Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Monday that he had dismissed all 17 members of the important scientific body that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) regarding vaccine use, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP ). Kennedy said he would pick his own nominations to take their place and planned to meet with the new committee in Atlanta in two days. Big health organizations reacted harshly to the choice. The move, according to the American Medical Association ( AMA ), undermines trust and interferes with a transparent procedure that has saved countless lives. Dr. Bruce A. Scott, president of the AMA, warned that Kennedy’s actions, in addition to the decline in immunization costs, may cause an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases. The widespread departure, according to Dr. Georges Benjamin, senior director of the American Public Health Association, was deemed a revolution and deemed it” not how governments operate.” He added that the decision raised questions about whether the new committee members may be viewed as objective, and that Kennedy had accused him of breaking his pledge to never overturn the existing panel. In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Kennedy, a previous anti-vaccine activist and health minister, justified the radical change. He argued that the reform was necessary to restore public trust in vaccine research and that many committee members had conflicts of interest. He reaffirmed that “vaccine research needs to be thoroughly examined to restore public confidence.” Nevertheless, an Radio research revealed that the government statement Kennedy cited to support his claims about conflict of interest did not address these issues.
The ACIP is what?
The ACIP is a vital advisory body that determines the national immunization schedules, as well as routine immunization dates for both children and adults. Its people are independent professionals who base their suggestions on rigorous scientific analysis. The CDC producer finally approves these recommendations for use in a formal manner. Additionally, according to Kennedy, the earlier Trump presidency would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028 without removing the current users. Despite ACIP’s tradition of being non-partisan, the Biden presidency had appointed the full screen. This reshuffle comes in response to various contentious decisions made by Kennedy since taking business. These include canceling vaccine research programs aimed at preventing a potential pandemie and changing the recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine without consulting the commission. Soon after the announcement, the ACIP’s website list members was taken down. Public health experts are still deeply concerned about the impact of this reform on immunization coverage and public confidence, despite Kennedy’s confidence that new members would prioritize “public heath and evidence-based treatments” and stop acting as” a rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas.
