Cancels vaccine commission meeting, shelves CDC vaccine campaigns
Among them was the postponement of the upcoming meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which was scheduled for next week and had votes on several vaccines on the agenda.
ACIP holds full-committee public meetings at least three times a
year to review evidence on vaccines and vote on new recommendations. The
February 26-28 meeting was to be the first under new HHS Secretary Robert F.
Kennedy Jr.
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) is not required to accept the recommendations of ACIP advisers, the
agency has traditionally adopted those recommendations and based adult and
child immunization schedules on them, as have groups like the American Academy
of Pediatricians. ACIP recommendations also play a role in determining which
vaccines are covered by health insurers.
"Postponing a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices delays vital discussions and needed decisions on a variety of vaccines by trusted and well-vetted experts," Infectious Diseases Society of America President Tina Tan, MD, said in a statement. "ACIP relies on a well-established, transparent and evidence-based process for evaluating the optimal use of vaccines that plays a critical role in strengthening public health."
The postponement is adding to fears that Kennedy, a longtime
critic of vaccines who in the past has accused ACIP members of conflict of
interest, could make changes to the group. Voting members of ACIP are appointed
by the HHS secretary and serve overlapping terms of up to 4 years. Reporting
by Politico indicates
that ACIP is among the advisory committees that Kennedy is targeting for
changes, and there has been concern that he may appoint people with
anti-vaccine views to the panel.
HHS has not yet said when the ACIP meeting will be
rescheduled.
Changes of CDC vaccine promotional campaigns
Meanwhile, changes to the CDC's promotional campaigns for
various vaccines could be forthcoming. Earlier this week, National
Public Radio reported that the agency was stopping its
"wild to mild" flu vaccination campaign, which was launched in
September 2023. The idea behind the campaign was to promote how well flu
vaccines work at preventing serious outcomes, like emergency department visits
and hospitalizations, even if they don't always prevent infection.
Stat reported
yesterday that the campaign was one of several to be pulled, and that CDC
officials were told that Kennedy wants future vaccine campaigns to promote the
idea of "informed consent" in vaccine decision-making. Informed
consent is an ethical and legal requirement that aims to ensure patients
understand the risks and benefits of medical treatments before agreeing to
those treatments.
Tan said that pulling promotional campaigns for vaccines
"leaves Americans with fewer tools to make critical decisions in
consultation with their doctors to protect themselves and their families."
She called on Congress to hold Kennedy accountable for actions that could
undermine vaccines.
"Weakening our nation's vaccine infrastructure will
lead to significantly lower immunization rates and result in many more
outbreaks of serious, preventable hospitalizations and deaths," she said.
HHS did not respond to a request to confirm the status of
the CDC's vaccine promotion campaigns.
Long-COVID advisory committee terminated
In other news, an executive
order issued this week by the Trump administration calls
for the termination of the HHS Secretary's Advisory Committee on Long COVID, a
group that included long-COVID scientists and experts from several
universities. The committee, which was established in November 2023, was still
recruiting members and had yet to hold a meeting.
The order also terminated the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) Health Equity Advisory Committee. Also created under
the Biden administration, the committee aimed to address structural racism and
systemic barriers in CMS programs.
The two were among several federal advisory committees and
programs axed under the order, which seeks to reduce "elements of the
Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary."
