Kennedys Newly Appointed Vaccine Advisors Convene for Initial Meeting
3 minute readPublished: Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at 2:20 pm
Kennedy's Vaccine Advisory Panel Holds First Meeting Amid Controversy
ATLANTA - The newly appointed vaccine advisory panel, led by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., convened for its inaugural meeting on Wednesday. The meeting has drawn scrutiny from medical professionals concerned about the availability of critical vaccines.
A key point of contention is Kennedy's prior decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccinations for healthy children and pregnant women. The panel will not be voting on this stance. Government researchers have highlighted vaccination as the best protection during pregnancy, citing that most children hospitalized with COVID-19 in the last year were unvaccinated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that COVID-19 continues to pose a significant public health risk, with tens of thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations in the U.S. since last fall. The elderly and children under two, particularly infants under six months, are most vulnerable.
The meeting is marked by unusual circumstances. A member of the panel resigned shortly before the meeting, leaving the panel with seven members. Kennedy dismissed the previous 17-member expert panel and replaced them with eight new members, including some with anti-vaccine views. Several top CDC vaccine scientists have also resigned or been reassigned.
The panel's agenda includes discussions on COVID-19 shots, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) protections, fall flu vaccinations, and the use of a preservative in certain flu shots. The committee will vote on RSV protections. The committee will also vote on fall flu vaccinations and on the use of a preservative in certain flu shots. The CDC has released a report confirming that research shows no link between the preservative, thimerosal, and autism.
The American Academy of Pediatrics announced it will now publish its own vaccine schedule for children independently of the advisory panel. The committee's recommendations typically go to the CDC director, but the CDC currently has no director. The CDC director nominee is scheduled to go before a Senate committee on Wednesday.
BNN's Perspective: The situation surrounding the vaccine advisory panel is concerning. While it's important to have diverse perspectives, the inclusion of individuals with anti-vaccine views raises questions about the panel's ability to make evidence-based recommendations. The potential for politicization of vaccine recommendations could undermine public trust and lead to decreased vaccination rates, ultimately harming public health.
Keywords: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., vaccine advisory panel, COVID-19, RSV, flu shots, vaccination, CDC, thimerosal, autism, public health, vaccine recommendations, pregnant women, children.