AAP leaders are calling for a vaccine advisory committee meeting hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be rescheduled after the meeting, set to take place next week, was postponed.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) was set to meet Feb. 26-28 to discuss and vote on a variety of vaccines, including meningococcal, chikungunya, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), human papillomavirus (HPV) and Mpox, among others. The committee was also set to discuss an at-home nasal spray for influenza that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last year.
“We’re alarmed that the meeting has been postponed, particularly in one of the worst flu seasons in years,” said AAP President Susan J. Kressly, M.D., FAAP. “This committee plays a crucial role in preventing the spread of disease in the United States by bringing together experts to discuss the scientific evidence on vaccines and recommended immunization schedules for children, adolescents and adults.”
According to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesman Andrew Nixon, the meeting was postponed “to accommodate public comment in advance of the meeting.”
ACIP workgroups had met as scheduled earlier in the month and are expected to present at the upcoming ACIP meeting, Nixon said.
ACIP is a federal advisory committee that develops recommendations on the use of vaccines in the civilian population of the United States. CDC sets the U.S. adult and childhood immunization schedules based on recommendations from ACIP. The meeting was scheduled to be the first since HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in.
“The AAP relies on this information when forming our own recommendations for child and adolescent vaccine schedules,” Dr. Kressly said. “The work conducted by the independent experts who serve on the committee is critical to ensure access to life-saving immunizations and improve child health. We urge the secretary to schedule this meeting without delay so this essential work which pediatricians and our patients rely on can continue.”
ACIP meets three times each year to discuss and review data on new or updated vaccines. The committee is comprised of independent medical and public health experts who do not work for the CDC and serve on the committee voluntarily.
Prior to Kennedy’s nomination, the AAP pursued a multifaceted advocacy campaign to elevate the importance of vaccinations, including soliciting vaccine stories from pediatricians across the country.
