(NEW YORK) — Cases of the new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, a descendent of the Omicron variant, are on the rise in some parts of the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Currently, there are not enough cases in the United States to register in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID variant tracker.
Symptoms appear to be similar to other variants of COVID-19 and the public health risk remains low, WHO information shows.
The earliest sample of the NB.1.8.1 variant was collected on Jan. 22 and it was designated a variant under monitoring — which may require prioritized attention and monitoring — on May 23 by the WHO.
Since the omicron variant was detected in 2021, new cases of COVID have been dominated by hundreds of its descendent subvariants, though none have led to the rise in cases once seen during the peak of the pandemic.
As of May 18, there were 518 NB.1.8.1 cases detected from 22 countries, according to WHO. While still only comprising 10.7% of the global cases at the end of April, this is a significant rise from 2.5% four weeks prior.
“Remember, we’ve seen summer surges. One thing that COVID has done is it’s been able to surge in the summer, and it’s been able to surge in the winter, and that’s very different than respiratory viruses we’ve dealt with in the past. But we still don’t know if this is going to be the virus that leads to a summer surge, it’s just too early to know,” Dr. Todd Ellerin, chief of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, told ABC News.
While there are increases in reported cases and hospitalizations in some of the countries with the highest proportion of NB.1.8.1 circulating, there are no reports to suggest that disease severity is higher in this latest variant than other circulating variants of the virus.
“With each new variant, what we’ve seen is severity doesn’t really change so far, we’re not seeing it have more severe complications,” said John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children’s Hospital and ABC News contributor. “What we know is that when a virus is more transmissible, it will ultimately infect more people and when you infect more people … you’ll have more cases of severe illness, hospitalization, and unfortunately death. “
Data from China and elsewhere doesn’t seem to show anything unique about the variant other than increased transmissibility, Brownstein added.
Some of the variant’s mutations found on the surface proteins of the virus could increase its transmissibility and potentially make it somewhat harder to treat compared to current variants in wide circulation, according to the WHO.
Approved COVID-19 vaccines are expected to remain effective against this variant, according to the WHO.
“This is the natural path we’ve seen with every variant, and so the guidance doesn’t really change at the end of the day,” Brownstein said. “It’s making sure people are up to date with their vaccines and boosters … and then of course, those that are immunocompromised or in high-risk groups may want to layer in other types of interventions like masking or being careful about large group settings where there could be increased risk of transmission.”
Niki Iranpour, MD, is an internal medicine resident at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
(WASHINGTON) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday announced the removal of the COVID-19 vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s immunization schedule for “healthy children and pregnant women” — a move that could alter guidance for doctors as well as some insurance coverage.
Kennedy, one of the nation’s most publicly recognized vaccine skeptics, made the announcement in a video post on his X account, where he stood between Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya — both of whom are doctors.
“We’re now one step closer to realizing President Trump’s promise to Make America Healthy Again,” Kennedy said in the video.
While the text posted alongside the video noted HHS had taken action Tuesday, the official immunization schedule on the CDC website had not changed as of Tuesday afternoon.
The CDC’s immunization schedule is not only a guide for doctors — it also determines insurance coverage for most major private plans and Medicaid expansion programs.
It remains unclear what federal health officials consider “healthy” children or pregnant women.
Pregnancy is listed by the CDC as an underlying condition, so women expecting a child would theoretically be eligible for the shot even under the new FDA vaccine framework released last week.
Last week, the FDA announced that it planned to limit access to future COVID-19 shots only to people over 65 years old or those with an underlying health condition.
ABC News has asked HHS for clarity on Tuesday’s announcement.
Medical leader ‘kind of blindsided by this announcement’
Kennedy’s announcement cut out a process where the CDC’s independent panel of advisors vote for any new or updated recommendations to the immunization schedule. The panel has been expected to vote on the matter in their June meeting. In mid-April, the panel had discussed, and seemed to support, a recommendation that everyone over 6 months should receive an annual COVID vaccine or shift to a model where only those who were high-risk would be eligible.
Typically, the CDC director green-lights new vaccine recommendations, but with the active director role empty while Susan Monarez awaits confirmation for the CDC’s top job, Kennedy announced the new recommendations. Kennedy recently made changes to vaccine recommendations for those traveling abroad to an area with elevated risk of infections with the agency noting, “With pending confirmation of a new CDC Director, these recommendations were adopted by the HHS Secretary on May 13, 2025 and are now official recommendations of the CDC.”
A leader of a medical group that is typically involved in the process for changes to the immunization schedule noted he was “kind of blindsided by this announcement.”
“We were not consulted about this,” Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics committee on infectious diseases, told ABC News, referring to the removal of the COVID-19 vaccine from the recommended immunization schedule for children.
“My biggest concern is about the process. This really ignores a long-established, evidence-based process that has been used to make vaccine recommendations in the U.S. It ignores the opinions of the medical experts who help make these recommendations, and it also ignores all of the liaison organizations that work with the [CDC’s advisory panel] to craft these recommendations,” O’Leary said.
The Infectious Diseases Society of America said the decision will have a negative impact.
