Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Monday that he had dismissed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the key scientific group advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine use. Kennedy said he would replace them with his own nominees and planned to convene the new committee in just two weeks in Atlanta.The decision sparked sharp criticism from major medical organisations. The American Medical Association (AMA) described the move as undermining trust and disrupting a transparent process that has saved countless lives. Dr. Bruce A. Scott, AMA president, warned that Kennedy’s action, coupled with falling vaccination rates, could lead to an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases.Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, called the mass dismissal “a coup” and said it was “not how democracies work.” He added the decision raised concerns about whether the new committee members would be seen as impartial, and accused Kennedy of breaking his promise not to remove the existing panel.Kennedy, a former anti-vaccine activist turned health secretary, justified the sweeping change in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece. He claimed that many committee members had conflicts of interest and argued that the overhaul was necessary to restore public confidence in vaccine science. He wrote: “A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science.” However, an NPR investigation found that the government report Kennedy cited to support his conflict of interest claims showed no such issues.
What is the ACIP?
The ACIP is a crucial advisory body that sets national vaccine policy, including schedules for routine immunisations for children and adults. Its members are independent experts who base their recommendations on thorough scientific review. The CDC director then approves these recommendations for official use.Kennedy also noted that without removing the current members, the previous Trump administration would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028. The Biden administration had installed the entire current panel, though ACIP is traditionally a non-partisan group.This shake-up follows other controversial actions by Kennedy since taking office. These include changing COVID-19 vaccine recommendations without consulting the committee and cancelling vaccine research programmes aimed at future pandemics. The ACIP’s webpage listing members was removed shortly after the announcement.Despite Kennedy’s assurance that new members would prioritise “public health and evidence-based medicine” and no longer serve as “a rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas,” public health experts remain deeply concerned about the impact of this overhaul on vaccine policy and public trust.