RFK Jr. releases report on children’s health

The report did not list potential causes for autism, as some had expected. Instead, it says HHS “through NIH and in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), will study the root causes of autism, including through the RWDP.” 

The report said HHS, in collaboration with NIH, “will investigate vaccine injuries with improved data collection and analysis.” The NIH, it said, will establish a new vaccine injury research program at the NIH Clinical Center “that may expand to centers around the country.” 

Kennedy has a long history of raising doubts about vaccines — despite decades of evidence showing they’ve saved millions of people from debilitating illness or death. 

In recent years, however, with backsliding immunization rates, health officials are starting to see the effects of skipping shots. And some experts worry terms such as “vaccine injury” could perpetuate fear and misinformation around safe and effective shots.

The MAHA report also said the White House Domestic Policy Council and HHS will develop a vaccine framework focused on “ensuring America has the best childhood vaccine schedule; addressing vaccine injuries; modernizing American vaccines with transparent, gold-standard science; correcting conflicts of interest and misaligned incentives; and ensuring scientific and medical freedom.” 

— Kathryn Watson and Sara Moniuszko 

In this new report, their plans to end chronic disease are broken down into four categories, including how the administration plans to advance research, realign incentives, foster private sector collaboration and increase public awareness.

The report does not say how the federal government will be paying for the new studies, commissions and benefits it recommends. There is also little detail on most of the recommendations and plans. It does not, as some had expected, list potential causes of autism. 

In May, the Make America Healthy Again Commission released a report on what they determined to be the leading drivers of childhood chronic disease, including: 

1. Poor diet and ultra-processed foods in particular
2. Cumulative exposure to chemicals such as food additives and pesticides
3. Lack of physical activity and chronic stress
4. “Overmedicalization”:  including over-prescribing and what it regards as the over-use of vaccines