ACIP postponement, shelving of CDC vaccine campaigns stir fears – University of Minnesota Twin Cities

JHVEPhoto / iStockIn a week that began with mass firings of professionals at federal health agencies, other moves made this week by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are raising concerns among public health experts.Among them was the postponement of the upcoming meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which was scheduled for next week and had votes on several vaccines on the agenda. ACIP holds full-committee public meetings at least three times a year to review evidence on vaccines and vote on new recommendations. The February 26-28 meeting was to be the first under new HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is not required to accept the recommendations of ACIP advisers, the agency has traditionally adopted those recommendations and based adult and child immunization schedules on them, as have groups like the American Academy of Pediatricians. ACIP recommendations also play a role in determining which vaccines are covered by health insurers.”Postponing a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices delays vital discussions and needed decisions on a variety of vaccines by trusted and well-vetted experts,” Infectious Diseases Society of America President Tina Tan, MD, said in a statement. “ACIP relies on a well-established, transparent and evidence-based process for evaluating the optimal use of vaccines that plays a critical role in strengthening public health.”The postponement is adding to fears that Kennedy, a longtime critic of vaccines who in the past has accused ACIP members of conflict of interest, could make changes to the group. Voting members of ACIP are appointed by the HHS secretary and serve overlapping terms of up to 4 years. Reporting by Politico indicates that ACIP is among the advisory committees that Kennedy is targeting for changes, and there has been concern that he may appoint people with anti-vaccine views to the panel.HHS has not yet said when the ACIP meeting will be rescheduled. Meanwhile, changes to the CDC’s promotional campaigns for various vaccines could be forthcoming. Earlier this week, National Public Radio reported that the agency was stopping its “wild to mild” flu vaccination campaign, which was launched in September 2023. The idea behind the campaign was to promote how well flu vaccines work at preventing serious outcomes, like emergency department visits and hospitalizations, even if they don’t always prevent infection.Stat reported yesterday that the campaign was one of several to be pulled, and that CDC officials were told that Kennedy wants future vaccine campaigns to promote the idea of “informed consent” in vaccine decision-making. Informed consent is an ethical and legal requirement that aims to ensure patients understand the risks and benefits of medical treatments before agreeing to those treatments.Tan said that pulling promotional campaigns for vaccines “leaves Americans with fewer tools to make critical decisions in consultation with their doctors to protect themselves and their families.” She called on Congress to hold Kennedy accountable for actions that could undermine vaccines.”Weakening our nation’s vaccine infrastructure will lead to significantly lower immunization rates and result in many more outbreaks of serious, preventable hospitalizations and deaths,” she said.HHS did not respond to a request to confirm the status of the CDC’s vaccine promotion campaigns.In other news, an executive order issued this week by the Trump administration calls for the termination of the HHS Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Long COVID, a group that included long-COVID scientists and experts from several universities. The committee, which was established in November 2023, was still recruiting members and had yet to hold a meeting.The order also terminated the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Health Equity Advisory Committee. Also created under the Biden administration, the committee aimed to address structural racism and systemic barriers in CMS programs.The two were among several federal advisory committees and programs axed under the order, which seeks to reduce “elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary.”The CDC says it’s now classifying the flu season as high severity for all age-groups for the first time since the 2017-18 season.HHS indicated it will keep the tests in the federal stockpile until they expire.Also, Canada’s vaccine advisers issue preliminary guidance on use of the vaccine in high-risk groups.The findings suggest that cases in people and animals in other states have yet to be identified, the authors say.The latest update includes a case from Lubbock County, pushing the number of affected counties to 5.The 90-day funding freeze, and the subsequent dismantling of USAID, has sent shockwaves throughout the community of people working on TB diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.The infected woman, who is hospitalized, was likely exposed to H5N1 through contact with her infected backyard poultry flock.The mass firings have hit health professionals at the CDC, FDA, NIH, and other agencies.In other developments, Zoetis announced it has received USDA’s conditional approval for its updated poultry vaccine.The US has recorded 68 human cases of avian flu since 2024.Help make CIDRAP’s vital work possibleCIDRAP – Center for Infectious Disease Research & PolicyResearch and Innovation Office, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MNEmail us© 2025 Regents of the University of Minnesota. 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