Overview

• HHS has convened the Childhood Vaccine Safety Task Force for the first time since the late 1990s to fulfill obligations under the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act.
• The task force will include senior officials from the FDA, NIH and CDC and is charged with recommending strategies to develop vaccines with fewer adverse reactions, improve reporting and support safety research.
• Children’s Health Defense, founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., filed formal notices and a lawsuit earlier this year to force HHS to reconvene the panel and submit biennial reports to Congress.
• The panel must submit its first report to Congress within two years and biennial updates thereafter, enforcing a long-neglected statutory reporting requirement.
• Analysts see the revival as an initial step toward reevaluating childhood vaccination schedules, although the task force’s membership and agenda have not been announced.