Kennedy fans vaccine injury concerns at anti-vaccine event

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Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon} Healthcare Healthcare The Big Story Kennedy fans vaccine injury concerns at anti-vaccine event Returning to the anti-vaccine group he long chaired on Thursday, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert. F. Kennedy Jr. Used his keynote address to reinvigorate concerns about vaccine injuries. © Jacquelyn Martin, Associated Press fileSpeaking at an event hosted by Children’s Health Defense, reiterated many of his oft-mentioned arguments, including that he “never heard” of conditions like autism, peanut allergies, eczema and asthma. The secretary often repeats this anecdote to support his claims that a synthetic factor must be inducing these conditions in children. He has long supported the claim that vaccines could be linked to autism, though decades of research have yet to establish a clear connection. Critics push back on this claim, arguing detection methods for these conditions have become more sophisticated over time. “We have a very bad vaccine adverse event reporting system. The only surveillance system that we really rely on to make to add candidates to this list is broken,” Kennedy said. “In fact, CDC's own study of that system in 2010 — you can look it up, it's called the Lazarus study — Found that fewer than one percent of vaccine injuries are reported. That means more than 99 percent are not reported.” The study Kennedy cited did not conclude that 99 percent of vaccine injuries go unreported. The study noted that “fewer than 1% of vaccine adverse events are reported” as context explaining the limitations of a self-reported system like the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. In his address, Kennedy took credit for helping “preserve individual choice without federal mandates.” While the federal government makes vaccine recommendations and has previously enacted requirements for certain, broad vaccination requirements for the general public do not exist. “Let me be clear. You have a strong and steadfast friend at the White House,” Kennedy added. Welcome to The Hill’s Healthcare newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the healthcare sector this week and beyond: RFK Jr. says anti-vaccine group has a ‘friend at the White House’ Speaking to the anti-vaccine group he once led, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday the Trump administration supports its cause. “You have a strong and steadfast friend at the White House,” Kennedy told dozens of attendees at a one-day conference put on by Children’s Health Defense, the organization he co-founded and led from 2015 to 2023. Kennedy’s appearance at the conference … Full Story Pennsylvania asks CDC for emergency assistance amid RFK Jr. clash over measles Pennsylvania’s health department has started the process of requesting emergency assistance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help control a deadly and rapidly spreading measles outbreak, according to a letter sent to the CDC from state officials. But the request for that assistance, known as Epi-Aid, comes on the condition that the CDC publicly recognize the four people in the commonwealth … Full Story After months of vacancies, Kennedy revamps preventive services panel with new members Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday named eight new members to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an influential panel of experts who determine what preventive medical services insurers must cover for free. For the first time, physician specialists, as opposed to only primary care doctors, will fill the specialized Health and Human Services (HHS) task force. Primary care doctors … Full Story In Other News Branch out with a different read:Kim introduces bill to eliminate long waiting periods for disability benefits Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) on Thursday introduced legislation to phase out waiting periods for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Medicare benefits. Kim’s bill, the Stop the Wait Act, would phase out the five-month waiting period for SSDI benefits over five years as well as eliminate the 24-month waiting period for Medicare disability benefits. The senator from New Jersey cited data from the Government Accountability … Full Story Around the Nation Local and state headlines on healthcare: State to allocate $855.4K in Rural Health funds to West Virginia Health Information Network (West Virginia Watch) Kentucky Gov. Beshear announces state investment to erase $250 million in medical debt (Louisville Public Media) Trump admin touts pushing Fairfield Medical away from OhioHealth merger (The Columbus Dispatch) What We're Reading Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets: 3 common drugs older adults might be overusing (KFF Health News) The FDA’s rebuilding effort is running into a new challenge (Stat) Testosterone scripts for women rise, along with denials and delays (Reuters) What People Think Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: President Trump is bringing healthy food from harvest to hallwaysTrust in America’s food safety system is crumbling — Congress can restore it You’re all caught up. 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