In an unprecedented move, U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has dismissed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine policy for the American population.
The decision, announced late Tuesday night, has sent shockwaves through the American public health system.
Secretary Kennedy stated that all committee members were found to have various conflicts of interest that, in his view, compromised their ability to make impartial decisions. “A clean slate is necessary to rebuild public trust in vaccine science,” Kennedy said.
The move is the most far-reaching in a series of actions by Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic, to reshape U.S. regulation of vaccines, food and medicine. Scientists and experts said the changes to the vaccine panel, which recommends how vaccines are used and by whom, would undermine public confidence in health agencies. Kennedy promised the move would raise public confidence.
Prior to his appointment, Kennedy Jr. was widely known for his vocal skepticism toward vaccines. His appointment as Secretary of Health was met with mixed reactions, and the latest move has ignited intense debate across the medical and scientific communities.
Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association, sharply criticized the decision, calling it a “coup.” He added, “This is not how democracy works. It’s not good for the nation’s health.”
The Department of Health has yet to announce new appointments to the committee.