It's about damn time. Several public health groups have filed suit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. to reverse a decision from the CDC that narrows the list of vaccines recommended for children.
The plaintiffs, which represent seven public health organizations led by the American Academy of Pediatrics, a physician, and two patients, accused Kennedy of stacking the deck of his key vaccine advisory committee by packing it with nut jobs -- excuse me, unqualified anti-vax "experts" who have twisted science so much as to make it meaningless.
“Defendants have engaged in a pattern and practice of changing U.S. vaccine policy without consideration of the relevant factors or providing any reasoned explanation,” reads the complaint.
The Jan. 5 decision means the CDC will no longer recommend every child be immunized for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease and hepatitis A. Instead, they approve those vaccines only for smaller groups of high-risk children or if a doctor recommends them.
The Washington Post reported Monday that some pediatricians are ignoring the new guidelines, which have caused confusion and anxiety among American families. (I've yet to see whether insurance will cover the vaccines for parents who want their kids to have them.)
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine sceptic, has earned around $2.5 million in referral fees from Wisner Baum, a law firm suing Merck, the maker of the HPV vaccine Gardasil. Even though Gardisil is one of the most effective vaccines we have.
