U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy, a Biden appointee, granted a motion by the American Academy of Pediatrics for a preliminary injunction against the reduced childhood immunization schedule earlier this year, along with the remaking of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, invalidating all votes the committee has since made.
Since it was remade last year, the new members of the ACIP went on to vote in favor of no longer recommending birth doses of the hepatitis B vaccine; to delay the combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine; and to no longer recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for everyone 6 months and older but to leave it to "individual-based decision making."
The federal judge found that most of the members appointed by Kennedy lacked the expertise and experience to qualify for the committee, including the current chair, Kirk Milhoan.
"This is an incredible day for our children and for public health. It basically is saying that science has to rule over misinformation," Richard Besser, president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, told The Hill.
"I spent 13 years in CDC and interacted with the ACIP many times over my career, and the current makeup of the ACIP that was now rejected by this judge was a farce," he added.
HHS indicated plans to appeal the ruling.
"HHS looks forward to this judge's decision being overturned just like his other attempts to keep the Trump administration from governing," HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon said in a statement.
Robert Malone, an ACIP member appointed by Kennedy, lambasted the ruling on social media.
"Can you sue a judge for libel, asking for a friend? This is the same judge that has disbanded the ACIP and blocked all of the changes over the last year. and yes, 'JUDICIAL COUP' is right," wrote Malone.
No comments:
Post a Comment