By Audrey Safman
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Doctors for America (DFA) calls on Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to keep the pledges he made during his confirmation hearing to protect “the public health benefit of vaccination” and maintain the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) “without changes.” We are deeply concerned by Mr. Kennedy’s recent comments and actions that jeopardize vaccine access, including his comments regarding the childhood immunization schedule and now the postponement of the February 2025 ACIP meeting, without a rescheduled date.
The ACIP is composed of clinical, public health, and scientific experts who make recommendations that inform the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) annual immunization schedules for children, adolescents, and adults. These immunization schedules provide structured recommendations for age-appropriate administration, dosing, contraindications, and precautions for routine vaccines, and they are used by clinicians across medical subspecialties to direct evidence-based preventative care of patients. The ACIP also informs which vaccines are covered by health insurance plans; recommended vaccines are provided at no cost to eligible children through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program. Regular ACIP meetings are critical to ensure that the committee’s recommendations incorporate the latest evidence and respond appropriately to pressing public health issues.
Secretary Kennedy’s record of spreading misinformation about vaccines has had devastating and deadly consequences. Among the starkest examples is the 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa which claimed 83 lives, mostly infants and young children. Samoan health officials and leaders have criticized Mr. Kennedy’s July 2018 visit and anti-vaccine disinformation campaign as fueling public fears around vaccination. At present, there is a growing measles outbreak in both Texas and New Mexico. The illnesses and hospitalizations due to this outbreak could have been prevented with the highly safe and effective MMR vaccine. Because of the efficacy of this vaccine, measles had been eliminated in the United States in 2000. Measles outbreaks, such as the one that we are currently experiencing, are the direct result of decreased vaccine uptake propagated by vaccine skepticism and misinformation. In the absence of federal health leadership that promotes public health and seeks to restore public trust in vaccines, deadly disease outbreaks of otherwise preventable infections will continue to jeopardize the health and safety of Americans.
Mr. Kennedy expresses that he aims to address the childhood chronic illness crisis. One of the most effective ways to address pediatric illnesses, chronic disease, and death is through the use of safe and effective vaccines that prevent diseases. Chronic hepatitis B virus is a leading cause of chronic liver disease and the number one cause of liver cancer, both of which are preventable with the hepatitis B vaccine administered in infancy. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is another anti-cancer vaccine that prevents the leading cause of cervical cancer and 90% of all cancers caused by HPV, including anal and oropharyngeal cancer. Other notable vaccines include the rotavirus vaccine, which is effective against a leading cause of diarrheal-associated death in children, and the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine, which prevents meningitis and epiglottitis, both of which are associated with high morbidity and mortality. These are just a few examples of the incredible public health progress of vaccination and the importance of the childhood immunization schedule to prevent pediatric diseases and protect the health of children. Mr. Kennedy’s repeated attacks on vaccination undermine decades of public health progress and are antithetical to the goals he claims to address through his so-called “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
As physicians and public health professionals, we have devoted our lives and careers to protecting the health of our patients. We call on Secretary Kennedy to condemn his long standing anti-vaccine rhetoric and confirm the benefit of vaccines. In his current position as Secretary of HHS, we call on Mr. Kennedy to fulfill his duty to the American people and work with physicians, scientists, and public health professionals to achieve our shared goal of making Americans healthy, and to let science lead us forward in this endeavor.
Originally published by Doctors for America — https://doctorsforamerica.org/