Vaccines are one of the greatest public health 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 disease.
But this foundation of disease prevention is now under attack.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is placing political ideology above science and public health. He has embraced rhetoric and policy 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 government, carrying real consequences for the health and safety of our nation.
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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 significant public outcry from leading medical groups. The committee ultimately approved an updated flu vaccine for the 2025-26 season, but the delay raised legitimate concerns about whether this critical public health function will remain insulated from political interference.
In June, Kennedy fired all 17 members of the advisory committee via a Wall Street Journal op-ed, replacing them with eight new members, most of whom lack expertise in immunology and infectious disease.
At the first meeting of the newly reconstituted committee, a presentation and vote on removing thimerosal — a mercury-based preservative used in some flu vaccines — was added with less than 24 hours’ notice, without advanced scientific review or public 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, recent moves to sever ties with the World Health Organization threaten our ability to access the global surveillance data 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 25 years. And people with compromised immune systems, who rely on herd immunity to stay safe, are put increasingly at risk.
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 public 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 health system.
The data are overwhelming: Vaccines are among the most rigorously tested medical 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 data. 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 Medical Association, which represents over 5,000 East Bay physicians.