US Health Secretary Kennedy launches new push on vaccine injuries

KUALA LUMPUR, 9 OCTOBER 2026 —

US Health Secretary Kennedy Expands Vaccine Injury Review Amid Legal Battles Over Immunisation Policy

The move, announced by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on October 8, comes as Kennedy—who has spent years questioning vaccine safety and previously led an anti-vaccine advocacy group—faces a federal court injunction blocking key changes to the US childhood vaccination schedule. Public health experts warn that his policies risk fueling a resurgence of preventable diseases like measles, which has surged since 2025.

The new effort centres on a National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinic opened on October 5 to treat and study patients reporting adverse health effects after vaccination. HHS also proposed expanding Medicare reimbursements for physicians documenting suspected vaccine injuries in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), while mandating that electronic health records flag vaccine-related adverse events. The CDC is simultaneously updating VAERS to improve data collection.

Kennedy’s initiative follows his first-year overhaul of federal immunisation policy, which included dismissing all 17 independent members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and replacing them with appointees aligned with his scepticism of vaccines. In January, the CDC released a revised childhood vaccination schedule that dropped universal recommendations for flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B at birth, certain meningitis strains, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)—a decision immediately contested by medical groups.

A federal court issued a preliminary injunction in March, ruling that Kennedy and HHS had violated federal law by bypassing standard advisory processes. The ruling has since halted ACIP meetings, delaying critical updates to vaccination guidelines often required for insurance coverage.

The legal and policy battles reflect deeper tensions over vaccine safety. Kennedy has repeatedly claimed—without evidence—that US children receive "up to 90 doses" of vaccines before age 18, a figure President Donald Trump has amplified, despite experts confirming the actual number is far lower. Kennedy has also promoted unfounded claims that vaccine additives pose health risks, contradicting decades of clinical trials and post-approval monitoring.

The Vaccine Injury Table, part of the no-fault Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, already lists 14 compensable injuries across 16 vaccine types, with the program having awarded roughly US$5 billion (S$6.4 billion) since 1988 across 12,300 claims for injuries or deaths.

Public health officials warn that Kennedy’s policies may exacerbate declining immunisation rates, particularly for measles, which saw a resurgence in the US starting in 2025. The American Academy of Pediatrics has reiterated that vaccines undergo rigorous placebo-controlled trials and continuous safety monitoring, with no credible evidence linking them to the severe harms Kennedy alleges.

Meanwhile, the CDC’s VAERS system, though voluntary, remains the primary tool for tracking adverse events, though critics argue its data is often underreported and lacks causal proof.

The latest HHS push—while framed as a scientific review of vaccine safety—risks further eroding trust in immunisation programs at a time when measles cases have risen sharply in the US. Legal challenges to Kennedy’s vaccine schedule remain unresolved, with the March injunction still in effect, leaving the future of federal immunisation policy in limbo.

The NIH clinic’s operations and VAERS updates will be closely watched by medical professionals and policymakers as indicators of whether Kennedy’s administration will prioritise evidence-based public health or continue its controversial restructuring of vaccination guidelines.

Related: Robert F. Kennedy Jr