Washington (United States) (AFP) – The vaccine skeptic US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday a series of initiatives to study the rare adverse effects of vaccines. “We must listen to patients and families who report vaccine injuries — not dismiss or gaslight them,” Kennedy said in a statement announcing the creation of a research center dedicated to monitoring and addressing vaccine side effects.
Appointed by President Donald Trump despite a lack of formal medical training, Kennedy has faced criticism from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other medical experts for efforts to overhaul child vaccinations in the United States. Like all medicines, vaccines can have side effects, including mild ones such as slight fever or pain at the injection site. Serious adverse effects remain very rare and are subject to continuous monitoring by health officials to ensure that vaccine benefits outweigh the risks. According to WHO, vaccination currently prevents up to five million deaths every year from diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, influenza, and measles.
“The issue really isn’t whether we should study vaccine safety,” epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, told National Public Radio. “Of course we should, but we already have systems in place that are constantly monitoring…to determine: Are there any adverse events associated with vaccination?” Kennedy said the latest effort would help build a health system that “follows the evidence, and uses what we learn to make vaccines safer. This is how we earn back trust in our public health institutions.”
The announcement comes as the federal health department has undergone significant budget cuts and the country faces its worst measles outbreak in 35 years. The highly contagious illness has made a strong comeback in the US in recent years among unvaccinated populations, where growing mistrust of health officials has been reported. In the eastern US state of Pennsylvania, local authorities have reported five measles-related deaths in 2026 alone.
© 2024 AFP
