Overview
- Reporting this week revealed an HHS-led initiative, overseen by biostatistician Martin Kulldorff, that tasks CDC and FDA scientists and federal data contractors with reanalyzing vaccine safety using large patient records.
- The work targets questions long pushed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including comparisons of vaccinated and unvaccinated children, possible links to autism, and the safety of thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative still used in some flu shots.
- HHS says the project aims to produce gold‑standard research to guide recommendations, and noted involvement from NIH and universities, though the agency has not detailed the full scope or timeline.
- Experts warn the planned studies risk bias because vaccinated children see doctors more often and receive more diagnoses, and they argue the effort could divert money from other research while giving space to cherry-pick results.
- Sources reported the CDC’s share could reach up to $50 million and that the White House urged Kennedy to soften public vaccine rhetoric ahead of midterms even as late‑February planning meetings brought in major health systems tied to the CDC’s Vaccine Safety Datalink.