What to expect from this week's U.S. vaccine meeting
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
-
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
12 min read
ACIP is the central subject of this article - understanding its history, structure, and how it shapes U.S. vaccine policy provides essential context for why changes to its composition are so significant
-
Hepatitis B vaccine
15 min read
The article discusses a critical vote on the hepatitis B birth dose - readers would benefit from understanding the vaccine's development, mechanism, and the epidemiological history that led to universal infant vaccination
-
Haemophilus influenzae
15 min read
The article uses Hib as a key example of vaccine success, citing a 71% reduction in meningitis and epiglottitis - understanding this pathogen's history and why it was so deadly to children before vaccination illustrates the stakes of schedule changes
Well, folks, buckle up.
Tomorrow, ACIP—the advisory committee that guides U.S. vaccine policy—meets again for two days. This group has enormous influence on your access to vaccines: its decisions shape vaccine supply, insurance coverage (including Medicaid), clinicians’ understanding of what to offer you, how many doses hospitals and pharmacies stock, and the public’s confidence in what, where, when, and how to get your vaccines.
This meeting will focus on two things:
Hepatitis B vaccine, including a vote that could meaningfully affect infant access in the U.S.
The entire childhood immunization schedule, including its history, the number of doses, ingredients like aluminum, and whatever else they may pull out of their hat.
It’s going to be a ride. Mainly because a few months ago, RFK Jr. overhauled the committee, replacing long-standing experts with individuals ranging from longtime vaccine skeptics to Covid-19 contrarians.
So, here’s your guide to what to expect, including a proactive heads-up on the misleading claims likely to surface and a breakdown of the fallacies behind them. Whether you’re a clinician answering questions, a parent scrolling social media, or simply someone trying to find clarity in the chaos, I hope this is helpful.
Note: As I shared with paid subscribers yesterday, together with The Evidence Collective (TEC), we wrote a much deeper pre-bunk HERE that includes key background on all anticipated ACIP topics, practical communication guidance, a fallacy playbook, and a rundown of the falsehoods and rumors likely to surface. Below is a high-level summary.
What to expect
Credible sources suggest none—or very few—of the ACIP presentations will be delivered by CDC scientists or experts. Instead, external groups, including some with clear anti-vaccine track records, are slated to take the lead. This is highly unusual, and I’m incredibly concerned that data will be misinterpreted and misleading, and false claims will be presented as expert testimony.
Reviewing the timing, spacing, and risks of each vaccine requires scientific expertise because the stakes are high: get the evidence or timing wrong—or lose sight of the historical reasons behind these recommendations—and preventable diseases can come roaring back. And once falsehoods are aired in this forum, they can spread quickly, potentially amplified by one of the nation’s highest offices.
But there is good news.
There is no vote for the childhood vaccination schedule as a whole. They will only discuss it. This means timing, spacing, and availability to you won’t change. The only
...
This excerpt is provided for preview purposes. Full article content is available on the original publication.