Anti-Vaccine Ally Quits CDC Panel Amid Drama with Spokesperson

Robert Malone, a former researcher turned outspoken anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist, has angrily resigned from his position on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Malone, who was hand-selected by anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., confirmed his resignation to CQ Roll Call, which first reported the news.

Malone told the outlet that his decision to quit came after a 'miscommunication' about the fate of the ACIP. Kennedy had populated ACIP with anti-vaccine allies including Malone, who served as vice chair, after summarily firing all 17 experts on the panel last June. Last week, a federal judge temporarily blocked Kennedy's ACIP appointments, including Malone, and stayed the changes that its members had made to federal vaccine guidance, as well as the dramatic overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule Kennedy made without them. The judge ruled all the moves were likely illegal.