The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is in disarray under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, according to critics. Kennedy's actions, including firing the entire advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP) and replacing them with anti-vaccine advocates, have raised alarms about the safety of public health in the United States.
In June, Kennedy dismissed all 17 members of ACIP, a panel that provides scientific recommendations on vaccines. The new appointees include several who share his skepticism of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, despite numerous studies confirming their safety and effectiveness. At a Senate hearing on Thursday, Kennedy refused to acknowledge that over a million Americans have died from Covid-19, a figure listed on the CDC's own website as 1,234,371.
Kennedy also agreed with a statement from one of his ACIP appointees that mRNA vaccines cause serious harm, including death, especially among young people. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration, also under Kennedy's oversight, restricted eligibility for updated Covid-19 boosters to those over 65 or with underlying conditions, compared to last year when anyone over six months could receive them.
In May, Kennedy unilaterally removed Covid-19 booster shots from the recommended immunization schedule for pregnant women and healthy children. Fatima Khan, co-founder of the Protect Their Future group, called the move 'anti-children and anti-science'. While Kennedy claims boosters remain available, experts warn they may become harder to find and afford as private insurers and states follow government recommendations.
Susan Monarez, who served as CDC director for just 29 days before being ousted, wrote in the Wall Street Journal that Kennedy is behind 'a deliberate effort to weaken America's public-health system and vaccine protections'. She stated she was told to preapprove ACIP recommendations and refused to 'rubberstamp unscientific, reckless directives'. Kennedy has also fired 2,400 CDC workers, later rehiring about 700, and weakened programs addressing cancer, heart disease, lead poisoning, and more, according to nine former CDC directors.
