March 16 (Reuters) - A federal judge blocked key parts of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s effort to reshape U.S. vaccine policy, including a move to reduce the number of immunizations routinely recommended for children.
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston sided with the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups, which said health regulators had acted unlawfully to carry out Kennedy's agenda of upending immunization policies and warned the changes would reduce vaccination
rates and harm public health.
Below are some reactions to the ruling:
RICHARD HUGHES, A LAWYER FOR THE PLAINTIFFS
"This is a significant victory for public health, evidence-based medicine, the rule of law, and the American people. The government may appeal this decision, and we have much more work to do to achieve a full victory on the merits. But for now, we get to celebrate a rare bit of good news."
DEMETRE DASKALAKIS, FORMER CDC DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR IMMUNIZATION AND RESPIRATORY DISEASES
"It's great to see science and law align in a way to stop capricious vaccine policy dictated by a health despot seeking personal and political gain."
"I don't take any of this as personal vindication or confirmation of my decision to leave CDC — I am happy that those of us who left were able to help raise the red flag. Now we need to repair the damage these HHS actions have caused and the disease that they have allowed to propagate."
DEB HOURY, FORMER CDC CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER
"It's good to see that the administration is being held to the standard of gold standard science and radical transparency, meaning they should follow the appropriate procedures for appointing members to federal advisory committees and using transparent, evidence-based science in making decisions. The judge's ruling is consistent with the concerns that myself and other colleagues who resigned have raised."
ANDREW RACINE, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
"Today's ruling is a historic and welcome outcome for children, communities, and pediatricians everywhere."
"This decision effectively means that a science-based process for developing immunization recommendations is not to be trifled with and represents a critical step to restoring scientific decision-making to federal vaccine policy that has kept children healthy for years."
(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy and Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
