Instead of coming from the CDC’s Advisory Committee, the announcement was slipped into an article in the New England Journal of Medicine authored by two individuals with little vaccine expertise. They recommended against vaccination for children and pregnant women, a dangerous departure from solid data showing those groups benefit most. Lars suggested this shift empowers patients and physicians, but I warned it acts as a dog whistle for anti-vaxxers. Established medical organizations like the ACOG and AAP still recommend vaccination for pregnant women, both for maternal protection and neonatal immunity. When Lars questioned the credibility of these organizations based on unrelated controversies, I pointed out the fallacy in dismissing all expertise due to one disagreement.
You can hear the entire conversation here.
And if you are looking for a bit more:
The Audacity of Hype: Reimagining the FDA, One Shortcut at a Time
Henry I. Miller, MS, MD
Henry I. Miller, MS, MD, is the Glenn Swogger Distinguished Fellow at the American Council on Science and Health. His research focuses on public policy toward science, technology, and medicine, encompassing a number of areas, including pharmaceutical development, genetic engineering, models for regulatory reform, precision medicine, and the emergence of new viral diseases. Dr. Miller served for fifteen years at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a number of posts, including as the founding director of the Office of Biotechnology.
