Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, is transforming the way the federal government handles vaccinations. Since his appointment on February 13, his department has canceled meetings related to infectious diseases and has begun a review of contracts with vaccine manufacturers, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. More changes are expected to follow.
Sources close to the situation told the Journal that Kennedy is considering appointing new members to a committee responsible for providing recommendations on vaccination policies in the U.S. Additionally, he is contemplating implementing a new conflict-of-interest policy that could result in the disqualification of some current committee members. HHS is also conducting a thorough review of the areas it oversees, with a focus on understanding the root causes of chronic illness, while re-evaluating its conflict-of-interest policies.
Kennedy is “absolutely will[ing] to live up to his word in taking in expertise and science from all sides,” Zen Honeycutt, founder of Moms Across America, said to the Journal. Honeycutt’s nonprofit organization opposes the use of pesticides and genetically modified foods.
However, the new HHS secretary is facing backlash for his stance on vaccines, especially as he leads the country’s response to a measles outbreak in Texas, which led to the death of an unvaccinated child. On Friday, he posted on social media that eliminating the disease was his “top priority,” but his previous statement, “we have measles outbreaks every year,” has been criticized by several infectious-disease specialists and doctors.
In a Sunday editorial, Kennedy encouraged parents to consult with their child’s doctor about getting vaccinated against measles, but also emphasized that “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one.” Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, expressed hope that Kennedy would come to understand “how important vaccines are for protecting children and adults” from his new position.
After Kennedy’s confirmation, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) within HHS reportedly halted a $460.7 million contract with Vaxart, which was working on an oral COVID-19 vaccine. The department also began reviewing its $590 million contract with Moderna, which was developing a vaccine for avian flu. “While it is crucial that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services support pandemic preparedness, four years of the Biden administration’s failed oversight have made it necessary to review agreements for vaccine production,” an HHS spokesperson told the Journal in reference to the Moderna contract.
The Vaxart contract was under review as part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to cut wasteful government spending, according to a White House spokesperson. In a separate move, the Food and Drug Administration unexpectedly canceled a meeting of vaccine experts who advise on which flu strains to target for the upcoming season’s vaccines. Additionally, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which had been scheduled to meet on February 26, saw its meeting postponed without a new date set.
“I think [Kennedy’s] just putting the brakes on things, saying, Slow down, let’s look at things,” said Jeff Hutt, spokesperson for the Make America Healthy Again political-action committee.
{Matzav.com}