CDC vaccine advisors removed before COVID-19 vaccine meeting

Myth that vaccines cause SIDS resurfaces online.

On June 9, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices just two weeks before the committee’s meeting on COVID-19 vaccines. While Kennedy called it “a clean sweep” that’s “needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science,” the move drew harsh criticism from vaccine and public health experts as well as approval from vaccine opponents. Meanwhile, a dubious new analysis reignited false claims that vaccines are linked to sudden infant death syndrome and a viral video promoted myths about tetanus vaccines.

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What’s trending in vaccine conversation:

On June 9, Kennedy announced that all ACIP members had been removed from their positions only two weeks before the committee was set to meet to discuss COVID-19 vaccines. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Kennedy said that removing the established panel of vaccine experts will “restore public trust in vaccines.” Public health and vaccine experts condemned the move as “reckless” and “dangerous,” arguing that it will politicize vaccine science and undermine public trust. The news received widespread media coverage and social media attention, with top posts garnering millions of views. A popular post from a news agency received nearly 16,000 replies as of June 10, mostly critical of Kennedy and the anti-vaccine movement. Some social media users worried that COVID-19 and flu vaccines won’t be available in the fall, while others speculated that Kennedy would pick anti-vaccine activists to replace the panel of experts, which many critics feel he did on June 11. Vaccine opponents largely celebrated the news as “long overdue” and a “groundbreaking win for health.” However, some argued that the move does not go far enough and that the committee and federal health agencies should be completely disbanded.

A dubious new study is causing a stir in anti-vaccine spaces online. The analysis of previous studies, which was authored by two individuals with no vaccine expertise, claims to have found that infant levels of an enzyme called CYP450 prevent them from properly metabolizing certain vaccine ingredients, causing brain stem failure and SIDS. The study presents no evidence that vaccines cause SIDS or are linked to SIDS in any way. A press release about the study recommends supplements for infants as well as for pregnant and breastfeeding individuals. Notably, one of the study’s authors is an “independent researcher” who has co-published numerous studies with an anti-vaccine journalist, claiming that vaccines are unsafe. The other chairs an alternative medicine organization that promotes therapeutic vitamins and supplements. Many anti-vaccine blogs and social media accounts are sharing the study as a “bombshell” that allegedly “proves” that vaccines cause SIDS. One popular post claims that SIDS is a “planned vaccine extermination of infants.” Additionally, the anti-vaccine organization founded and formerly chaired by Kennedy falsely claimed that 90 percent of infant deaths occur within a week of vaccination.

An anti-vaccine chiropractor who was previously identified as a leading online source of false claims about COVID-19 vaccines shared a video of a man claiming that tetanus vaccines contain “rotting organs” and a host of allegedly harmful ingredients. The man falsely suggests that it takes two to seven weeks after vaccination to develop immunity—citing a study that directly contradicts the claim—and recommends vitamin C as a vaccine alternative. Responses to the video debated the accuracy of the claims and argued that tetanus boosters are unnecessary because tetanus isn’t real. Several posts promoted unproven remedies to prevent or treat tetanus and suggested that healthy people won’t be harmed by a tetanus infection.

Read the fact checks: 

• CIDRAP: Viewpoint: RFK’s reckless firing of CDC vaccine advisors not supported by evidence
• AAP: Fact Checked: There Is No Link Between Vaccines and Sudden Infant Death 
• CHOP: Tetanus: what you should know

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Talking points for health care providers to use in response to trending narratives

Each week the Infodemiology.com team will provide talking points and supporting messages in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. Health care providers can use this messaging when discussing vaccines online, talking to patients, or engaging with communities.

For over 60 years, vaccine advisors have provided expert guidance that keeps people in the U.S. and around the world healthier. 

• The CDC’s vaccine advisors are a panel of independent vaccine experts that provide evidence-based vaccine guidance that influences vaccine schedules, insurance coverage of vaccines, and doctor vaccination recommendations.  
• The U.S. has many systems in place to ensure that all vaccines are safe and effective. These systems have protected us for decades.
• Your health care provider is the best source to answer your questions about vaccines for you and your family.

Decades of research prove that vaccines don’t cause SIDS. They protect babies from preventable and deadly diseases.

• For decades, anti-vaccine advocates have frightened parents with the myth that vaccines cause SIDS. Although the exact cause of SIDS is unknown, no research has ever found a link between SIDS and vaccines. 
• Many studies have found that SIDS occurs at the same rate in vaccinated and unvaccinated children. Yet, there is also some evidence that vaccinated infants are at lower risk of SIDS, compared to unvaccinated infants.
• Pediatricians recommend following safe sleep practices to reduce the risk of SIDS. 
• There is no scientific evidence to support the use of so-called vaccine “detox” products. Vaccines are safe and don’t contain toxic ingredients that need to be “detoxed.”

Before the vaccine, tetanus killed over a million people a year, mostly babies. Vaccination provides nearly 100 percent protection against tetanus.

• Tetanus is a bacterial infection that causes painful and potentially deadly muscle spasms. Around 10 percent of tetanus cases are fatal, even with medical treatment. 
• Tetanus vaccines are nearly 100 percent effective. Infants and young children should receive a full series of tetanus vaccinations, and adults should get a booster every 10 years. 
• All ingredients in tetanus vaccines are safe and there to make the vaccines safer and more effective. Like all approved vaccines, a list of tetanus vaccine ingredients is available online.

Interested in recommendations tailored to public health professionals? Click here.