Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).
"Under Kennedy's secretary, all new vaccines will be safely tested in placebo-controlled trials before permitting, which is fundamental to past practices," a HHS spokesman told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
HHS recommends that childhood vaccines listed under the CDC should be tested.
"Apart from the common vaccines, none of the vaccines on the CDC's childhood recommendation schedule was tested against inert placebo, meaning we know very little about the actual risk profile of these products," a HHS spokesman said.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr: Measles outbreak is a call from all of us
RFK Jr. Jr. requires all new vaccines to undergo placebo-controlled trials. (Nicole Hester/Tennessee/US Today Network)
Placebo tests involve volunteers receiving virtual injections (such as saline shooting) and are already a common practice for new pathogens. However, updated versions of proven protective immunity are not usually tested for new placebo trials, but are tested for existing vaccines.
Some health experts raised concerns about placebo trials, believing that such tests could lead people to illnesses that could have been prevented.
A 2014 World Health Organization report published on the 2014 WHO website published on the WHO Institute of Health website said: “Vaccine trial design can raise challenging ethical issues, especially with placebo control when effective vaccines exist.”
Even if there is an effective vaccine, it may be morally reasonable even if the vaccine is tested “with limited vaccine supply”, if the vaccine is still being studied and/or public health recommendations are not yet made, i.e.
Watch the full interview with the doctor. Marc Siegel and RFK Jr. In Fox Country
A man received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on August 25, 2021. (Jon Austria / Coloradoan / USA Today Network)
HHS also claimed that the CDC has not adequately monitored vaccine complications and criticized its current surveillance system.
"The CDC's previous practice of suppressing information about vaccine harm has seriously eroded our trust in public health agencies," the agency said.
"CDC's own research shows that the Post-licensing Surveillance System (VAERS) captures less than 1% of vaccine injuries," a HHS spokesperson said. "This is a system designed to fail. Vaccine Security Data Link (VSD) (designed as a backup of Vaers) is in fact unusable. Both systems have become templates for regulatory misconduct."
On July 21, 2007, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building was visible in Washington, DC. (Saul Leob/AFP)
Kennedy has repeatedly said the vaccine was not fully tested to ensure safety, and he called for greater transparency in its testing and approval process.
"Secretary Kennedy's HHS has committed to providing fundamental transparency to the U.S. public," the spokesperson said. "This means knowledge of medical products, including vaccines, and what we know and what we don't know."
Click here to get the Fox News app
The spokesperson added: “HHS is now building a surveillance system that will accurately measure vaccine risks and benefits, as real science requires transparency and accountability.”