ACIP Approves Several Vaccines but Reveals Serious Problems

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At this week’s meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), members voted to approve influenza vaccine as well as monoclonal antibodies for RSV prevention despite several of them apparently struggling to understand the data presented by scientists. Members of Defend Public Health said today that while these votes were encouraging, going forward, healthcare providers and insurers should be wary of relying on ACIP for decision-making related to which vaccines to offer or cover. Further, the committee’s omission of a vote on COVID19 vaccines may delay vaccine availability and put insurance coverage at risk. 

“Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services replaced all 17 members of ACIP with seven new members, most of whom have well-documented ties to the anti-vaccine movement or are otherwise unqualified to serve on this committee,” said Defend Public Health Coordinating Committee member Elizabeth Jacobs, Ph.D., professor emerita of epidemiology at the University of Arizona. 

“While the majority of ACIP voted to recommend the 2025-2026 influenza vaccine for all persons aged 6 months and older, as well as monoclonal antibodies for RSV prevention, based on what we saw over the last two days, several of these RFK Jr.-appointed members appeared to struggle to understand basic epidemiological study design or even how ACIP functions,” Jacobs continued. “In addition, Lyn Redwood, a well-known anti-vaccine advocate, presented a wholly one-sided and alarmist view of the vaccine preservative thimerosal, all of which has previously been debunked by rigorous scientific studies. Permitting a deceptive presentation by a person with clear conflicts of interest reveals the incompetence of this committee, incompetence that puts the future of vaccines in the United States in peril.  

“The American public should understand that the rigorous and thorough evidence demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of vaccines has not changed since Kennedy’s installation as HHS Secretary. The only thing that has changed is that an anti-vaccine advocate has taken charge and replaced experienced and thoroughly vetted scientists and healthcare providers with several cronies who were not screened by anyone with knowledge in the field.

“Both public and private insurers use ACIP recommendations for approving payment for vaccines, and there is no place for anti-vaccination conspiracies in this process. If ACIP members are permitted to continue to sow doubt about the safety and efficacy of proven vaccines,  many of the most vulnerable people in the U.S. will have less access to vaccinations, resulting in more sickness and death from vaccine-preventable diseases.

"Although the committee made some correct decisions today, healthcare providers and insurers should be wary of the decisions from this committee, so long as it's stacked with RFK Jr's puppets. Medical societies are gearing up to provide up-to-date vaccination guidance, and that's where healthcare providers and patients should look. It's tragic that this is necessary, but it's literally a matter of life and death."

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Defend Public Health is an all-volunteer network of public health researchers, healthcare workers, advocates and allies fighting to protect the health of all from the Trump administration's cruel attacks on proven, science-based public health policies. We believe that everyone has the right to what they need for a healthy life, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity.

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