has sought to narrowly define placebos as salt water, said Offit, while the FDA defines it as an 'inactive substance.' 'A placebo may contain sodium sulfate or potassium sulfate or may contain sucrose, or it may contain an emulsifier – those are all generally regarded as safe,' said Offit. 'He doesn't regard them as safe.' HHS did not respond to USA TODAY seeking a comment on how Kennedy's definition differs from that of the FDA. Offit said Kennedy is a lawyer who has spent years suing pharmaceutical companies, and 'his job is to scare people about vaccines ultimately, so he can bring them back to court and sue companies,' he said. Meanwhile, in his announcement of the removal of the 17 members of the ACIP committee Kennedy said the purpose was to insulate the committee from 'conflicts of interest.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. fires entire 17-member CDC vaccine board. Here are the vaccines they recommended
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, fired all 17 members of a Centers of Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee of vaccine experts and said he will replace them with new members to restore "public trust" in his latest effort to overhaul American health agencies. Critics say such a move puts ideology over science, will undermine the government's role in vaccine safety, and could lead to more deadly disease transmissions. The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices makes recommendations on the safety, efficacy, and clinical need of vaccines to the CDC. It is comprised of medical and public health experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines in the civilian population of the United States. 'Today we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda,' Kennedy Jr., who has a history of spreading misleading and controversial claims about vaccines, said on June 9 in announcing the overhaul. 'The public must know that unbiased science — evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest — guides the recommendations of our health agencies.' Dr. Bruce Scott, president of the American Medical Association, warned that Kennedy Jr's work has undermined trust and "upends a transparent process that has saved countless lives." "With an ongoing measles outbreak and routine child vaccination rates declining, this move will further fuel the spread of vaccine-preventable illnesses," he said. As of June 5, a total of 1,168 confirmed measles cases were reported by 34 jurisdictions, including a child under four in Florida, and three people have died from it. The CDC said the deaths were the first from measles in the United States since 2015. Kennedy Jr., when asked, has backed vaccination as a preventive tool during a measles outbreak but also said that vaccines should be left to parents' discretion. 'What I would say is my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant,' the health secretary said after being after being asked about the measles vaccine. On May 27, Kennedy Jr. announced that the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be included in the CDC's recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women, a reversal of previous expert guidance. As of June 10, pregnant women are still advised on the CDC website to stay current with COVID boosters, but where the CDC previously recommended COVID vaccines for everyone aged 6 months and older, the updated page now recommends them only for "most adults" aged 18 and older. Parents are instead urged to discuss vaccines for their children with their healthcare provider. The CDC's advisory committee did not vote on this change, USA TODAY reported, and did not appear in Kennedy Jr.'s social media video announcing it. U.S. Food and Drug Administration leaders under Kennedy Jr. announced in May that the agency would stop recommending annual COVID-19 vaccines for anyone under the age of 65 without certain medical conditions. Kennedy, 71, a longtime environmental lawyer and founder of the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, has for years promoted several widely discredited views such as Wi-Fi causes cancer, fluoride in public water systems causes bone cancer and IQ loss, and antidepressants are linked to school shootings. He has also long spread false and misleading claims about vaccines, including the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism, that COVID-19 was 'ethnically targeted' to attack 'Caucasians and Black people' while sparing 'Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese' people, and the measles vaccine caused a measles outbreak. One of his advisors previously petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to withdraw the polio vaccine. Although he stopped short of recommending measles vaccines, as the outbreak spread Kennedy Jr. did urge parents to consider measles vaccination. However, the health secretary, who has no formal medical training, also recommended other methods of prevention and treatment such as vitamin A, cod liver oil and a healthy diet. Public health officials and doctors have said there is no evidence to support the claims that such moves prevent or treat measles. The only proven method of preventing measles, at a rate of 97% efficacy, is vaccination, according to the CDC. Measles outbreak: RFK Jr. touts vitamin A for measles prevention. Doctors disagree. The adult vaccine list currently recommended by the CDC has not changed since before President Donald Trump took office, but other government websites have updated to fit the priorities of the Trump administration. Here's a list of the vaccines currently recommended by the CDC as of June 10, 2025. The CDC recommends that everyone be up to date on these routine vaccines: COVID-19 vaccine and boosters Flu vaccine (influenza) Tdap vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough) or Td vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria) Other vaccines that adults may want to consider include: Chickenpox vaccine – recommended for all adults born in 1980 or later Hepatitis B vaccine – recommended for all adults up through 59 years of age, and for some adults 60 years of age and older with known risk factors HPV vaccine – recommended for all adults up through 26 years of age, and for some adults aged 27 through 45 years MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella) – recommended for all adults born in 1957 or later Along with these, other vaccines are recommended