Jimmy Kimmel will survive, so will the Smithsonian and maybe even the national parks. But the young victims of RFK Jr.'s Advisory Committees on Immunization Practices may not be so lucky.

There's not much drier than a CDC report—maybe that's why seriously limited amateurs like RFK Jr. and those who follow him and to whom he is beholden don't read them. Don't be like Junior. Read this:

Since hepatitis B vaccination began in 1982, the prevalence of chronic HBV infection has been reduced substantially among populations whose infection rates previously were high. For example, in 1994, the prevalence of chronic HBV infection among Alaska Natives aged <10 years (i.e., children born after routine vaccination began) was zero, compared with 16% among Alaska Natives aged 11--30 years (9).

The word "zero" in that report might merit our attention. How about this from a different source?

Untreated hepatitis B can damage the liver, leading to cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Babies infected at birth have a 90 percent chance of developing chronic hepatitis B, and 1 in 4 of those children go on to have severe complications or die from the disease.

Yes, 9, nine-O percent. And yet, Junior's newly appointed advisory panel may yank the plug on this vaccine. Why? Because it's a vaccine, and when you're an ideologue with no real medical training, you must stick to your opinions because you don't have anything else. Five members of this panel were appointed this week—in the past Advisory Committees on Immunization Practices were typically vetted for months to years before they were invited to join. Kennedy's bar is...well...lower, and lowering. He fired all 17 previous members because they had "financial conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies." Every one of them! How exhausted Junior must have been from all that investigative work he put in someone told him about.

A liaison to the committee, Dr. Amy Middleman from the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, said, "I would urge the committee to follow the methodical process of an evidence-to-recommendation process before voting on something that affects the public health to this degree." Not much of an ask, following evidence, but then this isn't much of a committee.

I know the death of Charlie Kirk and the aftermath have sucked the air out of everything, but we can't become so involved in it that we ignore genuine dangers to children, especially since the effects may be years away when Jr. has landed on the scrap heap of history, and we're agonizing about all these sick kids.

Just be aware. Deal with trained medical personnel. They may make mistakes, but they have a firmer knowledge base and will do what science, medicine. and their own experience have proven to be efficacious. Don't obtain medical advice from someone selling supplements and panaceas—which is very much like financial conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical companies. That stuff snake oil salespeople are selling from their attractive websites? It's still snake oil.

And the only medical advice you should take from me is to re-read the last paragraph. I'm not selling anything. If I were, not even I would buy it.