RFK Jr. fires all vaccine experts on CDC panel

RFK Jr., head of Health and Human Services and a controversial figure on vaccination, announced his intention to fire all 17 members of the Vaccine Expert Advisory Committee in an opinion piece relayed by CNN.

In support of his decision, Kennedy formulated a series of accusations in his opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal, calling into question the integrity and impartiality of the committee members.

In an unprecedented move, he also announced his intention to replace them with advisors of his own choosing. This replacement must be made quickly, as the committee is due to hold an important meeting at the end of June to discuss vaccinations against, among others, RSV, influenza, HPV, meningitis and COVID-19.

These layoffs come just days after the US Secretary of Health modified the vaccination schedule for children and pregnant women, notably removing COVID-19 vaccines from the list of recommended vaccines.

This decision, taken without the usual advice of the Advisory Board, has drawn strong criticism from immunology experts.

In his opinion piece, Kennedy accuses the committee members, who he says were appointed by Joe Biden shortly before the end of his term, of being “plagued with conflicts of interest”, which would justify their dismissal according to him.

Still according to CNN, at least one of the members learned of his dismissal at the same time as the general public, when the piece was published by the Wall Street Journal.