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Kennedy Jr. replaces CDC vaccine committee with anti-vaxxers: controversy in the US

The 17 previous members have been dismissed and eight new advisors close to the Trump administration’s Secretary of Health have been appointed. Criticism from doctors and institutions

Trump administration Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has announced a radical change in the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the body that makes official recommendations on vaccines in the United States.

In an unprecedented decision, Kennedy Jr. dismissed the 17 current members of the committee and appointed eight new advisors. In a post published on X, he stated: “All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, science and common sense. Each of them is committed to requiring definitive data on safety and efficacy before making any new recommendations”.

Off-protocol appointments and links to anti-vaccination circles

According to the American press, the procedure used to appoint the new members circumvented the CDC’s standard criteria, drawing criticism from experts and medical associations.

As highlighted by CBS, the names selected include close allies of Kennedy Jr., many of whom have criticised vaccines in the past or questioned their safety. Some are also linked to legal actions against pharmaceutical companies that manufacture vaccines.

Doubts and criticism from doctors and professional associations

Jason Goldman, president of the American College of Physicians, expressed strong concerns: “The speed with which these members were selected and the lack of transparency in the process do not help to restore public confidence and create further confusion”.

The American Nurses Association is of the same opinion, recognising Kennedy Jr.“s stated intention to ‘restore integrity and trust in vaccine science” but considering the choice “radical and potentially counterproductive”.

Bassetti: ‘The world turned upside down’

Harsh reactions are also coming from the Italian medical front. Infectious disease specialist Matteo Bassetti commented on X: “Here’s the latest from Robert Kennedy Jr: anti-vaxxers on the CDC’s vaccine committee. The world turned upside down: wolves grazing and taking care (so to speak) of the sheep”.

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