With a political thunderclap, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, has dismissed the entire CDC vaccine advisory committee – a move that is considered unprecedented even in the charged atmosphere of U.S. health policy. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), long the backbone of evidence-based vaccine recommendations, was dissolved with a single stroke. Seventeen scientists, all appointed under the Biden administration, were removed without warning. Kennedy announced that he would reconstitute the panel with his own picks within two weeks.
"A complete reset is necessary to restore public trust in vaccine science," Kennedy wrote in a guest column for the Wall Street Journal – leaving no doubt that this was a political power move.
The response from the scientific community has been fierce. Dr. Tom Frieden, former CDC director, warned of a "dangerous precedent" that could make it harder for millions to access vaccines. Dr. Georges Benjamin, director of the American Public Health Association, went so far as to call it a "coup against science."
"This is not how a democracy – or the health of a nation – can function." Even within the committee, there is disbelief. Dr. Noel Brewer, a behavioral scientist at the University of North Carolina, received the dismissal notice via email – with no explanation. "Until yesterday, ACIP recommendations were the gold standard. Today, everything is uncertain."
Kennedy had promised during his Senate confirmation that he would not dismantle the committee. Now even Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican physician, is calling it a breach of trust:
"The fear is real – that the new committee will be filled with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion."
The ACIP website was taken down Monday evening. Who the replacements will be remains unclear. What is clear is this: the next meeting is scheduled in two weeks in Atlanta – with new faces, a new agenda, and a new direction that could divide the nation.
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