Vaccines: Kennedy changes committee, former director accuses him of interference

Just days after a crucial meeting on vaccines, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is once again at the center of a political and institutional storm. On the one hand, Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the appointment of five new members to the expert committee that will formulate official recommendations on immunization practices. On the other, former CDC director Susan Monarez, ousted in recent weeks, testified before the Senate, denouncing undue pressure and political interference in the formulation of vaccination policy.

The CDC's new direction has taken shape in recent weeks: after dismissing the old panel, accusing it of conflicts of interest, Kennedy has added figures who have previously expressed critical views on mandatory vaccinations and anti-COVID measures. New members include Catherine Stein, an epidemiologist at Case Western Reserve University who opposed mask mandates, and Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist who testified in court about alleged links between vaccines and cardiac deaths. They also include Evelyn Griffin, a gynecologist opposed to mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, Ilaria Blackburn, and Raymond Pollak.

The renewed committee will meet for the first time in its entirety on Thursday and Friday. On the table are the latest data on vaccines against COVID-19, hepatitis B, and measles-mumps-rubella (MMR). The vote on the recommendations will be crucial, as it is traditionally led by the CDC director for the adoption of official guidelines.

As the panel prepares for its second session, the political scene has shifted to the Senate. Susan Monarez, a career microbiologist and until recently director of the CDC, accused Kennedy of removing her because she refused to endorse vaccine recommendations before reviewing the scientific data. "Even under pressure," she said in the hearing, "I couldn't replace evidence with ideology. Vaccination policy must be guided by credible data, not predetermined outcomes."

Monarez spoke of a veritable ultimatum: either "pre-approve" the guidelines developed by the new committee—composed of skeptical experts—or lose his job. He also denounced pressure to fire other officials without just cause.