New CDC advisers will skip some expected topics and explore a target of antivaccine activists

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new vaccine advisers meet next week, but their agenda suggests they'll skip some expected topics — including a vote on COVID-19 shots — while taking up a longtime target of anti-vaccine groups.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices makes recommendations on how to use the nation's vaccines, setting a schedule for children's vaccines as well as advice for adult shots. Last week, Kennedy abruptly dismissed the existing 17-member expert panel and handpicked eight replacements , including several anti-vaccine voices.
The agenda for the new committee's first meeting, posted Wednesday, shows it will be shorter than expected. Discussion of COVID-19 shots will open the session, but the agenda lists no vote on that. Instead, the committee will vote on fall flu vaccinations, on RSV vaccinations for pregnant women and children and on the use of a preservative named thimerosal that's in a subset of flu shots.
It's not clear who wrote the agenda. No committee chairperson has been named and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not comment.
Missing from the agenda are some heavily researched vaccine policy proposals the advisers were supposed to consider this month, including shots against HPV and meningococcal bacteria, said Dr. Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Instead, the committee is talking about subjects 'which are settled science,' she said.
'Every American should be asking themselves how and why did we get here, where leaders are promoting their own agenda instead of protecting our people and our communities,' she said. She worried it's 'part of a purposeful agenda to insert dangerous and harmful and unnecessary fear regarding vaccines into the process.'
The committee makes recommendations on how vaccines that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration should be used. The recommendations traditionally go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director. Historically, nearly all are accepted and then used by insurance companies in deciding what vaccines to cover.
But the CDC has no director and the committee's recommendations have been going to Kennedy.
Thimerosal was added to certain vaccines in the early 20th century to make them safer and more accessible by preventing bacterial contamination in multi-dose vials. It's a tiny amount, but because it's a form of mercury, it began raising questions in the 1990s.
Kennedy — a leading voice in an antivaccine movement before he became President Donald Trump's health secretary — has long held there was a tie between thimerosal and autism, and also accused the government of hiding the danger.
Study after study has found no evidence that thimerosal causes autism. But since 2001, all vaccines manufactured for the U.S. market and routinely recommended for children 6 years or younger have contained no thimerosal or only trace amounts, with the exception of inactivated influenza vaccine.
Thimerosal now only appears in multidose flu shot vials, not the single-shot packaging of most of today's flu shots.
Targeting thimerosal would likely force manufacturers to switch to single-dose vials, which would make the shots 'more expensive, less available and more feared,' said Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Last week, 30 organizations called on insurers to continue paying for COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant women after Kennedy said the shots would no longer be routinely recommended for that group.
Doctors' groups also opposed Kennedy's changes to the vaccine committee. The new members he picked include a scientist who researched mRNA vaccine technology and became a conservative darling for his criticisms of COVID-19 vaccines, a top critic of pandemic-era lockdowns and a leader of a group that has been widely considered to be a source of vaccine misinformation.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has long put out its own immunization recommendations. In recent decades it has matched what the government recommended. But asked if they might soon diverge, depending on potential changes in the government's vaccination recommendations, Kressly said; 'Nothing's off the table.'
'We will do whatever is necessary to make sure that every child in every community gets the vaccines that they deserve to stay healthy and safe,' she said.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Fox News

31 minutes ago

• Fox News

Has Kris Jenner found the fountain of youth? Experts weigh in on her stunning transformation

