Lawsuit Targets HHS for Failing to Set Up Task Force on Childhood Vaccine Safety

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is accused of violating requirements of the National…

Children's Health Defense

by Brenda Baletti, Ph.D.

Attorney Ray Flores is suing U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for failing to establish a task force dedicated to making childhood vaccines safer, as mandated by federal law.

The lawsuit alleges Kennedy is violating the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, which requires the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promote the development of safer childhood vaccines that cause “fewer and less serious adverse reactions” than existing ones.

The act requires HHS to establish a task force that includes the health secretary, the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the directors of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It also requires the health secretary to provide Congress with progress reports every two years…