BREAKING: RFK Jr.’s Hand-Selected Vaccine Panel Chair Says Polio and Measles — And Potentially ALL — Vaccines Should Be Optional Arrow

Yesterday, Dr. Kirk Milhoan - Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s hand-selected chair of the CDC's vaccine advisory panel - undercut decades of science by saying vaccines for polio and measles, and potentially all diseases, should be optional. Milhoan brushed off concerns that unvaccinated children could die from measles or be paralyzed from polio, saying he is equally "saddened when people die of alcoholic diseases." Milhoan claimed that he trusts his own observations over "established science" with regard to vaccine efficacy.

Both the polio and measles vaccines are widely regarded as some of the most successful public health breakthroughs, and have prevented millions of deaths globally. Experts warn that changing these guidelines would result in unnecessary deaths, and stoke more confusion among parents regarding vaccine safety.

In response, DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer released the following statement:

"RFK Jr. and his hand-selected panel of unqualified quacks want to take us back decades and are actively putting the health and safety of children at risk. They have repeatedly spread unsubstantiated lies that threaten the integrity of our public health system. Dangerous comments like these undermine trust in life-saving vaccines and risk outbreaks that could have detrimental public health consequences. Families should be able to have confidence in our public health officials, and be able to get the care they want and need."

Milhoan's comments follow the CDC's decision earlier this month to reduce the recommended number of diseases American children are vaccinated against from 17 to 11. The vaccine panel also voted just last month to end the universal recommendation for the Hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. To make matters worse, RFK Jr. directed the CDC to eliminate its guidance that vaccines do not cause autism, an unprecedented order that experts warn will stoke parents' fears about life-saving vaccines and cause even more chaos and confusion regarding their safety.