HHS Reboots ‘Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines’

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday announced the reinstatement of the Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines, a federal panel “created by Congress to improve the safety, quality, and oversight of vaccines administered to American children.”

“[T]oday’s action reaffirms the Department’s commitment towards continuous improvement in childhood vaccine safety oversight,” the HHS press release reads.

“HHS will transmit its first formal report to Congress within two years, with updates every two years thereafter.”

The original Task Force had been disbanded in 1998.

“By reinstating this Task Force, we are reaffirming our commitment to rigorous science, continuous improvement, and the trust of American families,” said National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. “NIH is proud to lead this effort to advance vaccine safety and support innovation that protects children without compromise.”

The Task Force is made up of senior leadership from NIH, FDA, and CDC.

Director Bhattacharya will serve as Chairman of the Task Force, per the release.

The Task Force will produce recommendations for:

• “The development, promotion, and refinement of childhood vaccines that result in fewer and less serious adverse reactions than those vaccines currently on the market.”
• “Improvements in vaccine development, production, distribution, and adverse reaction reporting — along with supporting research to make vaccines safer.”

The Defender, a news outlet operated by Children’s Health Defense (founded by current HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.), noted that the announcement came just one day before the agency’s deadline to respond to a lawsuit alleging Kennedy violated federal law by failing to convene the task force after taking office.

Filed in May by attorney Ray Flores and funded by CHD, the suit claims Kennedy has been in breach of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, which mandates that the HHS secretary establish a vaccine safety task force and submit progress reports to Congress every two years.

The Defender explained that the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act requires HHS to form a task force made up of the health secretary, the FDA commissioner, and the directors of NIH and CDC, and to report to Congress every two years on vaccine safety improvements.

Flores says no such reports have been filed in over 35 years.

A 2018 lawsuit by Kennedy and Aaron Siri confirmed the absence of any reports, noting that the original task force, created in 1990, was disbanded in 1998.

The law allows citizens to sue if these requirements aren’t met, which Flores cited in his case.

Whether HHS’s sudden move is a genuine step toward long-overdue vaccine safety oversight—or simply a legal maneuver to head off a citizen-led lawsuit (or both)—remains to be seen.

If the Task Force follows through on its mandate, it could finally bring long-absent transparency, accountability, and meaningful safety reforms to the nation’s childhood vaccine program.

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