Kennedy‘s Vaccine Advisory Panel Faces Scrutiny Ahead of Key Votes
WASHINGTON (April 29, 2024) – A commitee advising Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on vaccine schedules is under fire as it prepares to vote on recommendations for chickenpox, COVID-19, and hepatitis B shots, raising concerns about potential shifts in public health guidance. The panel, recently reshaped with several new appointments, includes members with past affiliations to anti-vaccine advocacy groups, fueling accusations of a deliberate effort to undermine confidence in immunizations.
The Advisory Committee on immunization Practices (ACIP) is tasked with making recommendations to the CDC on which vaccines should be routinely given to Americans.While the committee’s recommendations are not binding,they heavily influence vaccination policies nationwide. Recent changes to the ACIP’s composition, announced by HHS on monday, have sparked controversy, with critics pointing to the backgrounds of some new members.
The committee is currently reviewing the schedule for childhood immunizations, including the MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox). Previously, the CDC recommended the MMRV vaccine coudl be administered as a combined shot or as separate measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and varicella vaccines. In 2020, the ACIP changed its recommendation, removing the preferential language and saying either the combination shot or separate shots were acceptable for the first dose. Today,many pediatricians suggest separate doses for the first shot,but give the combined shot for the second dose,according to pediatrics experts.
Concerns extend to the committee’s consideration of COVID-19 and hepatitis B vaccines. Dr. Raymond Pollak, a transplant specialist, and Catherine Stein, a disease researcher who worked with an Ohio anti-vaccine group during the COVID-19 pandemic arguing case counts were inaccurate, are among the new appointees. Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist, publicly stated at a 2024 congressional hearing that an increase in cardiovascular disease in older teens and young adults should be attributed to vaccines. Hilary blackburn, a pharmacist and podcaster, rounds out the new members.
“This version of the ACIP is an orchestrated effort to sow distrust in vaccines,” said Dr. José O’Leary, a liaison from the American Academy of Pediatrics to the ACIP. He emphasized ther is no new evidence of harms from the MMRV vaccine.
The HHS has not responded to requests for comment regarding the concerns raised about the committee’s composition and potential impact on vaccine recommendations. The AP Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
