Opinion: Bay Area doctors warn of danger from RFK Jr. assault on vaccines

Vaccines are one of the greatest general robustness successes of modern medicine From smallpox to polio to measles vaccines have saved millions of lives protected entire generations from disability and death and fortified our communities against the spread of infectious affection But this foundation of illness prevention is now under attack Medical and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr is placing political ideology above science and residents soundness He has embraced rhetoric and strategy positions that undermine vaccine confidence and threaten vaccine availability What have been widely debunked as fringe views are increasingly becoming the policies of the United States ruling body carrying real consequences for the robustness and safety of our nation Related Articles Immigration crackdown could stymie efforts to fight bird flu outbreak experts fear Santa Cruz wellness officer Summer COVID infections elevated but manageable RFK Jr is scaring parents into asking doctors for early shots The US is having its worst year for measles in more than three decades As RFK Jr pushes to limit vaccines MMR pioneer defends their lifesaving power Since his confirmation Kennedy has systematically eroded confidence in vaccines His actions have included an all-out assault on the CDC s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices the apolitical scientific body responsible for reviewing and recommending the composition of vaccines including the annual influenza shot In February Secretary Kennedy cancelled the committee s meeting without explanation convening the group only after notable general outcry from leading therapeutic groups The committee ultimately approved an updated flu vaccine for the - season but the delay raised legitimate concerns about whether this critical masses wellness function will remain insulated from political interference In June Kennedy fired all members of the advisory committee via a Wall Street Journal op-ed replacing them with eight new members largest part of whom lack expertise in immunology and infectious infection At the first meeting of the newly reconstituted committee a presentation and vote on removing thimerosal a mercury-based preservative used in particular flu vaccines was added with less than hours notice without advanced scientific review or residents input The newly reconstituted committee voted to recommend that all flu vaccines be thimerosal-free which contradicted longstanding CDC guidance affirming the safety of thimerosal This unscientific decision will sow unnecessary fear and is likely to disrupt flu vaccine manufacturing timelines What s more modern moves to sever ties with the World Vitality Organization threaten our ability to access the global surveillance material needed to reformulate vaccines like the flu shot which must be updated each year based on evolving virus strains around the world Without that information our ability to protect Americans from preventable diseases will be dangerously impaired These actions have real-world effects Childhood vaccination rates are declining Measles outbreaks once unheard of in a country with near-universal immunization are making a deadly comeback with the highest number of deaths in years And people with compromised immune systems who rely on herd immunity to stay safe are put increasingly at threat Supporters of these anti-vaccine movements often invoke freedom as their justification But protecting vaccine access is not just about individual choice It s about citizens responsibility Vaccine programs only work when they are widespread and rooted in science not ideology Undermining vaccine supply chains delaying or politicizing CDC recommendations or withdrawing from international scientific cooperation harms not just individual families it weakens our entire physical condition system The statistics are overwhelming Vaccines are among the bulk rigorously tested biological interventions we have At least under prior administrations the FDA s vaccine approval process has been robust Post-market surveillance ensures ongoing safety This system is strong and proven with recommendations based on unbiased statistics It is far more trustworthy than the conspiracy theories driving Kennedy s efforts to undermine our confidence in the safety and efficacy of vaccines Dr Robert Edelman is past president and Joe Greaves is executive director of the Alameda-Contra Costa Medicinal Association which represents over East Bay physicians