news 
InnovationRx: The Dangers Of RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Advisory Committee
By Amy Feldman and Alex Knapp
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s remaking of the vaccine advisory committee represents a clear and present danger to public health. Last week, RFK Jr. disbanded the entire 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), only to replace the ousted members with eight new individuals chosen by himself.
One of the newly appointed members is Dr. Robert Malone, a former mRNA researcher who has promoted unproven treatments for COVID-19 and measles. Another member, Martin Kulldorff, also opposes COVID shots and co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, which advocated for a herd immunity approach to the pandemic.
The speedy appointment process raised red flags among experts, as it is drastically different from the lengthy vetting process that typically takes over a year to ensure the appointees are qualified and do not have any potential conflicts of interest. Some of the new members lack expertise in vaccines or infectious diseases, while two others served as paid consultants in a lawsuit against Merck involving its HPV vaccine.
The stakes for this advice are extremely high because vaccination has been proven to save lives. According to researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, routine vaccinations saved an estimated 1.1 million lives between 1994 and 2023, prevented approximately 508 million illnesses, and eliminated around 32 million hospitalizations.
The committee’s remit is critical as it provides advice to healthcare providers and patients on vaccination policies and practices. Its guidance informs local governments in the development of policies that keep children safe and health insurers’ decisions on which vaccines they will cover or not.
Source: www.forbes.com
