HHS revives defunct task force on childhood vaccine safety

The Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines

The Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines was originally created by Congress in 1986 under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act "to improve the safety, quality and oversight of vaccines administered to American children." However, it gradually faded into inactivity in the late 1990s due to a lack of interest across administrations.

Without appointed members, federal funding or public interest, agencies like the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and HHS' National Vaccine Advisory Committee took the lead on vaccine safety and schedule recommendations.

NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya will lead the reinstated panel, which will include senior officials from the NIH, FDA and CDC, like CDC Director Susan Monarez.

"By reinstating this Task Force, we are reaffirming our commitment to rigorous science, continuous improvement and the trust of American families," Bhattacharya said in the press release.

According to HHS, the Task Force will work closely with the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines, which addresses issues under the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program and advises the HHS secretary, to recommend ways to develop safer vaccines and improve production, distribution, reporting and safety research.

HHS will submit its first official report to Congress within the next two years, with updates provided biannually.

Reshaping vaccine regulation

Since becoming HHS secretary five months ago, Kennedy has fired all sitting members of ACIP and replaced them with hand-picked vaccine critics, ended COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for healthy children and pregnant people without advisory input and cut $500 million in BARDA-funded mRNA vaccine research.

Several months ago, Attorney Ray Flores initiated legal action alleging that Kennedy breached the 1986 Act by neglecting to establish a task force dedicated to enhancing the safety of childhood vaccines. The suit is funded by Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization chaired by Kennedy until 2023, adding to the growing concerns about the secretary's partiality.

Alivia Kaylor is a scientist and the senior site editor of Pharma Life Sciences.