US court blocks Kennedy’s vaccine policy changes

A federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocked US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from implementing sweeping changes to the country’s vaccine policies, ruling that his administration ignored established scientific procedures, New York Times reports.

District judge Brian Murphy, appointed by former president Joe Biden, issued the decision on Tuesday, halting all recent directives from Kennedy’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP). The committee, traditionally tasked with recommending vaccines based on scientific review, had proposed reducing routine childhood vaccinations and restricting access to Covid-19 vaccines.

Murphy’s ruling states that the committee’s historical reliance on “thorough scientific documentation” had been abandoned under Kennedy’s leadership. “Unfortunately, the government has ignored these methods, undermining the integrity of its actions,” the judge wrote. He also noted that only six of the 15 panel members appointed by Kennedy appeared to have relevant vaccine expertise.

The lawsuit was filed by six medical organisations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, which argued that Kennedy’s changes were “arbitrary and unjustified.” The decision overturns a January policy that removed automatic vaccine recommendations for children, instead requiring parents and doctors to assess necessity on a case-by-case basis—a shift critics warn could weaken public trust in immunisation programmes.

Kennedy, a long-time vaccine sceptic, has previously claimed that expanded childhood vaccination schedules since the 1980s may be linked to rises in chronic conditions like autism, a theory rejected by scientific research. His proposed reforms align with his view that many vaccines pose greater risks than officials acknowledge.

The ruling marks a significant setback for Kennedy’s efforts to reshape US vaccine policy. Legal representatives for the plaintiffs, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have praised the decision.