Washington [US], June 10: US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on June 9 fired members of the vaccine advisory board for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
All 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) have been fired and replaced with new members. The committee was created to advise the CDC on the timing and scope of vaccination campaigns, CNN reported.
Mr. Kennedy Jr. said that the members of ACIP were appointed by former US President Joe Biden at the last minute before his term ended. Therefore, if these people are not fired, it will be impossible to appoint new members for the administration of President Donald Trump . Appointed members of ACIP usually serve a 4-year term.
The US health secretary has the power to appoint or remove ACIP personnel, but removing all members early is unprecedented. Mr. Kennedy Jr., a frequent critic of vaccine policies, said the current ACIP group is rife with conflicts of interest.
The firings were reported by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in an editorial in The Wall Street Journal . One ACIP member who lost his job said he had not been notified of the firing until after the editorial was published.
The CDC committee is still scheduled to hold a meeting on June 25-27 to discuss vaccination against Covid-19 , respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza and other infectious diseases. This requires the US Department of Health to urgently find new personnel for ACIP.
Republican Senator Susan Collins said the move by the head of the US Department of Health and Human Services raised doubts. She said it was excessive to fire the entire committee at once. Meanwhile, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who is also the chairman of the US Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said the hasty appointment could risk new members not being fully vetted or lacking expertise in vaccines .
Mr. Kennedy Jr. said he would discuss personnel selection for ACIP with Senator Cassidy.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
