Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s potential appointment to a key HHS role has sparked controversy due to his past statements against vaccines. Experts warn that his views could jeopardize decades of progress in disease prevention.
The secretary can appoint members to a CDC advisory panel that makes recommendations on vaccinations. As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. meets with Senate Republicans on the Hill this week in an effort to secure his appointment, a lawyer for Kennedy who is reviewing candidates for jobs at HHS filed a petition to the Food and Drug Administration in 2022 to revoke approval of the polio vaccine. The petition, the Times said, was on behalf of the Informed Consent Action Network.
On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump added to the controversy, saying during a news conference that he believes there are “problems” with vaccines and suggesting they may be linked to rising autism rates. Trump said, however, that he’s a “big believer” in the polio vaccine.Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., a polio survivor and a potential key figure in Kennedy’s confirmation, fired a warning shot at Kennedy in a statement Friday. “Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed — they’re dangerous,” McConnell said. The polio vaccine was approved in the U.S. in 1955, and it has prevented an estimated 20 million cases of paralysis in children, according to the CDC. Potential changes to childhood immunization policies in the U.S., driven by Kennedy’s views, could translate into significant changes to childhood immunization policies in the U.S. and could undermine decades of progress in preventing diseases like measles, polio and whooping cough. Last year, Kennedy said there’s “no vaccine that’s safe and effective” and linked the polio vaccine to cancer. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who may play a key role in public health issues under Trump’s second administration, offered more details on what he would do in that role.Childhood vaccination policies in the U.S. are complex, with states holding much of the authority
VACCINES ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. HEALTH POLICY AUTOSIM POLIO
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