RFK Jr. forced to withdraw charter that opened CDC panel to anti-vaccine quacks

"The charter's revisions under anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would have allowed Kennedy to appoint dubiously qualified anti-vaccine allies to advise the CDC. It also would have directed the CDC panel to focus on alleged vaccine injuries and risks and welcomed fringe groups and anti-vaccine organizations to participate in developing federal vaccine policy."

"Kennedy's move to reshape the CDC panel-the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP-came amid Kennedy's many other attempts to undermine it, as well as a court order to undo that meddling. In June of last year, Kennedy summarily fired all 17 experts from ACIP and quickly replaced them with unvetted and unqualified anti-vaccine allies."

"Kennedy's ACIP then held several meetings in which they aired anti-vaccine views and misinformation, allowed anti-vaccine activists to give unvetted presentations, and ultimately voted to remove longstanding, evidence-based federal vaccine recommendations based on anti-vaccine rhetoric. That includes the removal of a universal recommendation for a hepatitis B vaccine dose at birth, despite no evidence of any safety concerns or any benefit to delaying the dose."

"Subsequent modeling studies found that the change will mean more infections, increases in liver cancers and deaths, as well as millions of dollars in healthcare costs."

A revised charter for the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee was withdrawn by the Health Department due to an administrative error. The proposed changes would have allowed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appoint allies described as dubiously qualified and would have shifted the committee’s focus toward alleged vaccine injuries and risks. The revisions would have welcomed fringe and anti-vaccine organizations to participate in federal vaccine policy development. Kennedy’s efforts to reshape the committee followed other attempts to undermine it and a court order undoing that meddling. After firing all 17 experts, the committee held meetings featuring anti-vaccine views and misinformation, accepted unvetted presentations, and voted to remove evidence-based vaccine recommendations, including a universal hepatitis B birth dose. Modeling predicted more infections, liver cancers, deaths, and higher healthcare costs.

Read at Ars Technica