New CDC advisory panel under RFK Jr. to review childhood vaccine schedule, hepatitis B at birth, and MMRV safety. Experts warn of anti-vaccine bias.
CDC Panel Undergoes Controversial Overhaul
A newly appointed group of vaccine advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a sweeping review of established vaccine recommendations. The panel, created by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., held its first meeting Wednesday in Atlanta and immediately announced three work groups to reassess elements of the childhood immunization schedule.
Focus Areas Include Hepatitis B and MMRV
The new Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), now chaired by Dr. Martin Kulldorff, will review the safety and timing of childhood and adolescent vaccine schedules, including the hepatitis B dose given at birth and the combination measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox (MMRV) vaccine. Kulldorff said the reviews would evaluate cumulative vaccine effects, ingredient exposure, and timing—areas already studied by mainstream scientific consensus.
Panel Reshuffle Raises Alarm
Kennedy recently dismissed all 17 members of the former ACIP, citing conflicts of interest, and replaced them with eight new appointees—one of whom has since stepped down. Some new members have histories of testifying against vaccines in court or publicly opposing Covid-19 vaccination. Public health experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), have condemned the move as politically motivated and potentially dangerous.
Experts Warn of Policy Reversal
Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, criticized the panel’s direction as “a purely anti-vaccine agenda springing to life in public policy.” The AAP announced it would no longer participate in ACIP meetings, calling the new process “illegitimate” and pledging to continue publishing its own evidence-based immunization schedule.
Debating Birth Doses and Outbreaks
One of the committee’s new working groups will examine whether the hepatitis B vaccine should be universally given at birth. Kulldorff questioned its necessity for infants of hepatitis B-negative mothers, though the CDC says the universal approach prevents missed cases and is essential to infant health. AAP and CDC warn that any move to weaken this policy risks severe consequences, citing previous confusion and infant deaths during a 1999 temporary suspension.
Measles Vaccine Under the Microscope
The panel will also reevaluate the combined MMRV vaccine due to a small but known risk of febrile seizures when administered to 1-year-olds. While the risk remains low and manageable, Kulldorff said alternatives and vaccine timing will be reviewed. Meanwhile, measles cases in the U.S. are rising—over 1,200 this year—highlighting the urgency of effective vaccination policy.
RSV Antibody Vote Postponed
A planned vote on a new RSV antibody treatment, clesrovimab (Enflonsia), was postponed due to time constraints. Approved earlier this month, the treatment is expected to protect infants from RSV-related hospitalizations during their first year.
Growing Division in U.S. Vaccine Policy
The shake-up at ACIP marks a significant shift in U.S. vaccine governance. While Kennedy defends the committee as a needed correction to alleged bias, critics say it risks dismantling decades of science-backed public health protections. “Our immunization system is a model for the world,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary of the AAP. “Now, the world is watching us in horror.”
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