Introduction to the Vaccine Committee Meeting
A key vaccine advisory committee met for the first time under new U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading voice in the U.S. anti-vaccine movement. The meeting was held on Tuesday and was, to some extent, business as usual, though with a major question looming: Who would evaluate the committee’s recommendations?
Background of the Meeting
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ two-day meeting took up vaccine policy questions that had been put on hold when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services abruptly postponed the panel’s February meeting. The meeting started fairly routine, with most members joining through a webcast. They discussed an mpox vaccine and how the winter flu and COVID-19 seasons were going.
Discussion on COVID-19 Vaccines
The conversation took a turn when a CDC official summarized a committee workgroup discussion about the waning COVID-19 pandemic, and asked whether the panel might consider changing vaccination recommendations. For example, instead of recommending seasonal shots for all Americans 6 months and older, should the recommendations be more focused — at least for certain age groups — on people with chronic illnesses or otherwise at higher risk? Committee member Dr. Denise Jamieson, dean of the University of Iowa’s medical school, expressed her surprise at considering a risk-based recommendation, worrying it will be harder to implement, and may cause more headaches for patients who want to get shots and have them covered by insurance.
Concerns and Opinions
Dr. Jamie Loehr, a family medicine doctor in Itasca, New York, said he is in favor of a risk-based recommendation but also worried about feasibility and the message it would send. “COVID is still a fairly dangerous disease and very very common,” he said. “We are not talking about 10 cases of mpox. We are talking about thousands of hospitalizations and deaths.” A vote on the idea could come at the next committee meeting, scheduled for June.
Uncertainty Over Recommendation Evaluation
The 15-member panel of outside scientific experts, created in 1964, makes recommendations to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC directors almost always approve those recommendations on how Food and Drug Administration-cleared vaccines should be used. The CDC’s final recommendations are not binding, but for decades they have been widely heeded by doctors and determine the scope and funding of vaccination programs. However, it’s not clear who would decide whether to accept those recommendations, as the Trump administration named Susan Monarez as acting CDC director in January, and last month picked her to lead the agency, but she has essentially recused herself from regular director duties because of federal law around vacancies.
Implications of the Uncertainty
That means any committee recommendations made seem likely to fall to Kennedy. When an AP reporter asked an HHS spokesperson, he said he was looking into the question but did not immediately have an answer. During his Senate confirmation hearings, Kennedy told lawmakers he is not “antivaccine.” But since taking office, he has promised to “investigate” children’s shots and to take a new look at the possibility of links between childhood vaccinations and autism — a theory that has been debunked by a number of studies, including at least a dozen that involved CDC researchers.
Conclusion
The meeting of the vaccine advisory committee under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has raised several questions and concerns, particularly regarding the evaluation of the committee’s recommendations and the potential impact on federal vaccination efforts. As the committee continues to discuss and vote on vaccine policy questions, it remains to be seen how the new administration will handle these recommendations and what implications this will have for public health.
FAQs
Q: Who is the new U.S. Health Secretary?
A: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Q: What was the main topic of discussion at the vaccine advisory committee meeting?
A: The meeting discussed vaccine policy questions, including a potential change in COVID-19 vaccination recommendations.
Q: Who will evaluate the committee’s recommendations?
A: It is unclear, but it seems likely to fall to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Q: What is the theory that Kennedy has promised to investigate?
A: The possibility of links between childhood vaccinations and autism.
Q: Has this theory been debunked?
A: Yes, by a number of studies, including at least a dozen that involved CDC researchers.
