Kennedy guts CDC vaccine recommendation panel

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday removed all of the members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s panel is made up of 17 medical and public health experts who make recommendations on the use of vaccines in the United States. The panel guides the suggested vaccine schedule for adults and children. New members will be appointed to the panel, Kennedy wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. It was unclear Tuesday morning when the new members would be named. A panel meeting scheduled for June 25-27 was expected to proceed as planned, according to HHS. The panel was slated to discuss vaccines for anthrax, COVID-19, Lyme disease, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus at the planned meeting.

Why did Kennedy say he cleared house? In his opinion column, Kennedy said some of the members had been recently appointed by the Biden administration and that the Trump administration would have had to wait until 2028 to introduce new members. Panel appointees typically serve for four years. The panel turnover followed President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at restoring public trust in scientific institutions, according to HHS. Kennedy also wrote that some panel experts had conflicts of interest. The group publishes details on conflicts and disclosures every year.

What have medical groups said about the move? The American Public Health Association on Monday condemned Kennedy’s decision, calling the changes a coup by the Trump administration. The American Medical Association also decried the removal of the panel members, with AMA President Bruce Scott saying the panel had long been a trusted source of science and data-driven advice on the use of vaccines. Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics said expelling all the panel members at once would cause uncertainty and confusion for families.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report about the CDC ending its recommendation that children and pregnant women receive the COVID vaccine.