NEW YORK — A controversial vaccine advisory committee led by US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. will meet later this week under a new chairman, federal officials announced Monday.
Martin Kulldorff is leaving the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to take a leadership role at the Department of Health and Human Services, officials said.
The new chairman will be Dr Kirk Milhoan, who has blamed vaccines for causing heart disease. He was appointed to the committee in September.
Later this week, the committee plans to discuss the pediatric and hepatitis B vaccine schedule for newborns.
HHS officials issued a press release praising Kulldorff and his work while leading the commission but did not respond to additional questions about the changes. Kulldorff did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The commission makes recommendations to the director Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how already approved vaccines should be used. CDC directors almost always accepted the committee's recommendations, which listened widely to doctors and guided vaccination programs.
Kennedy, a leading anti-vaccination activist before becoming the nation's top health official, dismissed the entire 17-person commission earlier this year and replaced it with a group that includes several anti-vaxxers. He also appointed Kulldorf as chairman.
Under Kulldorf's leadership, the group made several decisions that angered major medical groups.
At its June meeting, the group recommended using a preservative called thimerosal be barred from receiving doses of the flu vaccine, although some members acknowledged there was no evidence it caused harm.
In September the group recommended new restrictions on a combined vaccine that protects against chickenpox, as well as measles, mumps and rubella. The group also accepted unprecedented step not recommend COVID-19 vaccination—even for high-risk groups such as older adults—but instead make it a matter of personal choice.
Several physician groups said the changes were not based on strong evidence and advised doctors and patients follow directions this happened before.
Kulldorf's departure leaves the vaccine committee at 11 members.
It will now be led by Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist who, along with his wife, runs a medical mission organization called For Hearts and Souls. He appeared at a 2024 congressional hearing in which he argued that increases in heart disease among older teens and young adults should be attributed to vaccines.
Kulldorff is a Swedish-born biostatistician who co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, an October 2020 letter arguing that pandemic shutdowns are causing irreparable harm.
During his tenure as ACIP Chairman, the committee abandoned its traditional An evidence-to-recommendation scheme that involved many months of analysis and discussion before proposals came to a vote of the full committee.
In his new role, Kulldorf will serve as chief scientist for HHS's Office of Planning and Evaluation. Officials described the office as the department's “internal think tank.”
“I look forward to contributing to evidence-based public health policies that make America healthy again,” Kulldorff said in an HHS press release.
The vaccine committee plans to meet Thursday and Friday in Atlanta, where it is expected to vote on whether to change recommendations for newborn vaccinations against hepatitis B, which can cause serious liver infections.
But it's unclear what exactly the committee plans to vote on. HHS officials did not respond to repeated questions seeking details.
Current recommendations call for the first dose to be given to newborns within 24 hours of birth.
Last week, 15 state governors submitted public comments saying the committee was undermining public confidence in vaccines and people's ability to get affordable shots.
In adults, the virus is transmitted through sexual contact or through sharing needles when injecting drugs. But the virus can also be passed to a baby from an infected mother, and up to 90% of infected babies suffer chronic infections that can lead to lifelong health problems.
The hepatitis B vaccine was first licensed in the United States in 1981. In 2005, ACIP recommended dosing within 24 hours of birth for all medically stable infants weighing at least 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms).
Studies have shown that infant vaccinations are 85–95% effective in preventing chronic hepatitis B infections.
The shots are considered a success, and experts say no recent peer-reviewed studies have found any safety concerns about giving shots to children on their first day of life.
But in September, ACIP members, led by Kennedy, discussed whether to recommend delaying that initial vaccination—something doctors and parents can already do. The panel recused itself from the vote amid criticism from independent pediatric and infectious disease experts who say the vaccine is safe and has helped sharply reduce illness in infants.
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