Health and Human Services SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.has responded to the American Academy of Pediatrics' decision torelease its own vaccine recommendationsthat contradict federal guidance. The AAP, a professional organization of over 65,000 board-certified pediatricians,said in June that it would publishits own vaccine schedule. The move came after Kennedy Jr. announced that the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be included in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommended immunizations for healthy children and pregnant women. Kennedy Jr.'s declaration drew ire from some in the medical community as it wentagainst previous expert guidanceand bypassed the normal scientific review process. Under the new guidance,the only peoplerecommended for COVID-19 vaccines are those over 65 and individuals with existing health issues. Kennedy Jr. later drew more backlash when he firedall 17 original membersof the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the committee of health experts that provides guidance on vaccine use to the CDC,replacing them with membersthat critics have called unqualified. Some of the members, like Kennedy Jr., have a history of anti-vaccine advocacy and involvement in anti-vaccine groups. In response, the AAP said the federal process was no longer credible and it would "continue to publish its own evidence-based recommendations and schedules."
