"In the United States, polio is a memory, and a fading one at that. The last major outbreak here happened in 1952; the virus was declared eliminated in 1979. With all of that behind us, you can see how someone—say, Kirk Milhoan, the chair of the CDC's vaccine advisory committee—might wonder whether giving the polio vaccine to American kids still makes sense."
"And right now, when it comes to vaccines in America, anything seems possible. With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services, and with the CDC's vaccine advisory committee stacked with his allies, every inoculation—no matter how well studied or successful—seems to be under new scrutiny, and at least potentially on the chopping block."
"Next on the committee's agenda is looking into the safety of aluminum salts, which are used in numerous vaccines to boost the recipient's immune response. For the record, a study of more than 1 million Danish children, published last July, found no statistically significant evidence linking aluminum in vaccines to asthma, autoimmune conditions, or neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism."
Polio was eliminated in the United States in 1979 and the last major outbreak occurred in 1952. The continued inclusion of the polio vaccine in the CDC childhood-immunization schedule is being questioned given the current low domestic risk. Recent leadership changes at HHS and a reconstituted CDC vaccine advisory committee have increased scrutiny of established vaccines. The committee plans to investigate aluminum salts used as adjuvants, despite a large Danish study finding no link between aluminum in vaccines and asthma, autoimmune disorders, or neurodevelopmental disorders. The polio vaccine does not contain aluminum and its recommendations may be reconsidered.
Read at The Atlantic
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