Kris Jenner — known as the "momager" of the Kardashian-Jenner empire — has made headlines in recent weeks for her more youthful appearance, sparking rumors of a possible deep plane facelift. A representative for Jenner confirmed to another outlet that Dr. Steven Levine of New York City performed Jenner's recent work, but did not specify the type of procedure. (Fox News Digital reached out to Levine and Jenner for comment.) Dr. Patrick Davis, a Beverly Hills facial plastic surgeon, said that Jenner appears "youthful and natural," which is the hallmark of a "well-performed procedure." "It is difficult to comment specifically on what technique was performed, though in some fashion, the structural elements of her face were lifted to reset her skin tissues," Davis, who has not treated Jenner, hypothesized in an interview with Fox News Digital. "She has a healthy-looking distribution of fat contributing to this new look, which could potentially be the effect of a fat transfer in addition to a facelift." Dr. Jonathan Kaplan, a board-certified plastic surgeon with Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery in San Francisco, agreed that Jenner has gotten an "incredible result" from what "appears to be" a deep plane facelift. With a standard or traditional facelift — also known as a SMAS facelift, or a Superficial Musculoaponeurotic System facelift — the surgeon makes incisions behind the hairline and around the front of the ear, lifting and tightening the deeper tissues and muscles and then removing excess skin. This can eliminate wrinkles, sagging skin and the "jowl-like" effect, achieving a more youthful contour of the face and neck, according to the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. Davis said most of his education and training has focused on deep plane facelifts. "A deep plane facelift involves a wider dissection under the structural elements of the face, which then allows the surgeon to reset a greater proportion of facial tissues," Davis said. "The benefit of this technique is that a more natural, vertical reset can be achieved — and more importantly, the tissues re-attach themselves in a broader way, allowing for a more durable result." It's important to choose a facelift that is right for the patient and that falls within the surgeon's expertise, Davis noted. "In those patients who have had multiple facelifts in the past, it could be wise to perform a simpler SMAS facelift with less dissection, as the tissues have been manipulated in the past," he advised. Any elective or non-elective surgery carries some degree of risk, experts agree. "In any given surgery, there is a risk of infection, nerve damage, or bruising and swelling," Davis cautioned. "These are minimized based on the surgeon's experience and the frequency with which they perform the procedure." It is important that the surgeon goes over these risks with the patient in person, according to Davis. Because the deep plane technique involves a more extensive dissection of tissues under and around facial nerves, Kaplan cautioned that the biggest risk is facial paralysis, which can be temporary or permanent. "It's a newer variation that requires a greater understanding of the anatomy to be successful," he said. Davis tells his patients that a deep plane facelift has a typical recovery time of about six months for full results, though many can return to work and other functions within three to four weeks. "These procedures are not debilitating — however, there is some cosmetic downtime, which varies from patient to patient," he noted. In Kaplan's practice, he encourages most patients to be out and about two weeks after surgery. "They may still have some bruising, but it's typically in the lower neck or upper chest at that point and can be covered," he said. Various factors can affect a patient's recovery timeline, the experts say. Some, like genetics, can't be controlled. "Other things, however — like a low-salt diet, exercise, lymphatic massage, hyperbaric oxygen treatments and keeping up with proper post-op care — are within our control," Davis said. Most surgeons will have the patient wear a head and neck compression garment for two weeks, Kaplan noted. "In general, the patient should not be in a great deal of pain — if they are, that can actually be a sign of a hematoma (bleeding under the skin)," he said. When opting for a facelift, it's important to choose a board-certified facial plastic surgeon who is specifically trained in facelifts of deep SMAS tissue, doctors agreed. Before undergoing a facelift, Davis emphasized the need for the patient to share as much detail as possible about his or her medical history, lifestyle and aesthetic goals. "When we have consultations with prospective clients, we want to know more about their diet, lifestyle, support system and any health conditions that may affect a surgery," he said. Kaplan noted that it's important to tell the surgeon if you're taking any GLP-1 weight-loss medications, as they may ask you to pause them a week prior to surgery. The most important things to ask a prospective surgeon, according to Davis, are where they put their incisions, how they close their incisions, details about their individual technique, and any information that provides better insight into their background, experience and frequency with which they perform that specific procedure. For more Health articles, visit "You want to find a surgeon who has extensive knowledge in facial plastic surgery and can provide their patients with tidy incisions that are well-hidden," he advised. "Most of all, it is important that you are comfortable with your surgeon, as they will not only be with you for the procedure, but will be by your side on the recovery journey."

Yahoo

35 minutes ago

• Yahoo

TEAMSTERS NURSES AT COREWELL TO RALLY AGAINST EMPLOYERS' ATTACKS

Nurses to Rally Outside Detroit Ahead of Contract Negotiations DETROIT, June 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Nurses at Corewell Health East, represented by Teamsters Local 2024, will rally on Saturday, June 21, to demand that their employer end its attacks on unionized workers. In November 2024, Corewell nurses beat back an aggressive $1.7 million union-busting campaign by organizing three-to-one to join the Teamsters. In the months since, corporate management at Corewell Health East has attacked nurses by withholding several economic opportunities that were given to nonunion employees, including refusing wage increases, withholding bonuses, and denying 403(b) matches. The rally comes three days before Teamsters are scheduled to begin negotiations with Corewell Health East for the first collective bargaining agreement for nearly 10,000 nurses. WHO: Corewell TeamstersFred Zuckerman, Teamsters General Secretary-TreasurerMike Smith, Trustee of Teamsters Local 2024Kevin Moore, President of Teamsters Joint Council 43 WHEN: Saturday, June 2110-11:30 a.m. WHERE: Corewell Health Southfield Center26901 Beaumont BlvdSouthfield, MI 48033Livestream will be available here. Media Contact: Lena Melentijevic, (347) 208-2279LMelentijevic@ On-site Contact: Kate Yeager, (484) 844-7239 View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Washington Post

35 minutes ago

• Washington Post

How D.C. plans to help residents stay cool during the heat wave

D.C.-area residents are in for a week of stifling humidity and temperatures over 90 degrees, putting the District's latest extreme heat response plan to the test. Extreme heat can pose a danger to seniors, children, outdoor workers and the unhoused, and anyone without consistent access to air conditioning. Public health authorities in Maryland and Virginia linked seven deaths to a heat wave in early July of last year, and D.C. recorded dozens of heat-related emergency medical responses during the same period.