“Many health insurers rely on federal recommendations to determine coverage, and this decision could make it significantly harder for millions of Americans to access vaccines they want for themselves and their families,” the society said in a statement Tuesday.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said it is “concerned about and extremely disappointed by the announcement.”
“”Following this announcement, we are worried about our patients in the future, who may be less likely to choose vaccination during pregnancy despite the clear and definitive evidence demonstrating its benefit. We are concerned about access implications and what this recommendation will mean for insurance coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine for those who do choose to get vaccinated during pregnancy,” the group said in a statement on Tuesday. “And as ob-gyns, we are very concerned about the potential deterioration of vaccine confidence in the future.”
The number of children who have received the updated COVID vaccine annually has been limited since peak pandemic. An estimated 13% of kids received the most recent COVID vaccine, the latest CDC data from late April shows. At the same time last year, the rate was 14.2%.
The rate of COVID vaccination among pregnant women has also remained lower with 14.4% receiving the most recent COVID vaccine, the latest CDC data from late April shows. At the same time last year, the rate was 12.3%.
Kennedy’s previous comments on COVID-19 vaccine, childhood vaccine schedule
Kennedy has frequently shared views on vaccines — including the COVID-19 vaccine — that are at odds with the consensus of public health researchers and the mainstream scientific community.
In May 2021, Kennedy asked the federal government to revoke its authorization of all COVID-19 vaccines; in December 2021 he falsely claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine was “the deadliest vaccine ever made.”
Kennedy’s announcement comes weeks after he promised senators that he supported the childhood vaccination schedule during his confirmation testimony with the Senate Finance Committee in late January.
“I support vaccines. I support the childhood schedule,” Kennedy said at the time.
“If confirmed, I will do nothing as HHS Secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking vaccines,” he repeatedly told the committee following questions from senators after his testimony.
Kennedy has previously advocated against the recommended vaccine schedule for children.
He has fought for changes through the Children’s Health Defense, a group he founded but resigned as chairman and legal counsel of to become HHS Secretary. Last week, he released his “Make America Healthy Again” report, which included calls for increased scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule.
Although the report states that vaccines protect children from infectious diseases, it also claims parents are concerned about their “appropriate use” and their “possible role” in chronic diseases among children.
“Despite the growth of the childhood vaccine schedule, there has been limited scientific inquiry into the links between vaccines and chronic disease, the impacts of vaccine injury, and conflicts of interest in the development of the vaccine schedule. These areas warrant future inquiry,” the report states.
Dozens of studies have failed to find a link between an increased number of vaccines and more chronic disease among children.
Earlier this month, Kennedy said during a House hearing that his “opinions about vaccines are irrelevant,” later adding “I don’t think people should be taking advice, medical advice from me.”
(NEW YORK) — More than five years after the first cases of COVID-19 were detected in the United States, hundreds of people are still dying every week.
Last month, an average of about 350 people died each week from COVID, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
While high, the number of deaths is decreasing and is lower than the peak of 25,974 deaths recorded the week ending Jan. 9, 2021, as well as weekly deaths seen in previous spring months, CDC data shows.
Public health experts told ABC News that although the U.S. is in a much better place than it was a few years ago, COVID is still a threat to high-risk groups.
“The fact that we’re still seeing deaths just means it’s still circulating, and people are still catching it,” Dr. Tony Moody, a professor in the department of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at Duke University Medical Center, told ABC News.
The experts said there are a few reasons why people might still be dying from the virus, including low vaccination uptake, waning immunity and not enough people accessing treatments.
Low vaccine uptake, waning immunity
During the 2024-25 season, only 23% of adults aged 18 and older received the updated COVID-19 vaccine as of the week ending April 26, according to CDC data.
Among children, just 13% of them received the updated COVID vaccine over the same period, the data shows.
Dr. Gregory Poland, a vaccinologist and president and co-director of the Atria Research Institute — which focuses on disease prevention — said there are likely not enough people receiving the vaccine, which is contributing to the number of weekly COVID deaths.
However, for those who have received the vaccine, some may not be developing a proper immune response.
“There are some people who may be genetically inclined to not respond well to the vaccine. That’s the topic I have studied with other viral vaccines,” Poland told ABC News. “The more common issue is that people are immunocompromised and can’t respond well.”
Additionally, Poland said that immunity from COVID-19 vaccines wanes over time, increasing the likelihood of being infected.
This is why the current recommendation for those aged 65 and older is to receive two doses of the updated COVID vaccine six months apart.
“Another reason for death due to COVID is being elderly, being what we call immunosenescent, where you do not have the immunologic ability to respond the same way you did in your 30s and 40s,” Poland said. “On top of it, if you do get infected by the time you’re in your 70s, 80s, there is some … accumulating co-morbidity.”
CDC data shows that those aged 75 and older currently have the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths at 4.66 per 100,000.
Not accessing COVID treatments
Currently, there are treatments for COVID-19 patients in the form of antiviral pills, including molnupiravir from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Paxlovid from Pfizer.
Both treatments must be started within five days of COVID symptoms appearing and are given twice daily for five days, with Merck’s being four pills each time and Pfizer’s being three pills each.