for people in different situations. Tdap vaccine — Get between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy to help protect your baby against whooping cough. Hepatitis B vaccine Especially make sure you get the flu vaccine if you're pregnant during fly season, October through May. Along with the routine ones, healthcare works also should get: Chickenpox vaccine (varicella) Hepatitis B vaccine Meningococcal vaccine – especially lab workers who work with Neisseria Meningitidis MMR vaccine Each country in the world has its own list of required vaccines, check when you make your plans. The CDC currently has a list here and note that measles cases are increasing across the globe. The World Health Organization also has a list of vaccines international travelers may want. Talk to your healthcare provider and get any needed vaccines at least four to six weeks before your trip to help build up immunity. You can take the CDC quiz to get a list of vaccines you need based on your lifestyle, travel habits and other factors. Chickenpox vaccine – recommended for all adults born in 1980 or later Hepatitis B vaccine – recommended for all adults up through 59 years of age, and for some adults 60 years of age and older with known risk factors HPV vaccine – recommended for all adults up through 26 years of age, and for some adults aged 27 through 45 years MMR vaccine – recommended for all adults born in 1957 or later Shingles vaccine – recommended for all adults 50 years of age and older Asplenia (without a functioning spleen): Hib vaccine (Haemophilus influenzae type b), Meningococcal vaccines – both MenACWY and MenB, Pneumococcal vaccine Diabetes, type 1 and type 2: Pneumococcal vaccine Heart disease, stroke or other cardiovascular diseases: Pneumococcal vaccine HIV infection: Hepatitis A vaccine, Hepatitis B vaccine, Meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MenACWY). Pneumococcal vaccine, Shingles vaccine. If your CD4 count is 200 or greater, you may also need Chickenpox vaccine and MMR vaccine Liver disease: Hepatitis A vaccine, Hepatitis B vaccine, Pneumococcal vaccine Lung disease (Including Asthma or COPD): Pneumococcal vaccine End-stage renal (kidney) disease: Hepatitis B vaccine, Pneumococcal vaccine Weakened immune system (excluding HIV infection): Hib vaccine, Pneumococcal vaccines, Meningococcal vaccines (MenACWY and MenB), Shingles vaccine Birth: Hepatitis B vaccine (1st of 3), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine 1-2 months: DTaP vaccine (1st of 5), Hib vaccine (1st of 3 or 4), Hepatitis B vaccine (2nd of 3), IPV (for polio, 1st of 4), PCV (1st of 4), rotavirus vaccine (1st of 2 or 3) 4 months: DTaP vaccine (2nd of 5), Hib vaccine (2nd of 3 or 4), IPV (2nd of 4), PCV (2nd of 4), rotavirus vaccine (2nd of 2 or 3) 6 months: COVID-19 vaccine, DTaP vaccine (3rd of 5), Hepatitis B vaccine (3rd of 3), IPV (3rd of 4), Hib vaccine (3rd of 3 or 4), PCV (3rd of 4), rotavirus vaccine (3rd of 2 or 3) 7-11 months: Flu vaccine 12 -23 months: Chickenpox vaccine (1st of 2), DTaP vaccine (4th of 5), flu vaccine (every flu season), Hepatitis A vaccine (1st of 2), Hepatitis B vaccine (3rd of 3 between 6 months and 18 months), Hib vaccine (4th of 4), IPV (3rd of 4 between 6 months and 18 months), MMR vaccine (1st of 2), PCV (4th of 4). 2-3 years: Flu vaccine every flu season. 4-6 years: Chickenpox vaccine (2nd of 2), DTaP vaccine (5th of 5), Flu vaccine every flu season, IPV (4th of 4), MMR vaccine (2nd of 2). 7-10 years: Flu vaccine every flu season, good time to catch up on any missing vaccines. 11-12 years: Flu vaccine every flu season, HPV vaccine (2 doses), MenACWY vaccine (1st dose of 2), Tdap vaccine. 13-18 years: Flu vaccine every flu season, MenACWY vaccine (2nd dose of 2), MenB vaccine (2 doses), MenABCWY vaccine. Baby vaccines: Babies get a lot of vaccines before they turn 2. Is it safe to spread them out instead? The state of Florida requires certain vaccines to be administered before children may enroll and attend childcare and school. According to the Florida Department of Health, the following vaccines are required, with age-appropriate doses: Immunizations required for childcare and/or family daycare Diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) Measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) Varicella (chickenpox) Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV15/20) Hepatitis B (Hep B) Public/non-public preschool entry DTaP IPV MMR Varicella Hib Pneumococcal conjugate (PCV15/20) Hepatitis B (Hep B) Public/non-public schools kindergarten through 12th grade Four or five doses of DTaP Four or five doses of IPV Two doses of MMR Three doses of Hep B One Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) Two doses of Varicella (kindergarten effective with 2008–2009 school year, then an additional grade is added each year thereafter). Varicella vaccine is not required if there is a history of varicella disease documented by the health care provider. As of 2010, children entering, attending or transferring to the seventh grade in Florida schools must also complete one Tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap). Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge and Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fires CDC vaccine board, what to know
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Health
- Business Insider
RFK Jr. reconstituting vaccine advisory committee, retiring 17 current members
In an opinion article published by The Wall Street Journal, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated: 'Vaccines have become a divisive issue in American politics, but there is one thing all parties can agree on: The U.S. faces a crisis of public trust. Whether toward health agencies, pharmaceutical companies or vaccines themselves, public confidence is waning… That is why, under my direction, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is putting the restoration of public trust above any pro- or antivaccine agenda… Today, we are taking a bold step in restoring public trust by totally reconstituting the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP). We are retiring the 17 current members of the committee, some of whom were last-minute appointees of the Biden administration. Without removing the current members, the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028… A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science.' Confident Investing Starts Here:
