Global Vaccine Efforts Falter, US Policy Fractures

Since taking office, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has purged CDC leadership and reconstituted the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices with members who have expressed vaccine skepticism, producing a chaotic ACIP meeting that voted to restrict Merck’s four‑way MMRV vaccine (ProQuad) for children under four, debated delaying the newborn hepatitis‑B dose, and shifted COVID‑19 booster guidance toward individualized/shared decision‑making. Critics, industry and public‑health officials say those moves lack new supporting science, politicize immunization policy, and risk fragmenting U.S. guidance as states, medical societies and regional coalitions issue independent recommendations. The policy turmoil has contributed to practical access barriers — advisory limits on some COVID shots, pharmacies imposing prescriptions or rationing scarce pediatric doses, and mixed guidance on pregnancy. Globally, Pakistan’s nationwide HPV campaign fell far short of its 13 million target, reaching about 4.5 million girls amid low awareness, social‑media misinformation, absence of trusted local voices, and attacks on vaccinators. Public figures including President Trump and Secretary Kennedy have amplified discredited claims linking vaccines and autism, drawing rebukes and deepening public confusion, public‑health leaders warn. Experts call for sustained local engagement, credible messengers, clear science‑based policy and sustained efforts to counter misinformation to preserve routine immunization and prevent outbreaks.