The war against vaccines: The US government is considering stopping recommending vaccines

In the American healthcare system, it has been customary for decades to rely on clear federal recommendations, set by professional bodies and implemented in the field through clinics, schools and insurance systems. The transition to a consultative model, in which the state avoids an unequivocal recommendation and transfers the decision to individual discourse, leads experts to warn against undermining trust in science and the vaccination system, which will lead to a significant decrease in the already low vaccination rate in the US and the spread of catastrophic epidemics.

Among pediatricians and epidemiologists, there is a concern that going back from a clear framework of recommendations will create confusion among parents. When the state refrains from declaring what the medical standard is, one may get the impression that the expert community is divided, even in cases where there is a broad scientific consensus. Such a scenario could harm vaccination rates, especially in populations that already tend to hesitate.

The concern is not only theoretical. In recent years, there have been local outbreaks of measles, whooping cough and other infectious diseases in the United States, mainly in areas where vaccination rates have decreased. Health experts remind that these diseases have not disappeared, but have been suppressed thanks to widespread vaccination. A consistent decrease in immunization coverage creates favorable conditions for their return, with an increased risk for infants, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.

Meanwhile, the issue of financing and accessibility is also on the agenda. Currently, federally recommended vaccines are covered by private and public insurance. A change in the classification of recommendations may create uncertainty, both among doctors and among parents, regarding which vaccines are funded and when. Past experience shows that joint decision-making models are not always understandable to the public, and some doctors themselves are not aware of the details of insurance coverage.

The American health system further warns that the cumulative result of these measures could be an increase in morbidity, a renewed burden on hospitals and damage to the weakest populations. According to them, medical history shows that vaccines are one of the most effective tools for preventing mortality and morbidity in children, and any withdrawal from clear recommendations requires utmost caution and full transparency.

He previously linked vaccines to an increase in autism, a false claim that has been consistently debunked in large-scale studies and repeated testing by the CDC, FDA, and the World Health Organization. Kennedy repeated the false claim even after an official admission by a scientific journal was published that a serious methodological error underpinned the initial study that claimed such a link.

Over the years, Kennedy’s organization has filed petitions and legal initiatives demanding the cancellation of vaccine approvals, delaying vaccinations for children and re-examining long-approved vaccines, including routine childhood vaccinations. In recent weeks, a petition was even submitted calling for the licensing of the corona vaccines to be revoked on the grounds that the initial approval was given as part of an emergency and, according to the organization, did not meet full standards.

These positions drew sharp criticism from associations of doctors, epidemiologists and former heads of health authorities, who claimed that his words and the lies he spread contribute to the spread of misleading information and damage to public trust in the health systems.