
Once again, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is allowing his personal, unproven anti-vaccine views to influence medical policy within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He is creating new obstacles that will make it more difficult for people who want vaccinations to access them.
Recently, Kennedy bypassed the usual procedures to change recommendations regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. Additionally, he canceled hundreds of millions of dollars in pledged funding to Moderna, the mRNA vaccine developer, which was intended for developing, testing, and purchasing vaccines for pandemic influenza. Kennedy has been openly critical of mRNA vaccines, and HHS confirmed that the funding was withdrawn.
Kennedy has a longstanding history of opposing vaccines. In 2021, he petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revoke the emergency use authorizations of COVID-19 vaccines and threatened legal action if the agency continued to approve them.
“We’re witnessing a complete circumvention of the nation’s leading public health agency,” said Richard Besser, former acting director of the CDC and president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
It’s important to recall Kennedy’s role during the measles outbreak, when cases surged past 700 and a second young child died in Texas from measles. Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine to prevent such outcomes, Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism has contributed to declining vaccination rates.
Furthermore, Kennedy has not implemented other recommendations from the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, including the introduction of a new meningitis vaccine and expanding RSV vaccine eligibility to high-risk adults aged 50 to 59.
The vaccine advisory panel is not scheduled to vote on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations until late June, potentially causing delays for manufacturers in preparing vaccines for the upcoming fall season.
Many warned former President Trump against appointing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., cautioning about his controversial views. However, it appears that Kennedy’s public support for Trump’s presidency was linked to promises of him being appointed to HHS.
