CDC Vaccine Advisory Board Completely Removed
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has dismissed all 17 members of the federal committee responsible for advising on vaccine recommendations. The unexpected decision was revealed in a June 8 opinion article Kennedy authored for The Wall Street Journal, in which he criticized the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for having ongoing conflicts of interest and acting as little more than an approval mechanism for new vaccines.
ACIP plays a key role in shaping national vaccine policy by advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Once its recommendations are approved by the CDC director, they become official guidelines and trigger insurance coverage requirements without out-of-pocket costs, according to The Washington Post. The committee’s meetings are open to the public, and members are required to disclose any financial or professional conflicts before each session.
The removal of the panel contradicts a commitment Kennedy made earlier in the year. During his confirmation hearings, he assured Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) that he would leave ACIP intact. Cassidy, who chairs the Senate health committee and is a medical doctor, expressed unease over Kennedy’s vaccine skepticism but ultimately supported his confirmation. He later cited Kennedy’s pledge on ACIP as part of his rationale for that decision.
Kennedy had already bypassed the committee’s input once before. In May, he announced that federal health agencies would stop recommending COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women—a significant departure from CDC guidance. That change was made without notifying the CDC in advance and was first made public via social media, catching agency officials off guard.
Given Kennedy’s past involvement with anti-vaccine activism, many in the medical community are concerned about the direction of vaccine policy under his leadership. Dr. Paul Offit, a pediatrician and former ACIP member, warned that Kennedy appears to be making decisions unilaterally, sidelining both expert input and longstanding procedures.
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