Response to Confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
as HHS Secretary  

The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for protecting and advancing the health and well-being of all Americans. Experts in infectious diseases can offer objective insight to Secretary Kennedy and his staff as the nation faces evolving future threats to the health of its citizens. By providing scientific, evidence-based recommendations to assess and combat all infectious diseases — which have no borders — including explaining their link to preventing and managing chronic health concerns, IDSA and its members can be trusted partners. 

Secretary Kennedy’s confirmation is an important opportunity to reaffirm the longstanding, overwhelming and settled science regarding the safety and efficacy of vaccines, which remain our best defense against many serious infectious diseases. We look forward to working with lawmakers to hold Secretary Kennedy to his promise to maintain our nation’s vaccine approval and safety framework, including the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the Vaccines for Children program and other public health vaccine programs. 

--Tina Tan, MD, FIDSA, FPIDS, FAAP – President, IDSA