Whopper of the Week: In a Deadly Flu Season, RFK Jr. Discourages Vaccination

THIS WEEK'S WHOPPER:

IN A DEADLY FLU SEASON, RFK JR. DISCOURAGES VACCINATION

IN SUMMARY

In the midst of a severe  flu season, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told CBS News in January that it may be a "better thing" if fewer children are vaccinated against influenza. He falsely claimed that "there is no scientific evidence that the flu vaccine prevents serious illness, hospitalizations, or death in children". Multiple studies have shown that influenza vaccination protects children against these serious outcomes. Kennedy is using the anti-vaccine playbook, sowing doubt and promoting disinformation, as he defends changes to the Childhood Immunization Schedule which reduce access to safe and effecive vaccines.  

WHY IS THIS A WHOPPER?

In early January, the Centers Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dropped its universal recommendation for pediatric flu vaccines, reversing decades of evidence-based best practice with no new data to justify the change. Although a March 16 judicial ruling has put the new guidelines on hold, Kennedy’s anti-vaccine activism continues to pose a threat to the health and safety of American children. 

Influenza is one of the leading causes of child deaths in the United States, and this winter has been deadly. So far, 101 children have died of influenza, 85% of whom were unvaccinated. Last year, the 2024-2025 flu season resulted in 290 confirmed child flu deaths, 89% of whom were unvaccinated. This was probably an undercount; the CDC estimates that there were likely to have been 790 child flu deaths in 2024-2025 as not all cases are laboratory confirmed.

Number of Influenza-Associated Pediatric Deaths by Virus Type and Week of Death, 2021-22 to 2024–25 Seasons [Source: CDC]

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/whats-new/2025-2026-influenza-activity.html

In addition to the hundreds of preventable deaths caused by flu, thousands of children get sick enough to require hospitalization. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Technical Report, an estimated 8% to 10% of US children develop symptomatic influenza virus infection each year. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, headache, muscle and/or body aches, and in younger children vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Secondary infections can lead to pneumonia and bloodstream infections. Some children with severe disease develop neurological complications.

Despite Kennedy’s vague assertions, the evidence for vaccination is clear. Each year, the CDC quantifies the number of medical visits, hospitalizations and deaths that influenza vaccines prevent. The  CDC website summarizes numerous studies which show that flu vaccines reduce the risk of pediatric emergency department visits by half; hospitalizations by 41%; severe life threatening influenza by 75%; and flu-associated death by 51% among children with underlying medical conditions and by 65% among healthy children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and a dozen other medical groups reject the proposed CDC vaccine schedule changes. Medical professionals continue to recommend that everyone six months and older without medical contradictions get an annual flu vaccine.  Kristina A. Bryant, M.D., FAAP, a member of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases, explains “we know that flu vaccine helps protect kids from the worst complications of flu including hospitalization and death.” 

The flu vaccine is not perfect, and its effectiveness varies depending on the circulating influenza strain and the severity of the disease it causes. Viruses evolve quickly, so a vaccine against this year’s flu strains does not guarantee protection the next year. But year after year, children who have been vaccinated are at lower risk of illness and death than those who have not.  
 

WHY IT MATTERS

Kennedy was vague about why he thought vaccinating fewer children is “better.” It is clear that he is ignoring mountains of scientific evidence about vaccine benefits, much of which is generated by his own agencies. His words may deceive hesitant parents into believing that skipping flu vaccines is a “better choice”. 

In 2024–25, 50.2% children received the annual flu vaccine, which was 5.3 percentage points lower than in 2023–24 (55.5%) and 13.5 percentage points lower than in 2019–20, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Dropping vaccination rates threaten not only individual children, but whole communities. If these trends continue - or are accelerated by anti-vaccine disinformation - this will inevitably mean more hospitalizations and deaths. 

Flu Vaccination Coverage by Age Group, Children 6 months-17 years, United States, 2010-2025 [Source: CDC]

https://www.cdc.gov/fluvaxview/coverage-by-season/2024-2025.html

On March 16, a court ruling blocked Kennedy’s vaccine policy overhaul, concluding that CDC’s “arbitrary and capricious” changes were illegal and an “abandonment of…technical knowledge and expertise”. While implementation of the new guidelines is on hold, the reprieve may only be temporary, as the Trump administration has already promised to appeal the ruling. Should Kennedy succeed in the future, the effects will be felt by all families. Vaccine availability and coverage by insurance will decline, and flu rates will rise. Even parents who want to protect their children from the flu may find it impossible to do so.  
 

Contributors to this post are: Benedicte Callan, Ph.D.,  Miriam Rabkin M.D., M.P.H., Aurora Horstkamp, M.D., Bruce Mirkin, Kathylynn Saboda, M.S.