Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced eight new members to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee on Wednesday. Some appointees have previously criticized vaccines, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The move follows Kennedy’s removal of all 17 existing members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) two days earlier. He accused the panel of conflicts of interest and called it a “rubber stamp” for vaccines.
The ACIP recommends on vaccine safety and efficacy, but the CDC has the final decision. Kennedy described the new members as “highly credentialed” experts committed to “evidence-based medicine and common sense.”
The new members will join an ACIP meeting from June 25 to 27 to discuss vaccines including HPV and COVID-19, and review the current vaccine schedule.
While the appointees have strong backgrounds in medicine, public health, and epidemiology, fewer specialize in immunology or vaccinology compared to previous committees.
Kennedy denied the new members are “anti-vaxxers,” but some have expressed skepticism about COVID-19 vaccines and mRNA technology. Dr. Robert Malone, an early mRNA contributor, spread misinformation during the pandemic. Retsef Levi published controversial research suggesting healthy people died after COVID-19 vaccination. Dr. Martin Kulldorff co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, which opposed lockdowns and advocated natural herd immunity, a plan criticized by global health leaders.
Four new members, including Malone and Kulldorff, influenced Kennedy’s views and were acknowledged in his book, The Real Anthony Fauci, which challenges the former health official’s pandemic response.
It remains unclear if Kennedy will add more members to the ACIP.
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