US health secretary dismisses entire federal vaccine advisory panel

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has dismissed all 17 members of a key federal vaccine advisory committee, according to an announcement by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on June 9. The decision marks a sweeping change to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a panel whose recommendations help shape US vaccine policy.

“A clean sweep is needed to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science,” Kennedy said in an opinion piece published in The Wall Street Journal, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

ACIP, made up of pediatricians, epidemiologists, immunologists, and other medical professionals, plays a significant role in reviewing scientific data and advising on the US immunisation schedule. Its recommendations influence not only federal health guidance but also insurance coverage of vaccines.

Kennedy, a longtime critic of federal vaccine policy and safety, said that many of the panel’s current members were “last-minute appointees” of the Biden administration.

“Without removing the current members, the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028,” he wrote.

While ACIP members are not considered political appointees, Kennedy alleged that the group has been compromised by conflicts of interest. The committee had recently published disclosures of potential conflicts from 2000 through 2024.

Kennedy also criticised the panel’s transparency, claiming that it had failed to adequately involve the public in its decisions. He pointed to the recent update to the COVID-19 vaccination schedule, which he said was made “without ACIP’s input.”

One recently dismissed ACIP member told CNN they were unaware of their termination until Kennedy’s op-ed was made public.

By Sabina Mammadli