RFK Jr.'s chosen advisory panel member for the CDC's vaccine committee plans to confront ex-agency leaders in a public debate.
In a surprising turn of events, Dr. Martin Kulldorff, the recently appointed chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), has announced a public discussion debate on vaccines during Thursday's ACIP meeting. The discussion debate is expected to focus on who to trust for scientific advice on vaccines.
Dr. Kulldorff, a Swedish epidemiologist and biostatistician, has been a vocal vaccine skeptic, sharing this stance with US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. However, his appointment to ACIP has raised eyebrows, particularly after a group of former CDC directors criticized Kennedy's actions in a New York Times op-ed.
The group, which includes Dr. Richard Besser, Dr. Mandy Cohen, Dr. William Foege, Dr. Tom Frieden, Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, Dr. William Roper, Dr. David Satcher, Dr. Anne Schuchat, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Dr. Susan Monarez, Dr. Debra Houry, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, and Dr. Dan Jernigan, has expressed concern about the health security impacts of many of Kennedy's decisions. They have accused him of stacking CDC advisory committees with unqualified individuals who share his dangerous and unscientific views.
In response to the criticism, Dr. Kulldorff has invited the group of former CDC directors to participate in the discussion debate. If they refuse, he advises that they should not be trusted. Dr. Kulldorff has also invited nine former directors or executive directors of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to the meeting, although their specific names have not been disclosed.
Thursday's meeting will cover discussions and votes around hepatitis B vaccines, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccines. However, the highlight of the meeting will be the discussion debate on Covid-19 vaccines, scheduled for Friday.
Dr. Besser, now president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has responded by saying that ACIP should not be reduced to political theater or gamesmanship. He expressed concern that recommendations made by the committee are no longer reliable due to the exclusion of outside experts and the blocking of CDC scientists from informing or reviewing the committee's work.
Dr. Kulldorff, on the other hand, has stated that the members of ACIP are committed to removing unnecessary risks and harms whenever possible, and to reassuring the public and restoring public confidence. He invites the public to tune in to the discussion debate, which promises to be a significant event in the ongoing discussion about vaccines.
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