RFK Jr.'s vaccine advisers meeting wraps up

A sheet of vaccine advisers handpicked by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. concluded a two-day gathering pinch votes to limit nan readiness of definite flu vaccines. Their interest is simply a preservative that has been a root of contention contempt ample grounds that it is safe.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

A committee that helps trade vaccine argumentation successful nan U.S. has go a root of contention nether nan activity of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Yesterday, nan Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices wrapped up its two-day meeting. Here's NPR's Will Stone.

WILL STONE, BYLINE: This gathering of advisers to nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was unusually high-profile, mostly because of Secretary Kennedy's determination to purge nan full sheet of experts conscionable a fewer weeks agone - successful their place, his handpicked roster of 7 members, immoderate pinch a history of making inaccurate claims astir nan information of COVID vaccines. The chair of nan committee, Martin Kulldorff - an epidemiologist who's worked connected vaccines - began nan gathering pinch a telephone to rebuild nationalist spot and an announcement that a caller moving group would reexamine nan puerility vaccine schedule.

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MARTIN KULLDORFF: The number of vaccines that our children, our - and adolescents person coming transcend what children successful astir different developed nations person and what astir of america successful this room received erstwhile we were children.

STONE: Another group, he said, would look astatine vaccines that person not been taxable to reappraisal successful much than 7 years. All of this makes Yale Professor Jason Schwartz, who studies vaccine policy, very nervous.

JASON SCHWARTZ: They're already signaling their liking successful revisiting long-settled questions astir vaccine safety, opening up issues that person been focal points of critics of vaccines for decades.

STONE: On nan 2nd day, a mostly of nan sheet reaffirmed nan CDC recommendations that anyone complete six months get nan yearly flu shot. Other votes, however, focused connected fundamentally banning flu vaccines pinch a mercury-containing preservative called thimerosal. Theories that chemic could origin autism person agelong been disproven. Even so, manufacturers voluntarily removed it from puerility vaccines years ago. It's seldom utilized successful flu shots anymore. And yet nan sheet heard a position connected alleged information concerns from nan erstwhile caput of Children's Health Defense, a group that Secretary Kennedy founded. It's questioned vaccine information and dispersed misinformation. Dr. Cody Meissner, a pediatrician astatine Dartmouth, was nan only sheet personnel to ballot against nan recommendations.

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CODY MEISSNER: I'm not rather judge really to respond to this presentation. This is an aged rumor that has been addressed.

STONE: The gathering of nan group, called ACIP for short, was astatine times chaotic. In fact, nan American Academy of Pediatrics decided not to attend. Dr. Jim Campbell, who's pinch nan academy, says they thought location would beryllium nary room for existent participation, and nan votes connected thimerosal beryllium that.

JIM CAMPBELL: The ballot was based connected a azygous talk, without immoderate activity group aliases different master input. That is not nan measurement that ACIP typically works, truthful we're conscionable disappointed.

STONE: And nan gathering has raised large questions astir nan early of vaccine argumentation for Dr. Andy Pavia, a pediatrician astatine nan University of Utah.

ANDY PAVIA: I deliberation hundreds of physicians, epidemiologists, pediatricians watched pinch immoderate grade of horror.

STONE: Pavia points retired this sheet helps style security sum of vaccines, and he worries what they determine going guardant could yet trim entree to them.

Will Stone, NPR News.

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