There is also remdesivir, an intravenous medication that must be started within seven days of COVID symptoms appearing.
“I do think that we don’t necessarily make use of the tools that we have on hand in the best way possible,” Moody said. “I’ve certainly talked to people who have gotten medications when they got COVID and they made a huge difference. … The trials’ data would definitely suggest that the drugs are effective.”
“I do think that we may not be using the drugs as effectively, or in as many people as it might help,” he continued.
Moody said it’s possible some COVID patients are coming down with symptoms but are not going to the doctor until their symptoms become severe. Alternatively, some people are not undergoing COVID testing when they have symptoms and, therefore, are missing COVID diagnoses.
“I’m sure that there are people who are infected who are not being detected [and not being] treated,” Moody said, but he added that not everyone needs to be tested regularly and that just high-risk people should test more frequently.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Measles cases have reached 1,046 as the virus continues spreading across the United States, according to data updated Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Cases have been confirmed in 30 states including Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
Infectious disease experts have previously said the U.S. is likely on track to surpass the 2019 total of 1,274 cases, which were confirmed over the course of a year. This year’s total also marks the second highest case count in 25 years, CDC data shows.
The CDC says 12% of measles patients in the U.S. this year have been hospitalized, the majority of whom are under age 19.
About 96% of measles cases are among those who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, according to CDC data.
Meanwhile, 1% of cases are among those who have received just one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and 2% of cases are among those who received the recommended two doses, according to the CDC.
At least three deaths have been confirmed this year, two among children and one among an adult, all of whom were unvaccinated.
It comes as an unvaccinated traveler with measles may have exposed people at Denver International Airport and a nearby hotel, health officials said on Thursday.
The patient was in the international terminal on Tuesday, May 13, and then took a shuttle to stay at the nearby Quality Inn and Suites that night. The next day, the patient took a shuttle back to the airport and boarded a domestic flight.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment said anybody who may have been exposed on either flight will be directly notified by health officials.
Similarly, a resident of King County in Washington state traveled through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and a medical center while infectious, Public Health – Seattle & King County said on Tuesday. The individual was likely exposed to measles while recently traveling internationally.
Additionally, the New Jersey Department of Health sent out an alert that a non-resident with measles attended the Shakira concert at MetLife stadium last week, potentially exposing people.
Although the concert occurred on May 16, officials warned that people may develop symptoms as late as June 6. So far, no associated cases have been identified.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC says.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 due to a highly effective vaccination program, according to the CDC. But vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years.
“I think the overall and overarching worry we have is that, as vaccination rates decline, we’re starting to now see very contagious diseases such as measles come back and, generally, you need a 95% immunity wall of the population to stop an outbreak,” Dr. Scott Roberts, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine and medical director of infection prevention at New Haven Hospital, told ABC News.
“There are now many areas of the U.S. where we don’t hit that 95% and it’s much lower than that, and I think we’re seeing the consequences,” he continued.
Roberts say he’s worried about misinformation that has arisen around the MMR vaccine such as a link between the vaccine and autism, which has been debunked by several high-quality studies.
“I worry that we are seeing this misinformation and parents are reading these things on the Internet, which is not based in truth,” he said. “What we try to do as health care providers and public health professionals is really just to give the right information out there that the measles vaccine is safe. It is effective and measles itself is not a run-of-the-mill cold; it can lead to these really devastating consequences if somebody’s vulnerable and gets infected.”
Dr. Karen Tachi Udoh is an internal medicine resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
(WASHINGTON) — In a major policy change, the Food and Drug Administration has announced a plan to limit access to future COVID-19 shots only to people over 65 years old or those with an underlying health condition.
This change would apply to any future updated versions of the vaccine, a spokesperson at the department of Health and Human Services told ABC News. For the past several years, COVID shots have been updated ahead of the winter respiratory virus season to better match the evolving virus.
But FDA Commissioner Dr. Martin Makary and FDA vaccine head Dr. Vinay Prasad argued this week that annual booster shots are not worth the risk for otherwise healthy people.
The FDA plans to impose these restrictions on future shots for younger, healthy people, unless vaccine makers are willing to pay for newer and and lengthy placebo-controlled trials.
“We are evaluating the details shared today and discussions with the FDA are ongoing,” Pfizer told ABC News in a statement.
“We appreciate the FDA’s clear guidance and remain committed to working with the Agency to provide the data they need to ensure access for Americans,” Moderna told ABC News.
Since the COVID-19 virus can mutate quickly, a lengthy clinical trial may result in a vaccine that no longer protects against currently circulating variants, experts cautioned.
“By the time you finish the trial, the strain that’s out there in the community is probably long gone. So, they’re basically saying, unless you’re in those higher-risk groups, you can forget about getting the COVID vaccine,” former acting CDC director Richard Besser, now president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, told ABC News.
A spokesperson for HHS, which oversees FDA, told ABC News, “The COVID-19 public health emergency has officially ended, and we are entering a new phase in our response to the virus. A rubber-stamping approach to approving COVID boosters in perpetuity without updated clinical trial data under the Biden administration is now over.”
