Breaking: RFK Jr. seeks to rush 7 new members to CDC vaccine panel.
We have breaking news that I believe we are first to report here in Inside Medicine. Thank you, as always, to heroic HHS insiders who brought this information to us so that we can shine a light on what is happening to our nation’s vaccine and public health infrastructure.
Staffers at the CDC have been instructed to appoint the following seven members to its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The authenticity of the list was confirmed by insiders with knowledge of the situation. These new members have not yet officially been appointed to ACIP, the body that votes on which vaccines must be covered by insurance under the Affordable Care Act and other laws.
Here’s the list:
Hillary Blackburn
Joseph Fraiman
John Gaitanis
Evelyn Griffin
Kirk Milhoan
Raymond Pollak
Catherine Stein
Analysis:
If HHS Secretary Kennedy is successful in installing these new members, it will be the second time during his brief tenure that he has placed allies to this committee in a matter of just days or weeks. ACIP is scheduled to meet September 18-19. Usually, the vetting process for new voting members takes months to years. In addition, this action seems to be connected to the firing of CDC Director Dr. Susan Monarez, and the departure of several key CDC officials last week. With Monarez out (and a Kennedy ally with no scientific or medical training now in place as Acting Director), Secretary Kennedy may once again feel that he has complete control over the agency and its legally binding vaccine recommendations.
There has been speculation that the ACIP committee will take a much stronger swipe at existing vaccine policies than it did in its first meeting in June. Their votes could make several vaccines less available to the American public. Therefore, the backgrounds and beliefs of these potential new members are matters of national importance. A cursory look suggests that some of these members hold unscientific views about the Covid-19 pandemic, including support for ivermectin and against mRNA vaccines.
Let’s crowdsource this…
The reality is that we need vetting of these members through the usual careful process. That has not occurred. So, I’m opening the comments section to everyone (usually comments are reserved for Premium subscribers) so that we can start that process here, if people would like to do so.
Since nobody at HHS seems interested in genuine transparency, let’s do it for them…
Thanks to Dr. Katelyn Jetelina for helpful advice on this brief but important story.
If you have information about any of the unfolding stories we are following, please email me or find me on Signal at InsideMedicine.88.
Meanwhile, the NYT reports that Florida plans to become the first state to ban vaccination mandates. At almost 80, (retired bilingual sped teacher with students from everywhere AND the daughter of a polio survivor) I am no Nostradamus but can forsee heartbreaking issues ahead. Thank you and your close colleagues once again for sounding the alerts!!
I am a retired comparative medicine scientist with a specialty in infectious diseases.I was a faculty member and federally funded research scientist at three different universities. I also was a reviewer of new drugs for infectious diseases and transplant products at the FDA, and then ran a research unit at the FDA. I (make it all caps) have better qualifications to be on the board than these folks do, and there is no way I would consider myself qualified. The people who are needed on the board are the ones that were fired. CDC as we know it has been destroyed. The same can be said for several other federal agencies that are important for public health. God help us all.