The Health Secretary’s decision immediately attracted criticism from the medical community. Credit: lev radin/shutterstock.com
US Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has rejected all 17 members of the Scientific Advisory Committee, advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine use. “To restore public confidence in vaccine science, we need clean slates,” Kennedy JR said. Wall Street Journalhe announced his decision.
The CDC webpage listing members of the advisory committee was deleted on Monday, June 9th, shortly after Kennedy’s announcement. “Vaccinations have become a divisive issue in American politics, but one thing all aspects agree is that the United States faces a crisis of public trust, regardless of health agencies, pharmaceutical companies, or the vaccine itself,” the Health Secretary wrote in the article.
Kennedy argued that it was wrong to condemn misinformation, including those he himself spread, and to condemn anti-scientific attitudes. In his view, this has “discovered it as “has been wreaking havoc for decades of persecution of opponents, persecution of clergy, lack of clergy, lack of prejudice and biased science.”
“In the 1960s, the world was seeking guidance from US health regulators, enjoying a reputation for integrity, scientific objectivity and passionate defense of patient welfare. Since then, public trust has collapsed, but we will regain it,” he added.
All committee members currently fired were appointed during Joe Biden’s presidency. “Without removing the current members, the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoint most of the newest until 2028,” Kennedy wrote, arguing that committee members had too many conflicts of interest.
Kennedy also faces conflict of interest
During a Senate confirmation hearing, a Democrat senator criticized Kennedy for profiting financially from anti-vaccine activities, warning that he could do so as the health secretary, citing the ongoing lawsuit against drug company Merck.
Before taking office, Kennedy spread false and unscientific claims and called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revoke approval for the Covid-19 vaccine.
He argues that “no safe and effective vaccine,” and repeatedly calls for further research into everyday childhood vaccinations, despite decades of proven real-world evidence to safely prevent disease. He also claims that the vaccine causes autism and allergies. Kennedy is personally involved in a lawsuit against Merck for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine used to prevent cervical cancer.
Despite all this, during his Senate confirmation hearing, Kennedy insisted that “I am not an anti-vaccine.” He recently took the extraordinary step of changing Covid-19 guidance without first consulting the advisory panel.
Repulsion from the medical community
The Health Secretary’s decision immediately attracted criticism from the medical community. “For generations, the Advisory Committee on Vaccination Practices (ACIP) has been the national source of science and database guidance on the use of vaccines to prevent and control disease,” Bruce A. Scott of the American Medical Association said in a statement.
“Practitioners, parents, community leaders and public health officials rely on clinical orientation, public health information and insights. The decision to dismiss the current 17 ACIP members undermines trusting and disrupting the transparent process that saves countless lives.
Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, described Kennedy’s massive firing as a “coup.” “It’s not a democratic system. It’s not good for the health of our people,” he said. According to Benjamin, the move raises serious concerns about whether future committee members will be deemed fair. He added that Kennedy is acting against what he told lawmakers and the public, and that the Public Health Association intends to closely monitor his actions.
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