Last month, more than 300 people died each week from COVID, according to the latest CDC data. Death rates were even higher earlier this year as the virus was spreading, with nearly 1,000 Americans dying weekly in January.
The new policy comes as the FDA’s vaccine committee of independent advisers are set to meet on Thursday to discuss the latest data on vaccine safety and efficacy, including COVID shots. Typically, FDA leadership waits until after hearing the advice of its advisers before implementing a new approval or policy change.
Previously, updated COVID vaccines had been recommended annually by the CDC for everyone over the age of 6 months. The CDC has historically set vaccine recommendations, while the FDA determines which vaccines to authorize or approve after being deemed safe and effective.
“The FDA has kind of usurped the CDC’s recommending capacity. Usually, the FDA is a regulatory body. They say the vaccine can be sold, and the CDC says, ‘Jere’s the groups who should get it,’” Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told ABC News.
Added Besser: “It’s also not something the FDA would normally do. It’s something CDC would do. And so that’s a really important issue here.”
The new COVID vaccine framework would allow an estimated 33% of the U.S. population to be eligible for the shots, or at least 100 million people, FDA officials noted. It matches recommendations from other countries such as the U.K., Canada and Australia.
Experts say there is a real scientific debate about whether annual boosters are necessary for otherwise young and healthy children and younger adults, especially now that most Americans now have some immunity gained from past vaccination and infections.
In mid-April, the CDC’s vaccine committee of independent advisers had discussed whether to keep the recommendation that everyone over 6 months receive an annual COVID vaccine.
Some experts have argued an FDA restriction could create insurmountable barriers for those who no longer qualify but want to get vaccinated anyway to protect vulnerable family members. Officials at the FDA have called for more evidence on whether vaccines prevent transmission before providing that option.
“To date, there is no high-quality evidence that you getting a booster protects your grandma, beyond your grandma getting the booster herself,” Prasad said at an FDA press conference Tuesday. “Does it lead to less transmission? Does it lead to fewer instances of severe disease? Again, we are interested in evidence to inform this claim.”
Insurance coverage of future COVID vaccines will likely be determined based on recommendations from the CDC and the agency’s independent panel of advisers later this summer. A final recommendation on who should be eligible for updated shots will likely come from the CDC director later this year.
Insurance companies will “continue to monitor the forthcoming recommendations and guidance from ACIP and CDC. As of today, there is no change in how plans cover the existing vaccines for the previously recommended populations,” according to AHIP, a national organization representing insurance companies.
“The ultimate goal of the vaccine is to keep people out of the hospital. But people could reasonably say, moderate infections aren’t fun either, so I’m going to choose and get this vaccine,” Offit noted. “I think that’s fine. I think it’s a reasonable choice. I just hope that we’re not restrictive.”
(WASHINGTON) — The number of measles cases in the U.S. has risen to 1,024, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data published Friday.
Cases have been confirmed in 30 states: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.
The U.S. is nearing the total seen in 2019, of which there were 1,274 confirmed infections across the country over the course of a year, CDC data shows.
The CDC says 13% of measles patients in the U.S. this year have been hospitalized, the majority of whom are under age 19.
“The key thing about all of this is that the cases of measles that we’re seeing today and that typically see are nearly 100% in people who have not received the vaccine,” Dr. Roy Gulick, chief of infectious disease at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, told ABC News.
Among the nationally confirmed cases, CDC says about 96% are among people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.
Meanwhile, 1% of cases are among those who have received just one dose of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and 2% of cases are among those who received the required two doses, according to the CDC.
“The thing to know about measles is that it is almost entirely 100% preventable and that’s by receiving [a] measles vaccination,” Gulick said.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC says.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 due to a highly effective vaccination program, according to the CDC. But vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years.
During the 2023 to 2024 school year, 92.7% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine, according to data. This is lower than the 93.1% seen the previous school year and the 95.2% seen in the 2019 to 2020 school year, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With vaccination rates declining, “that leaves more of the population susceptible to measles and means that it could be passed in the population more easily,” Gulick said. “Sustained transmission which if it occurs in enough people and for long enough then we will lose status of eradication.”
Dr. Karen Tachi Udoh is an internal medicine resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
(DADE CITY, Fla) — Florida became the second state in the country after Utah to ban local governments from adding fluoride to their public water systems.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill at Simpson Lakes in Dade City — about 38 miles northeast of Tampa — on Thursday. The law is set to go into effect on July 1.
“We certainly now, in our society in 2025, we have the ability to deliver fluoride through toothpaste and all these other things,” DeSantis said at an event for the signing of the bill. “You don’t gotta force it and take away people’s choices. But the whole crux of the issue is you should be able to make decisions on the basis of informed consent.”
“Forcing this in the water supply is trying to take that away from people who may want to make a different decision rather than to have this in water,” DeSantis added.
DeSantis said the state has received praise from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been critical of fluoride.
Local communities in Florida had moved to stop adding fluoride to the public water supply prior to the statewide bill, with Miami-Dade County commissioners voting in favor 8-2 last month to ban fluoride.
Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, who sponsored the legislation, referred to fluoride as a “neurotoxin” and said that studies show it “should not be in the water.”
