Kennedy Fires 17 CDC Vaccine Advisers, Installs Eight Replacements Including Covid-Shot Critics

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week dismissed all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the group that sets nationwide vaccination guidelines. Kennedy said the unprecedented purge was necessary to “restore public trust” and eliminate what he described as long-standing financial conflicts of interest on the panel. Two days later, on 11 June, the secretary named eight replacements, reducing the panel’s size and immediately drawing scrutiny because several appointees are prominent critics of Covid-19 shots and other vaccines. The new roster includes physician-researcher Robert W. Malone, biostatistician Martin Kulldorff, operations-management professor Retsef Levi and five other doctors and academics. Kennedy indicated additional members may be added and told Senator Bill Cassidy he would allow the senator to nominate one candidate. Medical organizations reacted sharply. The American Medical Association, joined by other public-health groups, urged the Senate to investigate, arguing the shake-up jeopardizes decades of progress against vaccine-preventable diseases. Former Surgeon General Jerome Adams warned the move could reduce childhood-immunization rates, while state health departments in Illinois and Wisconsin said the firings risk undermining public confidence. Conflict-of-interest questions quickly surfaced. Reuters reported that at least two appointees, including Malone, had received thousands of dollars as expert witnesses for plaintiffs challenging Merck’s Gardasil vaccine. Critics say the selections contradict Kennedy’s stated goal of removing conflicted advisers, while supporters contend the overhaul will bring fresh perspectives to a committee they view as too close to industry. ACIP recommendations influence everything from pediatric vaccine schedules to insurance coverage and school-entry requirements. With the committee set to review updated Covid-19 and routine immunization guidance later this year, public-health experts caution that the panel’s new composition could reshape U.S. vaccination policy and access in ways that remain highly uncertain.