Overview

• Secretary Kennedy ousted all 17 Biden-appointed members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and installed eight new advisers known for vaccine skepticism.
• The new panel voted to recommend exclusively thimerosal-free flu vaccines.
• It endorsed an RSV antibody preventive treatment and initiated a review of long-established childhood and adolescent immunization schedules.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics withdrew from ACIP proceedings and experts condemned the panel’s reliance on disputed presentations after the CDC removed Lyn Redwood’s flawed briefing.
• Without a confirmed CDC director in place, final approval of the committee’s guidance now rests solely with Secretary Kennedy, potentially reshaping federal immunization policy.