ISMA has joined more than 100 state and national medical organizations in
signing a joint letter urging Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to immediately reinstate all recently terminated members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The June 18 letter expresses “significant concern” over the decision to terminate the full ACIP membership. For more than six decades, ACIP has provided CDC and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services leadership with evidence-based vaccination recommendations.
“Removing a panel of independent experts appointed through a transparent, public nomination process and selected for their expertise…will undoubtedly seek to sow further doubt and cause growing confusion among healthcare professionals and their patients,” the letter states. “We strongly urge you to immediately reinstate the terminated members of ACIP and honor their commitments to serve through the end of their appointed terms.”
ACIP’s role includes developing immunization schedules for both children and adults, collaborating on annual strain selection for vaccines like the flu shot, and advising during public health emergencies. The group’s work directly impacts insurance coverage, as many health plans rely on ACIP recommendations to determine which vaccines are covered. A disruption in this process, signatories argue, could jeopardize patient access to vaccines.
The coalition of medical groups warned that undermining ACIP could worsen vaccine hesitancy and lead to more outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as the current U.S. measles outbreak that has already sickened over 1,100 people and claimed three lives. CDC data shows that 97% of those cases involved individuals who were either unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.
“To truly improve the health of our nation, including the health of our children, we must do everything in our power to protect our patients from vaccine-preventable disease by ensuring continued access to safe and effective vaccines,” the letter says.
Signatories include the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases Society of America, and nearly every state medical society, including ISMA.