US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. suspended all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. About this informs Reuters.
“Today, we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust, not any particular pro- or anti-vaccination program.”, — Kennedy Jr. said.
This step is considered the most radical among other initiatives of the minister, who has long been a critic of vaccination. Its actions are aimed at revising the current system of regulating vaccines, food products and medical drugs in the United States.
The scientific community and experts warn that a change in the composition of the committee, which forms recommendations for the use of vaccines and determines the target groups, can significantly undermine the trust of citizens in the state health care system.
The American Pharmaceutical Association has already criticized the minister’s actions:
“Committee reshuffle undermines confidence in vaccination and threatens health gains.”
It will be recalled that on May 29, the administration of US President Donald Trump canceled the contract for the development of preventive measures against bird flu. While back in January, former President Joe Biden’s administration gave Moderna $590 million to develop a bird flu vaccine and support clinical trials of five more potential pandemic flu strains.
