Overview
- Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed the previous 17-member ACIP on June 9 and appointed a seven-member group with known vaccine skeptics.
- On June 26 the new ACIP voted 5-1, with one abstention, to recommend only single-dose, thimerosal-free influenza vaccines for all age groups and pregnant women.
- The panel also endorsed Merck’s monoclonal antibody clesrovimab for infant protection against RSV, extending federal guidance for the upcoming season.
- A CDC-prepared review affirming thimerosal’s safety was removed before the vote, and an anti-vaccine advocate delivered an unvetted presentation supporting its elimination.
- Experts warn these shifts could drive up costs, reduce access—particularly in countries relying on multi-dose vials—and erode public trust in vaccines.