Fluoride is a mineral that naturally occurs in water sources such as lakes and rivers, and is even naturally present in some foods and beverages, according to the American Dental Association(ADA).
It is added to some dental products, such as toothpaste, to help prevent cavities.
High-quality studies show fluoride prevents cavities and repairs damage to teeth caused by bacteria in the mouth. Fluoride makes tooth enamel stronger and rebuilds weakened tooth enamel, the ADA says.
Fluoride also replaces minerals lost from teeth due to acid breakdown, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
However, influential skeptics such as Kennedy have long raised doubts about the benefits of fluoride.
Kennedy has claimed that fluoride in drinking water affects children’s neurological development and that other countries that have removed fluoride from their water supplies have not seen an increase in cavities.
Last month, during a press conference in Utah, Kennedy said he plans to assemble a task force and change guidance from the CDC to stop recommending adding fluoride to drinking water.
Additionally, this week, the FDA announced it is taking action to remove concentrated ingestible fluoride prescription drug products for children from the market. This does not include toothpaste with fluoride or fluoride rinses.
A large review paper published in January 2025 suggested a link between fluoride and lower IQ in children, but much of the underlying data was pulled from other countries, where fluoride exposure is far higher than levels used in drinking water in the U.S.
Some health professionals have also expressed concerns about excessive fluoride intake and potential toxicity.
Many doctors and dental associations, however, argue that fluoride in water is still a crucial, low-risk/high-reward public health tool, especially for disadvantaged children and adults who may not be able to practice regular dental hygiene.
ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett and Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of the nation’s most publicly recognized vaccine skeptics, took a softened approach on vaccines when he answered questions before a House committee Wednesday morning, saying, “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.”
Kennedy, who also testified before a Senate committee the same day, defended the massive cuts to the department’s workforce and laid out his priorities for the Trump administration’s proposed budget.
Kennedy’s congressional committee appearances marked the first time he testified before Congress since his confirmation hearings in late January, and forced Kennedy to confront statements he made that critics said were evidence of promises broken.
Kennedy says his ‘opinions about vaccines are irrelevant’
During the House hearing, Kennedy avoided sharing his own thoughts about vaccines — which have previously invited skepticism — instead deferring to the doctors running the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Asked by Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan if he would today vaccinate his own children for measles and chickenpox, Kennedy said “probably” for measles, but that “what I would say is my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant.”
“I don’t want to seem like I’m being evasive, but I don’t think people should be taking advice, medical advice from me,” Kennedy said.
He said he has directed NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya to try to “lay out the pros and cons, the risks and benefits, accurately as we understand them, with replicable studies,” for people to “make that decision.”
His comments mark a departure from his strong opinions about vaccines before taking office as HHS secretary.
During his confirmation hearing in January, Kennedy said that he supports vaccines, although he refused to unequivocally say that vaccines don’t cause autism, despite numerous existing studies already showing there is no link. However, in March, the HHS confirmed that the CDC will study whether vaccines cause autism.
Shortly after Kennedy said people should not take his medical advice, some public health experts criticized the comments — with one saying that giving people guidance “is [Kennedy’s] job.”
“The problem is that is his job — the top line of his job description — is the nation’s chief health strategist. That is the top line of every health official, federal, state, local leader. That is his job, is to give people the best advice that he can. I believe that he’s giving up on, in my view, his chief responsibility,” Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told reporters on a call in which he and other health leaders responded to Kennedy’s testimony in front of the House Appropriations Committee.
Benjamin pointed out that Kennedy has, in fact, seemed to advise people on how to treat measles, leading them toward unproven remedies.
Democrats push Kennedy on cuts: ‘You can’t fire 90% of the people and assume the work gets done’
Democrats on both the House and Senate committees questioned Kennedy about cuts to HHS — with several testy exchanges.
Including the roughly 10,000 people who have left over the last few months through early retirement or deferred resignation programs, the overall staff at HHS is expected to fall from 82,000 to around 62,000 — or about a quarter of its workforce.
Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, quoting ABC News’ reporting last week, asked Kennedy about cuts to the CDC’s lead poisoning prevention program.
Though the program has been completely gutted and the expert staff has been laid off, Kennedy said he believes lead poisoning to be an “extremely significant concern” and said he does not intend to eliminate the program.
Kennedy suggested that HHS would still spend the money appropriated to the program — but didn’t offer any details on how the work would continue without any expert staff.
In another heated exchange, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray asked Kennedy about cuts to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, including the reinstatements that are mostly in Ohio and West Virginia. She said no one has been reinstated in the Western states, including at the Spokane, Washington, office that does research into miner safety.
“The work in NIOSH will not be interrupted,” Kennedy said. “We understand it’s critically important function, and I did not want to see it end.”
Murray quipped back, “I would just say you can’t fire 90% of the people and assume the work gets done.”
During the earlier House hearing, Kennedy continued to maintain that widespread cuts at HHS have not impacted key health programs, saying he has not withheld any funding for lifesaving research at NIH and continues to prioritize pillars such as Head Start, Medicare and Medicaid.
