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3d ago

U.S. Vaccine Panel Leader Says Polio, Measles Shots Should Be Optional

Medical groups denounce the ACIP chair’s autonomy-first stance, citing outbreak risks.

Dr. Kirk Milhoan speaks during an Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., September 18, 2025. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer
Committee member, Dr. Kirk Milhoan, speaks during a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the CDC on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in Chamblee, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
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Overview

  • ACIP chair Dr. Kirk Milhoan said on a podcast that vaccines for polio and measles should be optional and framed the committee’s goal as prioritizing individual choice over public health.
  • The remarks landed during a measles surge with 416 confirmed cases across 14 states this year, and CDC data show 94% of those infected were unvaccinated.
  • The American Medical Association and leading vaccine experts condemned the comments as dangerous, and CDC guidance still recommends routine polio vaccination for children.
  • Milhoan’s panel was installed after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed prior ACIP members, and recent actions include cutting the federal childhood schedule from 17 to 11 diseases and shifting the hepatitis B newborn dose to individual decision-making.
  • Milhoan said he had seen FDA data suggesting child deaths after COVID vaccination that the agency has not made public, fueling calls for transparency and intensifying scrutiny of the committee’s direction.