RFK Jr. Launches Vaccine Injury Investigation
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces new federal initiative to study vaccine injuries and improve reporting systems.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has launched a new federal initiative to investigate vaccine injuries following a visit to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) headquarters. Kennedy met with several vaccine-injured patients at the Bethesda, Maryland site to hear their testimonies and outline the Department’s intent to prioritize the study of vaccine injuries. This includes a new research program at the NIH Clinical Center and a new billing code to reimburse doctors for reporting serious vaccine side effects, according to the New York Times.
Commitment to Patient Safety
“We must listen to patients and families who report vaccine injuries — not dismiss or gaslight them,” Kennedy stated in a Thursday press release. “President Trump and I are building a health system that takes them seriously, follows the evidence, and uses what we learn to make vaccines safer. This is how we earn back trust in our public health institutions.”
The Department announced an agency-wide action plan to strengthen vaccine injury research, reporting, and patient care. This includes opening a new vaccine research clinic at the NIH, implementing electronic health records, improving the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), and proposing policies to reimburse physicians for reporting suspected vaccine-related injuries through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Underreporting of Vaccine Adverse Events
A study published in June on the NIH-run PubMed Central found that vaccine injury is significantly underreported. The study, published in a special issue of “Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease,” highlighted discrepancies in reports regarding adverse events following immunization (AEFIs). The research warned that underreporting could hinder reliable vaccine safety assessments and contribute to increased vaccine hesitancy.
Brianne Dressen, an affected patient who met with Kennedy, reported serious adverse effects from participating in a clinical trial of an AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which was withdrawn from the market in 2024 after being linked to rare blood clotting disorders. Dressen sued AstraZeneca and founded React19, a science-based advocacy group focused on vaccine injury research and education.
Additionally, FDA documents released by Republican Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson revealed that the FDA may have downplayed the number of reported COVID-19 vaccine-related deaths in children by spinning autopsy results. Since former FDA Commissioner Marty Makary left in May, the agency has relieved vaccine makers of the requirement to conduct additional safety studies, effectively scrapping plans for more rigorous vaccine standards.
Source: Daily Caller
