The newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is set to review the childhood vaccination schedule, leading to speculation about possible changes to long-standing vaccine recommendations.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had recently dismissed all 17 previous members of the panel and appointed eight new individuals, many of whom have displayed skepticism regarding vaccine efficacy and safety. One of the newly appointed members, Dr. Michael Ross, has withdrawn his participation, according to a report from Senator Bill Cassidy during a Senate hearing on Wednesday.
The ACIP, which provides recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on who should receive certain vaccinations, significantly influences insurance coverage for these vaccines.
At the onset of the committee’s inaugural meeting, new chair Martin Kulldorff, a biostatistician known for his criticism of pandemic-era lockdowns and a controversial position on COVID vaccinations, expressed a defensive stance. He remarked, “Some media outlets have been very harsh on the new members of this committee, issuing false accusations and making concerted efforts to put scientists in either a pro- or anti-vaccine box.”
This labeling, he asserted, diminishes meaningful scientific discourse and exacerbates public hesitancy surrounding vaccinations.
Kulldorff further voiced dissent against the CDC’s interim suspension of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine, which was paused due to reports of rare blood clot incidents in young women. He reflected, “There was a shortage of vaccines and people were dying, so I think that pause of the J&J vaccine was inappropriate.” Kulldorff noted his pro-vaccine stance, dismissing claims made in the media suggesting he was anti-vaccine.
In a bid to enhance their review processes, Kulldorff announced the establishment of two specialized workgroups under the ACIP umbrella. These subcommittees will investigate the cumulative effects of recommended childhood vaccinations, including possible interactions among various shots, and re-evaluate vaccines that have not undergone scrutiny in the past seven years.
Among those under review are the hepatitis B vaccine and a combination vaccine that protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella. Kulldorff indicated that systematic oversight of these vaccines had lagged despite being a routine task of the ACIP.
In statements reflecting on the childhood vaccination schedule, Kennedy highlighted the significant increase in vaccines administered to children, saying, “When I was a kid I got three vaccines. Today they get 69 to 92 jabs of vaccines between conception and when they are 18 years old.”
Contrary to his remarks, vaccine specialists maintain that today’s immunizations contain fewer antigens than those of earlier generations and are less demanding on the immune system.
As part of the newly announced ACIP work groups, Kulldorff scrutinized previous recommendations concerning hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns and the MMRV vaccine administration for one-year-olds. He suggested that unless a mother is hepatitis B positive, delaying the vaccination could be reasonable considering that the virus is predominantly transmitted through sexual activity and intravenous drug use.
The MMRV vaccine, which received approval in 2005, was initially recommended by the CDC for administration at 12-15 months and again at ages 4 to 6. However, its guidance was modified in response to increased reports of febrile seizures linked to the first dose, affecting one in every 2,300 to 2,600 vaccinated children.
Now, the CDC suggests that young children receive the MMR vaccine and the separate varicella vaccine for their first dose, with the combination shot reserved for the second dose, citing a very low overall risk of febrile seizures for both options, according to the agency.
Kulldorff has also expressed doubts about ACIP’s prior recommendations, particularly around the first dose options for children that include either the combination vaccine or separate vaccines for varicella and MMR. He added that his working group may consider new research to address timing issues related to the MMR vaccine, particularly to accommodate certain parental religious objections.
In the following days, the committee is expected to review updated data on several vaccines, including anthrax, chikungunya, COVID, and MMRV, as well as vote on RSV and influenza vaccines.
Discussions conducted by a recent COVID workgroup underscored that updated vaccines are deemed suitable for a wide range of demographics including pregnant women, infants aged 6 to 23 months, children, and adults aged 2 to 64 years with high exposure risk. Those who are immunocompromised older than six months and seniors aged 65 and above are advised to receive two doses of the updated vaccine.
The workgroup also stated that healthy children and adults could consider discussions with their healthcare providers regarding updated COVID vaccinations. Notably, in May, Kennedy announced that the CDC would no longer recommend the vaccine for this demographic or for pregnant women.
A further segment of Wednesday’s meeting focused on a new recommendation for clesrovimab, an antibody treatment effective in preventing severe RSV in all infants aged less than 8 months, particularly those encountering their first RSV season.
This infusion therapy, developed by Merck, has shown favorable safety profiles in trials, yet the research included too few infants to definitively rule out rare adverse events. Clesrovimab joins nirsevimab, another similar product already approved and recommended for young infants.
On Thursday, Lyn Redwood, a known anti-vaccine activist and the president emerita of Children’s Health Defense, will present on thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that was removed from all childhood vaccines—except for specific flu shots—back in 2001.
Despite past assertions linking thimerosal to autism, extensive research has proven no valid connection. The CDC’s vaccine advisory committee is slated to vote on whether thimerosal should continue to be used in certain flu vaccines— a significant decision amidst ongoing vaccine discourse.
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