A battle is brewing between health experts and the federal government over vaccine use in the United States.
U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been a long-time critic of vaccines, recently rescinded the emergency use authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines, meaning anyone under 65 who wants to get the vaccine will have to get it prescribed by a physician.
Kennedy has also called into questions the use of numerous vaccines, bypassing the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The director of the CDC took issue with Kennedy and was dismissed last month.
That led a number of senior officials at the CDC to resign over her ouster. And more than 1,000 current and former employees of the Department of Health and Human Services have called for Kennedy’s resignation.
Read more: HHS employees demand RFK Jr. resign for ‘compromising the health of this nation’
In response, the HHS communications director said in a statement to CNN this week: “Secretary Kennedy has been clear: the CDC has been broken for a long time. Restoring it as the world’s most trusted guardian of public health will take sustained reform and more personnel changes.”
The anti-vaccine movement has trickled down to the state level.
In Florida, at the recommendation of the state’s attorney general, Governor Ron DeSantis is asking the state legislation to repeal the law requiring school children to get vaccines for polio, diphtheria, measles and mumps before entering school. It would make Florida the first state to eliminate all vaccine mandates for children and adults.
Read more: Florida plans to become first state to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates
According to a study by KFF Health News, more than half of U.S. states have experienced declines in routine childhood rates for vaccines such as MMR, DTaP, polio, and varicella within the past year.
This year, for example, the CDC reports there have been 35 measle outbreaks and 1,431 cases of measles in the U.S. Last year, there were just 16 outbreaks and 285 cases reported.
On this week’s Noon Edition, we’ll discuss the controversies around vaccines, their value, new federal guidelines, the shakeup at the CDC and the politicization of medicine.
Join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to news@indianapublicmedia.org.
You can also record your questions and send them in through email.
Guests
Shandy Dearth, Director, Center for Public Health Practice, IU-Indianapolis School of Public Health
Dr. Tom Hrismalos, infectious disease specialist, IU Health Bloomington Hospital
Graham McKeen, public health expert
