Welcome to Wellness on Mass. I'm Dr. Nicole Sapphire and this is your weekly rundown.

Now let's start with a bold and controversial move out of Washington, D.C. Health Secretary Robert

of Kennedy Jr. has officially disbanded the CDC's long-standing advisory committee on immunization

practices, commonly known as ASIP, and appointed eight new

members in its place. Now, ASIP is the group that makes key recommendations on vaccine use in the

United States, guiding everything from school vaccine requirements and insurance coverage

to which vaccines are offered free under programs like vaccines for children.

Now, this is not a small move.

Some of the newly appointed members have questioned the safety of the COVID vaccines,

as well as some other vaccines, and have pushed for more individualized vaccine schedules.

Supporters of the overhaul say it's about restoring transparency and eliminating potential conflicts of interests. But many in the medical community are concerned that replacing experienced

public health experts with more ideologically driven voices could undermine public trust and

lead to inconsistent politically motivated guidance. Now, my take on this is, I do think that it is

incredibly important that we remove some of the existing ASIP members because their

transparency and their motivations were called into question during the COVID pandemic.

Because during the COVID pandemic, it seemed that they ignored some of the

emerging data when it came to the safety and really the efficacy of these vaccines in our younger,

healthier populations. And rather, they continued to push forward with their universal recommendations

and vaccines and boosters when other countries were not and when it didn't seem the data was there

to support it. So I am in favor of removing some of the members. vaccines and boosters when other countries were not and when it didn't seem the data was there to

support it. So I am in favor of removing some of the members, if not all of the members, and replacing

them with new members that have a fresh perspective on things. But I do want to say that it's important

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