Anti-Vaxxers Won’t Have A Place On CDC’s Advisory Panel, RFK Jr. Says
The Health and Human Services secretary will announce on X the "highly credentialed physicians" who will replace the 17 committee members he just fired. More are calling for Kennedy's resignation as frustration grows.
Bloomberg:
RFK Jr. Says He Won’t Put Anti-Vaxxers On Key Vaccine Panel
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged to bring in “highly credentialed physicians” and “not anti-vaxxers” to fill newly vacant slots on an influential committee that advises the US government on vaccine policy. Kennedy made the remarks roughly 24 hours after he abruptly dismissed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in an unprecedented move he said was needed to restore public confidence in vaccine science. The new members will be in place before the panel’s next scheduled meeting that starts June 25, Kennedy said Tuesday. (Cohrs Zhang, 6/10)
Stat:
Ousted CDC Vaccine Adviser Says RFK Jr.’s Message Is Clear: ‘Scientific Expertise Is No Longer Of Use’
Helen Chu went through a multi-year process to finally gain a seat on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccines experts panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. There was a lengthy application process, and extensive conflict-of-interest vetting, followed by training about how the committee conducts its operations. Chu, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Washington, was appointed last year to a four-year term on the committee. (Branswell, 6/10)
NBC News:
CDC Staff And Retired Workers Call For Kennedy’s Resignation In A Protest Outside Headquarters
Tuesday’s scheduled all-hands meeting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would have been the first during the new Trump administration. Instead, after it was canceled at the last minute, dozens of current and former employees at the country’s leading public health agency rallied outside CDC headquarters in Atlanta to protest what they described as a wave of unlawful firings, the dismantling of lifesaving programs and the censorship of science. (Zadrozny, Bendix and Edwards, 6/10)
MedPage Today:
AMA Calls For Senate Investigation Of RFK Jr.
Physicians called on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to immediately reverse his decision to fire all 17 sitting members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and called for a Senate investigation into his actions. Less than 24 hours after Kennedy announced that HHS had removed all of CDC's vaccine advisors, American Medical Association (AMA) delegates passed an emergency resolution urging Kennedy to reverse this move during their annual meeting. (Firth, 6/10)
Stat:
Fact-Checking A Vaccine Promise RFK Jr. Made During Confirmation
On Monday, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gutted the panel of experts that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines. That’s put the spotlight on a key Senate Republican health leader who sharply criticized Kennedy’s views on vaccines, then decided to support him anyhow. (Cirruzzo and Hogan, 6/10)
KFF Health News:
Watch: RFK Jr. Dismisses All 17 Members Of Vaccine Advisory Committee
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on June 9 he is removing the entire independent committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine usage, claiming members had too many outside conflicts. KFF Health News’ Céline Gounder joined CBS Evening News to discuss what this means for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, known as ACIP. (6/10)
Also —
Politico:
HHS Justifies Decision To Stop Recommending Covid Shots During Pregnancy With Studies Supporting The Shots’ Safety
The Department of Health and Human Services is circulating a document on Capitol Hill to explain its decision to remove the Covid-19 vaccine recommendation for pregnant women — citing studies that largely found the shot is safe. The document, which HHS sent to lawmakers days before Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his plan to fire the panel that advises the CDC on immunizations, says that studies have shown that women who got the vaccine during pregnancy had higher rates of various complications. (Gardner and Gardner, 6/10)
