Changes to ACIP charter will further erode confidence in vaccine guidance

The updated charter of CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is another alarming action by Secretary Kennedy that will further dismantle U.S. vaccine infrastructure, spread misinformation and confusion about vaccines, and lead to reduced vaccine uptake by an already confused and distrustful public.   

While IDSA is absolutely committed to vaccine safety, the changes to the charter appear to skew ACIP’s work toward vaccine safety and adverse events, rather than maintaining the committee’s balanced and thorough approach that traditionally has considered the full scope of vaccine data, including the benefits of reducing disease burden. These changes suggest that routine immunization is unsafe — adding to confusion and increasing vaccine hesitancy.  

The charter also expands membership for areas such as toxicology, pediatric neurodevelopment and “recovery from serious vaccine injuries,” which strongly signals a shift away from expertise in vaccinology and population-level benefit–risk assessment. In short, these changes elevate perspectives that are not grounded in established science and have no place in a federal advisory committee tasked with safeguarding public health.   

While next steps for ACIP remain unclear, any voting or liaison members of ACIP must conduct their work in a transparent, evidence-based manner and not have a history of promoting vaccine misinformation — requirements that are foundational to the restoration of ACIP’s identity as a trusted scientific authority. 

Our nation’s infectious diseases clinicians and scientists remain steadfastly on the side of patients and public health, and we will not rest until science-based vaccine guidance is restored. 

— Ronald G. Nahass, MD, MHCM, FIDSA — President, IDSA  

About IDSA 

The Infectious Diseases Society of America is a global community of 13,000-plus clinicians, scientists and public health experts working together to solve humanity’s smallest and greatest challenges, from tiny microbes to global outbreaks. Rooted in science, committed to health equity and driven by curiosity, our compassionate and knowledgeable members safeguard the health of individuals, our communities and the world by advancing the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. Visit idsociety.org to learn more.