Several leading medical organizations filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and the Department of Health and Human Services, arguing that current policies on COVID-19 vaccines pose an imminent threat to public health.
The plaintiffs, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, American Public Health Association and Infectious Diseases Society of America, have asked the court to vacate Kennedy's recent directive removing the COVID-19 vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's childhood and pregnant‑women immunization schedules.
The plaintiffs are represented by Epstein Becker Green. Representatives for HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kennedy, who for decades has sown doubt about the safety of vaccines contrary to evidence and research by scientists, is head of the department that oversees the CDC. He also recently fired all 17 members of the agency’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices and replaced them with seven new members, including several who have advocated against vaccines.
