I'm Brooke Gladstone, and thanks for tuning in to the Midweek podcast.

So the Washington Post this week published the results of a poll it conducted with the health information nonprofit KFF.

The poll found that one in six parents have delayed or skipped vaccines for their kids.

Nine percent have skipped the measles, mumps, and rebella shots.

And about half said they lacked the basic faith in the federal health agencies to ensure vaccine safety.

Health experts fear that this faith will only further sink with the current leadership at HHS.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced he is replacing the entire independent committee that advises the CDC on vaccine usage, claiming members had too many outside conflicts.

Back in June, Kennedy signaled a shakeup.

He announced these eight new picks, most of whom are either allies of him or have clearly

criticized COVID-19 vaccines and requirements and vaccine safety in the past.

And he also removed all of the career officials who sort of set the guardrails around this

process, who set the agenda,

who vet them, who planned the meetings, all those people are gone too.

And soon, his revamped vaccine advisory committee made its presence known.

CDC's immunization panel voted five to one today to recommend against flu vaccines containing

thimerosol. Thymerosol is a mercury-based preservatives used in multi-dose vials to prevent contamination.

Though some anti-vaccine advocates continue to spread misinformation,

that there's a link between the preservative and autism. It's just not true.

The panel's decision came after one presentation, not by the usual CDC process where,

you know, the staff of the CDC convene all these experts to really vet the evidence and come to a

conclusion about what the impact and need for certain changes in the recommendations are.

But instead, it was a presentation by Lynn Redwood. She's the former head of children's health defense.

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