But in a tense back-and-forth with Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro, ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, she demanded Kennedy’s assurance that he would not cut programs that have been approved and funded by Congress, which has “the power of the purse” ascribed to it in the Constitution.
Kennedy said he would spend appropriated money — which drew repeated exasperation from DeLauro, who pointed to $20 billion in cuts to NIH.
Kennedy asserted that his goal at HHS is to focus on the chronic disease epidemic and deliver effective services for those who rely on Medicare, Medicaid and other services by cutting costs to taxpayers.
“We intend to do more, a lot more with less. The budget I’m presenting today supports these goals and reflects two enduring American values, compassion and responsibility,” Kennedy said.
DeLauro slammed Kennedy and the Trump’s administration for the cuts to HHS, including the elimination of entire divisions.
“Mr. Secretary, you are gutting the life-saving work of the Department of Health and Human Services and its key agencies while the Republicans in this Congress say and do nothing,” DeLauro said. “Because of these cuts, people will die.”
DeLauro also finished the hearing with an impassioned plea for Kennedy to stop cutting programs, telling him he does not have the authority to go against what Congress allocated in the budget.
“You do not have the authority to do what you are doing,” she said.
Kennedy rebuked criticism of his agency’s response to the measles outbreak, which has surpassed 1,000 cases for the first time in five years, according to the CDC.
A total of 92 patients have been hospitalized over the course of the outbreak and two school-aged children died in Texas. Both were unvaccinated and had no known underlying conditions, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
“We are doing a better job at CDC today than any nation in the world controlling this measles outbreak,” Kennedy said.
DeLauro hit back, saying that Kennedy’s comparison of the U.S. response to measles to the response of other countries was unfair.
“Mr. Secretary, you keep comparing the U.S. to other countries, compare us to Europe, but the Europe you are referring to is the WHO European region, [which] has 53 countries in Europe and in Asia, including those with low … vaccination rates like Romania and that has never eliminated measles,” she said. “If you compare us to western Europe countries that we often compare ourselves to, like Great Britain, they have seen no measles death.”
Kennedy argued that the U.S. is doing better than other countries in the Americas with smaller populations, including Canada and Mexico.
DeLauro scolded Kennedy for promoting vaccine skepticism in the wake of a measles outbreak spreading across the U.S.
Kennedy has shared contradicting views about vaccines. In a post on X on April 6, Kennedy said that the “most effective way to prevent the spread of measles” is to receive the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. However, in a post later that evening, he said more than 300 children have been treated with an antibiotic and a steroid, neither of which are recognized treatments or cures for measles.
A particularly heated moment occurred when Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy told Kennedy that the secretary has equivocated when discussing the measles vaccine. Murphy noted instances in which Kennedy has touted the effectiveness of the vaccine before listing its potential harms.
Kennedy, angry at the line of questioning, interrupted Murphy, claiming his prior comments were true.
When Murphy pressed for Kennedy to say directly whether he recommended the measles vaccine for people, Kennedy, who told CBS News in an April interview that he did recommend the shot, said, “I am not going to just tell people everything is safe and effective if I know that there’s issues. I need to respect people’s intelligence.”
Vaccine specialists say the measles vaccine is durable and two doses in your youth is sufficient for lifelong protection without the need for a booster. The CDC notes on its website that the agency “considers people who received two doses of measles vaccine as children according to the U.S. vaccination schedule protected for life, and they do not ever need a booster dose.”
Numerous studies over decades across multiple countries have confirmed the safety and efficacy of the MMR vaccine, the American Academy of Pediatrics notes. Additionally, monitoring for the safety of a vaccine does not end after the shot has been licensed for use. There are federal health databases in which anyone can report side effects or reactions following a vaccine — officials are then able to review these reports and identify any potential safety issues.
(WASHINGTON) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of the nation’s most publicly recognized vaccine skeptics, took a softened approach on vaccines when he answered questions before a House committee Wednesday morning, avoiding sharing his personal views and instead deferring to the doctors running the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kennedy also defended the massive cuts to the department’s workforce and laid out his priorities for the Trump administration’s proposed budget.
After he appeared before the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday morning, he will head to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee in the afternoon. The appearances mark the first time Kennedy has testified before Congress since his confirmation hearings in late January, and force him to confront statements he made that critics say are evidence of promises broken.
Kennedy says his ‘opinions about vaccines are irrelevant’
During the House hearing, Kennedy avoided sharing his own thoughts about vaccines — which have previously invited skepticism.
Asked by Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan if he would today vaccinate his own children for measles and chickenpox, Kennedy said “probably” for measles, but that “what I would say is my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant.”
“I don’t want to seem like I’m being evasive, but I don’t think people should be taking advice, medical advice from me,” Kennedy said.
He said he has directed NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya to try to “lay out the pros and cons, the risks and benefits, accurately as we understand them, with replicable studies,” for people to “make that decision.”
His comments mark a departure from his strong opinions about vaccines before taking office as HHS secretary.
During his confirmation hearing in January, Kennedy said that he supports vaccines, although he refused to unequivocally say that vaccines don’t cause autism, despite numerous existing studies already showing there is no link. However, in March, the HHS confirmed that the CDC will study whether vaccines cause autism.
Shortly after Kennedy said people should not take his medical advice, some public health experts criticized the comments — one of whom said that giving people guidance “is [Kennedy’s] job.”
“The problem is that is his job — the top line of his job description — is the nation’s chief health strategist. That is the top line of every health official, federal, state, local leader. That is his job, is to give people the best advice that he can. I believe that he’s giving up on, in my view, his chief responsibility,” Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told reporters on a call in which he and other health leaders responded to Kennedy’s testimony in front of the House Appropriations Committee.
Benjamin pointed out that Kennedy has, in fact, seemed to advise people on how to treat measles, leading them toward unproven remedies.
‘Because of these cuts people will die’
Kennedy continued to maintain that widespread cuts at HHS have not impacted key health programs, saying he has not withheld any funding for lifesaving research at NIH and continues to prioritize pillars such as Head Start, Medicare and Medicaid.
But in a tense back-and-forth with Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro, ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, she demanded Kennedy’s assurance that he would not cut programs that have been approved and funded by Congress, which has “the power of the purse” ascribed to it in the Constitution.
Kennedy said he would spend appropriated money — which drew repeated exasperation from DeLauro, who pointed to $20 billion in cuts to NIH.
In April, HHS began laying off about 10,000 workers and consolidating 28 institutes and centers into 15 new divisions.
Including the roughly 10,000 people who have left over the last few months through early retirement or deferred resignation programs, the overall staff at HHS is expected to fall from 82,000 to around 62,000 — or about a quarter of its workforce.
Kennedy said his goal at HHS is to focus on the chronic disease epidemic and deliver effective services for those who rely on Medicare, Medicaid and other services by cutting costs to taxpayers.
“We intend to do more, a lot more with less. The budget I’m presenting today supports these goals and reflects two enduring American values, compassion and responsibility,” Kennedy said in his opening statement.
DeLauro slammed Kennedy and the Trump’s administration for the cuts to HHS, including the elimination of entire divisions.
“Mr. Secretary, you are gutting the life-saving work of the Department of Health and Human Services and its key agencies while the Republicans in this Congress say and do nothing,” DeLauro said. “Because of these cuts people will die.”
DeLauro also finished the hearing with an impassioned plea for Kennedy to stop cutting programs, telling him he does not have the authority to go against what Congress allocated in the budget.
“You do not have the authority to do what you are doing,” she said.
Kennedy defends measles outbreak response
Kennedy rebuked criticism of his agency’s response to the measles outbreak.
“We are doing a better job at CDC today than any nation in the world controlling this measles outbreak,” Kennedy said.
DeLauro hit back, saying that Kennedy’s comparison of the U.S. response to measles to the response of other countries was unfair.
“Mr. Secretary, you keep comparing the U.S. to other countries, compare us to Europe, but the Europe you are referring to is the WHO European region has 53 countries in Europe and in Asia, including those with low vaccine vaccination rates like Romania and that has never eliminated measles,” she said. “If you compare us to western Europe countries that we often compare ourselves to, like Great Britain, they have seen no measles death.”
Kennedy argued that the U.S. is doing better than other countries in the Americas with smaller populations, including Canada and Mexico.
DeLauro scolded Kennedy for promoting vaccine skepticism in the wake of a measles outbreak spreading across the U.S.
In the wake of several ongoing measles outbreaks across the U.S. and over 1,000 cases so far this year, Kennedy has shared contradicting views about vaccines.
In a post on X on April 6, Kennedy said that the “most effective way to prevent the spread of measles” is to receive the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. However, in a post later that evening, he said more than 300 children have been treated with an antibiotic and a steroid, neither of which are recognized treatments or cures for measles.
Dentist questions Kennedy’s fluoride comments
Kennedy’s controversial moves on fluoride came up with Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, a dentist, telling Kennedy he was concerned about the secretary’s comments on it.
Last month, Kennedy said he plans to assemble a task force and ultimately change the CDC’s guidance to stop recommending adding fluoride to drinking water and other products. He has claimed that fluoride in drinking water affects children’s neurological development.
The Food and Drug Administration said it will conduct a scientific review of fluoride-containing supplements sometimes used to strengthen children’s teeth by late October with the aim of removing them from the market.
“I’ve seen the benefits having been a practicing dentist for 22 years. … You don’t prevent cavities by fluoride killing the bacteria in the mouth,” Simpson said. “What it does is make the enamel more resistant to decay. So, I want to see the studies on this and where we’re headed with this.”
Previous reviews by public health experts and dental professionals have not shown any serious health risks with the addition of fluoride.
ABC News’ Sarah Beth Hensley and Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., before a House committee Wednesday morning, defended the massive cuts to the department’s workforce and laid out his priorities for the Trump administration’s proposed budget — all while he is expected to field questions about his history of promoting conspiracy theories and controversial comments about vaccines.
Kennedy is appearing before the House Appropriations Committee Wednesday morning. He will then head to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee in the afternoon. The appearances mark the first time Kennedy has testified before Congress since his confirmation hearings in late January, and he may be forced to confront statements he made that critics say are evidence of promises broken.
In his opening statement before the House committee, Kennedy said his goal at HHS is to focus on the chronic disease epidemic and deliver effective services for those who rely on Medicare, Medicaid and other services by cutting costs to taxpayers.
“We intend to do more, a lot more with less. The budget I’m presenting today supports these goals and reflects two enduring American values, compassion and responsibility,” Kennedy said in his opening statement.
Kennedy said the new budget addresses priorities including tackling mental health and addiction; addressing nutrition, physical activity and healthy lifestyles; equipping the FDA to expand food safety experts; eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion funding; strengthening cybersecurity and rebuilding.
Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro, ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, slammed Kennedy and the Trump’s administration for the cuts to HHS, including the elimination of entire divisions.
In April, HHS began laying off about 10,000 workers and consolidating 28 institutes and centers into 15 new divisions.
Including the roughly 10,000 people who have left over the last few months through early retirement or deferred resignation programs, the overall staff at HHS is expected to fall from 82,000 to around 62,000 — or about a quarter of its workforce.
“Mr. Secretary, you are gutting the life-saving work of the Department of Health and Human Services and its key agencies while the Republicans in this Congress say and do nothing,” DeLauro said. “Because of these cuts people will die.”
In a video statement posted on X prior to the layoffs, Kennedy said that he plans to bring to the agency a “clear sense of mission to radically improve the health of Americans and to improve agency morale.”
Kennedy has defended the cuts as necessary to weed out wasteful spending at one of America’s largest departments, but he has drawn criticism for laying off people who are responsible for regulating tobacco usage, monitoring lead exposure in children and diagnosing black lung disease in miners.
The secretary himself has appeared not to know about some of the cuts, telling CBS News last month he was “not familiar” with several cuts cited by the outlet.
Before the House committee, Kennedy also rebuked criticism of his agency’s response to the measles outbreak.
“We are doing a better job at CDC today than any nation in the world controlling this measles outbreak. I’m happy to elaborate on that afterward,” Kennedy said.
DeLauro replied that Kennedy’s comparison of the U.S. response to measles to the response of other countries was unfair.
“Mr. Secretary, you keep comparing the U.S. to other countries compare us to Europe, but the Europe you are referring to is the WHO European region has 53 countries in Europe and in Asia, including those with low vaccine vaccination rates like Romania and that has never eliminated measles,” she said. “If you compare us to western Europe countries that we often compare ourselves to, like Great Britain, they have seen no measles death.”
Kennedy argued that the U.S. is doing better than other countries in the Americas with smaller populations, including Canada and Mexico.
Kennedy said several times during his hearing in January that he supports vaccines, although he refused to unequivocally say that vaccines don’t cause autism, despite numerous existing studies already showing there is no link.
“I support the measles vaccine. I support the polio vaccine. I will do nothing as HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking either of those vaccines,” Kennedy said.
However, in March, the HHS confirmed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will study whether vaccines cause autism.
Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan asked Kennedy if he would vaccinate his own children today with the measles vaccine, chickenpox vaccine or polio vaccine, and Kennedy refused to say he would.
“My opinions about vaccines are irrelevant,” Kennedy said. “That question directly, it will seem like I’m giving advice to other people, and I don’t want to be doing that.”
“But that’s kind of your jurisdiction, because CDC does give advice, right?” Pocan replied.
DeLauro scolded Kennedy for promoting vaccine skepticism in the wake of a measles outbreak spreading across the U.S.
In the wake of several ongoing measles outbreaks across the U.S. and over 1,000 cases so far this year, Kennedy has shared contradicting views about vaccines.
In a post on X on April 6, Kennedy said that the “most effective way to prevent the spread of measles” is to receive the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. However, in a post later that evening, he said more than 300 children have been treated with an antibiotic and a steroid, neither of which are recognized treatments or cures for measles.
Kennedy’s embrace of anti-vaccine ideas nearly put his confirmation in jeopardy, as he faced resistance from Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician who heads the HELP committee. Cassidy expressed concerns about Kennedy’s views on vaccines before ultimately voting to move him through the confirmation process in February.
Cassidy said, at the time, that Kennedy assured him he would not alter vaccine policy without “ironclad” scientific evidence. The senator added that Kennedy and Trump officials promised him an “unprecedentedly close collaborate working relationship” with the secretary.
Kennedy’s controversial moves on fluoride came up with Republican Rep. Mike Simpson, a dentist, telling Kennedy he was concerned about the secretary’s comments on it.
Last month, Kennedy said he plans to assemble a task force and ultimately change the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance to stop recommending adding fluoride to drinking water and other products. He has claimed that fluoride in drinking water affects children’s neurological development.
The Food and Drug Administration said it will conduct a scientific review of fluoride-containing supplements sometimes used to strengthen children’s teeth by late October with the aim of removing them from the market.
“I’ve seen the benefits having been a practicing dentist for 22 years. … You don’t prevent cavities by fluoride killing the bacteria in the mouth,” Simpson said. “What it does is make the enamel more resistant to decay. So, I want to see the studies on this and where we’re headed with this.”
Previous reviews by public health experts and dental professionals have not shown any serious health risks with the addition of fluoride.
ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett and Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
