From reassurance to rollbacks, RFK Jr.’s first months on vaccine policy

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised before his confirmation that he would not take away Americans’ vaccines. But in the four months since he took office, Kennedy, who has a lengthy history of disparaging vaccines, has undermined that access while agreeing to recommend some vaccines.

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At Kennedy’s behest, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention softened its long-standing recommendation for children to receive coronavirus vaccines ….

Federal vaccine advisers voted in June to effectively remove an ingredient from multidose flu shots. … But medical experts worry it could make the shots more expensive ….

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Kennedy’s vaccine advisers announced plans to review the cumulative health effects of the entire childhood vaccination schedule ….

[RFK, Jr.] has said the MMR vaccine is the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles, but has also raised concerns — which public health researchers say are baseless — about side effects and how the vaccine is designed.

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During a congressional hearing, Kennedy raised concerns about administering a chicken pox vaccine to children, saying it increases the risk of shingles in older adults. Studies have not found evidence to back up that claim. 

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