The lawyer helping incoming Health and Human Services Department head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has petitioned for the Food and Drug Administration to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine in 2022.
Aaron Siri, who served as an attorney for RFK Jr.'s presidential campaign, filed a petition for the FDA to repeal its polio vaccine, which was done through his work at the Informed Consent Action Network.
Moreover, Siri filed several additional petitions to repeal the approval and distribution of other vaccines, including combination shots covering tetanus, diphtheria, polio, and hepatitis A. The petitions are allegedly asking for repeal until their makers disclose details about the use of aluminum in their shots, as first reported by The New York Times.
What Could Happen to Children if Polio Vaccines Are Repealed?
Stopping polio vaccination would have serious consequences for children's health and could potentially undo decades of progress in eradicating this disease. Without immunizations, the risk of polio outbreaks could increase significantly.
Polio primarily affects children under the age of 5. Those infected are at risk of irreversible paralysis, with one in 200 infections leading to this outcome. In up to 10% of those cases, the breathing muscles also become paralyzed, which means the infected child could die.
Polio cases worldwide have decreased by 99% since the World Health Assembly launched an initiative to provide every child with vaccines in 1988.
What Has the Incoming Trump Administration Said?
President-elect Donald Trump has said he is not interested in rolling back polio immunizations, adding that it is "the greatest thing." However, he did say he was open to reviewing other vaccines for children and repealing them "if I think it's dangerous."
RFK Jr. has previously said he does not want to take away access to any vaccines. However, experts believe his close partnership with Siri could mean that vaccine policies will be under sharp scrutiny.
It is important to note that RFK Jr. is serving as the founder and board chairman of Children's Head Defense. The firm has advocated against the proliferation of childhood vaccine shots. It has also linked childhood immunizations to medical conditions, including autism.
