As critics rally outside, a newly appointed committee signals a dramatic shift in U.S. immunization strategy, raising fears about public health.
A new era for vaccine policy in the United States appears to be dawning as an advisory panel, handpicked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., convened this week at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters.
The meeting, marked by protests from fired and retired scientists outside, signaled a significant shift from the panel’s long-standing role of supporting vaccine advancement to a more skeptical stance on the safety and efficacy of established inoculations.
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The newly formed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) began its tenure with controversial discussions, including a recommendation to discontinue the use of influenza vaccines containing the mercury-based preservative thimerosal.
This move aligns with Kennedy’s previously unsubstantiated claims linking thimerosal to autism, despite evidence to the contrary and the fact that only a small percentage of current flu vaccines contain the preservative.
Adding to the controversy, Secretary Kennedy on Tuesday announced the withdrawal of a $1.2 billion U.S. commitment to global immunization, a decision critics warn will lead to increased child mortality in the world’s poorest countries.
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While the new ACIP did recommend a newly licensed shot for newborns to protect against a respiratory virus, their broader agenda has raised alarms among public health advocates.
The committee plans to review the entire childhood vaccine schedule, a move that could undermine long-accepted consensus and public confidence, particularly given that at least three of the seven committee members have publicly opposed current vaccines. The federal government is legally bound by ACIP’s recommendations, and states often follow its advice.
Martin Kulldorff, the new ACIP chair and a former Harvard University epidemiologist, emphasized the committee’s mandate to use “evidence-based medicine,” stating, “There are no wrong questions.” He announced the formation of new working groups, including one to investigate whether children are receiving too many vaccines and another to re-evaluate the 34-year-old recommendation for a birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine, a practice credited with dramatically reducing liver disease.
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The changes have drawn sharp criticism from the medical community. The American Academy of Pediatrics declined to send official liaisons to the meeting, with Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases, blasting the panel’s narrative as “completely false” and asserting that current vaccine policies have “saved millions of lives, trillions of dollars.”
Meanwhile, outside the CDC, protestors dressed as vaccine-preventable diseases and held signs calling to “Restore ACIP,” expressing deep concern over the potential erosion of public trust in vaccines. Former CDC officials warned that the committee’s actions could lead to a resurgence of diseases previously brought under control by widespread vaccination. Sources
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