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News.com.au
5 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Medical groups sue US health secretary over Covid-19 vaccine change
Several leading medical groups filed suit against US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday, accusing him of endangering public health with new Covid-19 vaccine recommendations. At the end of May, Kennedy announced via social media that federal authorities would no longer recommend Covid-19 vaccines for children and pregnant women, resulting in blowback from health experts. In the lawsuit, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Physicians (ACP) and other leading medical groups are calling on the court to stop Kennedy's "unilateral, unscientific" directive and restore the Covid-19 vaccine to immunization schedules. "It is really unconscionable to take away a parent's ability and choice to protect their children through vaccination," said Tina Tan, a pediatrician and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, one of the plaintiffs. Since taking office, Kennedy -- who spent decades spreading vaccine misinformation before becoming President Donald Trump's top health official -- has worked to overhaul American vaccination policies. In June, he fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and appointed his own panelists, under the banner of "Make America Healthy Again." Monday's complaint also highlighted the controversial new appointees to ACIP. "We are on a dangerous path," warned Susan Kressly of the AAP, denouncing what she described as misinformation spread by Kennedy while citing the concerns of her peers and parents of patients. "Pediatricians cannot stay silent as the system we rely on to support life-saving vaccines is chiseled away piece by piece, with Secretary Kennedy leading efforts to sow doubt and distrust in the American success story of vaccines," Kressly said. The problem isn't limited to parents and children, as misinformation about vaccines undermines a long-standing trust between doctor and patient. Increasingly, medical professionals are finding that adult patients are "hesitant to get their vaccines. They are not trusting the system anymore," said Jason Goldman, president of the ACP. The issue of vaccines extends beyond Covid-19 in the US. Johns Hopkins University released a count Monday finding the US has recorded its worst measles epidemic in more than 30 years, with 1,277 cases confirmed since the beginning of 2025, and illness recorded in 40 of 50 states. The total US figure is the highest since 1992. The joint complaint was filed in Massachusetts, a northeastern US state. Federal health officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.
France 24
5 days ago
- Health
- France 24
Medical groups sue US health secretary over Covid-19 vaccine change
At the end of May, Kennedy announced via social media that federal authorities would no longer recommend Covid-19 vaccines for children and pregnant women, resulting in blowback from health experts. In the lawsuit, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Physicians (ACP) and other leading medical groups are calling on the court to stop Kennedy's "unilateral, unscientific" directive and restore the Covid-19 vaccine to immunization schedules. "It is really unconscionable to take away a parent's ability and choice to protect their children through vaccination," said Tina Tan, a pediatrician and president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, one of the plaintiffs. Since taking office, Kennedy -- who spent decades spreading vaccine misinformation before becoming President Donald Trump's top health official -- has worked to overhaul American vaccination policies. In June, he fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and appointed his own panelists, under the banner of "Make America Healthy Again." Monday's complaint also highlighted the controversial new appointees to ACIP. "We are on a dangerous path," warned Susan Kressly of the AAP, denouncing what she described as misinformation spread by Kennedy while citing the concerns of her peers and parents of patients. "Pediatricians cannot stay silent as the system we rely on to support life-saving vaccines is chiseled away piece by piece, with Secretary Kennedy leading efforts to sow doubt and distrust in the American success story of vaccines," Kressly said. The problem isn't limited to parents and children, as misinformation about vaccines undermines a long-standing trust between doctor and patient. Increasingly, medical professionals are finding that adult patients are "hesitant to get their vaccines. They are not trusting the system anymore," said Jason Goldman, president of the ACP. The issue of vaccines extends beyond Covid-19 in the US. Johns Hopkins University released a count Monday finding the US has recorded its worst measles epidemic in more than 30 years, with 1,277 cases confirmed since the beginning of 2025, and illness recorded in 40 of 50 states. The total US figure is the highest since 1992. The joint complaint was filed in Massachusetts, a northeastern US state.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Health
- Reuters
US physician groups sue Kennedy over vaccine policy
July 7 (Reuters) - Several leading medical organizations filed a lawsuit against U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Department of Health and Human Services on Monday, arguing that current policies on COVID-19 vaccines pose an imminent threat to public health. The plaintiffs, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, American Public Health Association and Infectious Diseases Society of America, have asked the court to vacate Kennedy's recent directive removing the COVID-19 vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's childhood and pregnant‑women immunization schedules. The lawsuit accuses Kennedy of working "to dismantle the longstanding, Congressionally-authorized, science- and evidence-based vaccine infrastructure that has prevented the deaths of untold millions of Americans." Representatives for HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lead counsel for the plaintiffs Richard Hughes, a partner at law firm Epstein Becker Green, said he hopes to expedite the case, with a hearing in the next few weeks and a permanent order in the case entered by September. Kennedy, who for decades has sown doubt about the safety of vaccines contrary to evidence and research by scientists, is head of the department that oversees the CDC. He said in May that the CDC would remove the COVID shot from vaccination schedules for healthy children and healthy pregnant women. The complainants alleged that such "baseless and uninformed policy" decisions place critical populations at "grave and immediate risk" of preventable illness, long-term harm, or death. HHS' changes to the COVID vaccine recommendations have led pregnant women and parents to question the value of other recommended vaccines, representatives of the medical societies said. "We're hearing from pediatricians all over the country that parents are having significant concerns about every single vaccine," Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said at a press conference. In addition to the new directive on COVID vaccines, Kennedy fired all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the independent panel of experts that advises the agency on vaccine policy, and replaced them with seven new members, including several who have advocated against vaccines. The lawsuit doesn't address Kennedy's overhaul of that committee. But Hughes told reporters that he expects the new members will take action against other vaccines and the groups plan to amend their complaint when that happens.
Fast Company
5 days ago
- Health
- Fast Company
Medical groups sue RFK Jr. and HHS over COVID vaccine policy changes
Several leading medical organizations on Monday filed a suit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., arguing that current policies on the COVID-19 vaccine pose an imminent threat to public health. The plaintiffs, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, American Public Health Association and Infectious Diseases Society of America, have asked the court to vacate Kennedy's recent directive removing the COVID-19 vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's childhood and pregnant‑women immunization schedules. Representatives for HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic whose department oversees the CDC, has been remaking the U.S. health system to align with President Donald Trump's goal of dramatically shrinking the federal government. He signed a directive in May delisting the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women. The complainants alleged that such 'baseless and uninformed policy' decisions place critical populations at 'grave and immediate risk' of preventable illness, long-term harm, or death.
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Health
- Bloomberg
RFK Jr. Sued by Doctors Over Abrupt Changes to Covid Vaccine Guidance
Organizations representing pediatricians and public health experts sued Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his decision to unilaterally change government recommendations on Covid shots for healthy children and pregnant women earlier this year. The plaintiffs include large, influential medical bodies such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American College of Physicians, the American Public Health Association and the Society for Maternal—Fetal Medicine, challenged Kennedy's decision on the basis that it was arbitrary and capricious and violated the legal structure Congress set up for vaccine recommendations. An unidentified pregnant woman also joined the suit, filed Monday.
