Kennedy last week announced he would "retire" the entire panel that guides U.S. vaccine policy. He also quietly removed Dr. Melinda Wharton — the veteran Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official who coordinated the committee's meetings.

RFK Jr. ousted the entire vaccine advisory panel, prompting backlash from experts who warned his abrupt decisions and controversial appointments could endanger U.S. immunization efforts and increase preventable disease outbreaks.

By Ahmed Aboulenein, Michael Erman and Julie Steenhuysen WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired all members sitting on a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel of vaccine experts and is reconstituting the committee,