The CDC is pushing RSV vaccines to younger Americans despite concerning Guillain-Barre Syndrome risks, and Big Pharma is cashing in on the latest wave of government-mandated medical interventions.
At a Glance
- CDC advisers voted 14-0 (with one abstention) to expand RSV vaccine availability to adults aged 50-59 with risk factors
- Three pharmaceutical giants – GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and Moderna – have RSV vaccines licensed in the US
- Some panel members expressed concerns about potential Guillain-Barre Syndrome risks
- The meeting was the first since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became head of Health and Human Services
Another Day, Another CDC Vaccine Expansion
Just when you thought the government’s medical overreach might take a breather, here comes the CDC with another round of vaccine recommendations. The agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has unanimously voted to expand RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) vaccine availability to adults aged 50-59 who have at least one risk factor. This follows their earlier recommendation this year targeting those 75 and older, along with at-risk individuals aged 60-74.
The timing is particularly interesting as this was the first advisory committee meeting since vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the helm at the Department of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration. The meeting was reportedly delayed from February to allow for more public feedback – though one has to wonder if the delay was calculated to push this recommendation through before any potential policy shifts under Kennedy’s leadership.
Big Pharma’s Latest Cash Cow
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that three pharmaceutical giants – GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, and Moderna – already have RSV vaccines licensed in the United States. The expansion to younger age groups represents a massive new market for these companies. RSV affects over 100,000 older adults annually, according to the CDC, making this a potentially lucrative revenue stream for Big Pharma, especially if recommendations continue expanding to even younger populations.
“What’s swaying me is there clearly are people in that 50 to 59 year sort of age group—for example lung transplant patients, hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients—that would clearly benefit from having access to this vaccine”
Dr. Jane Zucker’s statement about transplant patients potentially benefiting from the vaccine sounds reasonable on the surface. But let’s be honest – when was the last time a vaccine recommendation stayed narrowly focused on only those who might truly need it? The pattern we’ve seen time and again is mission creep that eventually encompasses the entire population, regardless of individual risk profiles.
The Risks They’re Downplaying
While the committee presented a united front with its 14-0 vote (with one abstention), behind-the-scenes concerns paint a different picture. Dr. Michael Melgar revealed that some working group members expressed worry about “the uncertainty in the magnitude of risk of Guillain-Barre Syndrome” – a serious neurological disorder that can cause paralysis. Yet somehow, this uncertainty wasn’t enough to slow down the recommendation train.
“I think some work group members are concerned about the uncertainty in the magnitude of risk of Guillain-Barre Syndrome”
Let that sink in. They’re acknowledging a potential risk of a serious neurological condition – but voting to recommend the vaccine anyway. This perfectly encapsulates the reckless approach to public health policy we’ve witnessed in recent years: push the intervention first, worry about adverse effects later. And who bears the consequences? Not the committee members or pharmaceutical executives, but ordinary Americans who trust these institutions to protect them.
The Slippery Slope Continues
Perhaps most concerning is the revelation that the CDC panel isn’t done yet. A future meeting will consider recommending RSV vaccines for those younger than 50. The committee also voted during the same meeting to expand access to chikungunya and meningococcal vaccines, further demonstrating the unstoppable momentum of vaccine expansion regardless of necessity or risk-benefit analysis.
Meanwhile, the push for infant RSV immunization continues full steam ahead. The CDC already recommends it for babies under 8 months entering their first RSV season, with follow-ups for high-risk children. One has to ask: at what point do we question whether bombarding developing immune systems with an ever-growing list of vaccines and immunizations is truly in children’s best interests? But that would require a level of scrutiny our public health institutions seem increasingly unwilling to tolerate.
With RFK Jr. now at HHS, many Americans are hoping for a new era of transparency and genuine risk-benefit analysis in public health policy. Time will tell whether the entrenched bureaucracy at the CDC and FDA will allow meaningful reform, or whether the pharmaceutical industry’s influence will continue to drive an ever-expanding vaccination schedule regardless of necessity or safety concerns.
