Top medical groups barred from CDC vaccine workgroups
Leading medical organisations in the US have been told they will no longer be able to participate in workgroups to set vaccination recommendations, according to media reports.
The list of bodies that have been ousted from Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) workgroups includes well-respected groups such as the American Medical Association (AMA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Physicians (ACP), and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).
The groups include those who have been critical of the direction of the CDC – which hosts the ACIP – along with other federal health agencies under Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who fired all the members of the ACIP earlier this year and replaced them with individuals more in line with his vaccine-sceptic views.
The AMA, for example, has criticised Kennedy for selecting new members of the ACIP "without transparency and proper vetting," calling for the earlier roster to be reinstated, and has pledged to "closely monitor the developments of ACIP and encourage the administration to recommit to maintaining vaccine access for all Americans."
Barring the organisations from the workgroups, which evaluate data from vaccine manufacturers and the CDC and provide expert insight to inform the deliberations of the ACIP, looks calculated to prevent such scrutiny from taking place.
The new ACIP includes people known to hold contrarian views on immunisation, including mRNA vaccines, and some who have testified in lawsuits brought against pharma companies that have alleged harm from immunisation.
In a joint statement, the AMA et al confirmed that they had been notified of the decision by email and will now be excluded from the process of reviewing scientific evidence to guide immunisation strategy in the US.
All members of the workgroups have to undergo vetting to make sure they have no conflicts of interest.
"We are deeply disappointed and alarmed that our organisations are being characterised as 'biased' and therefore barred from reviewing scientific data and informing the development of vaccine recommendations that have long helped ensure our nation's vaccine program[me] is safe, effective, and free from bias," they said.
"To remove our deep medical expertise from this vital and once transparent process is irresponsible, dangerous to our nation's health, and will further undermine public and clinician trust in vaccines," they added.
"We strongly urge the Administration to reconsider excluding our organisations from participating in the ACIP vaccine review process so we can continue to feel confident in its vaccine recommendations for our patients."
Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash
