In response to the revised Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) charter published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on April 9, more than 130 organizations, including WIAAP and Immunize Wisconsin, have issued the following statement:
“The 130+ undersigned medical, nursing, public health, and patient advocacy groups express our deep concern about the revised charter for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) published on April 9. The new charter substantively changes the focus of the committee and its membership structure, which could undermine confidence in vaccines and ultimately affect access to immunizations.
“ACIP was established to provide evidence-based guidance on the use of immunizations to prevent diseases, but the revised charter paves the way for an unqualified committee to promote misleading narratives about vaccine safety. For decades, the committee held transparent discussions about vaccines based on patterns of disease, clinical trial and real-world data on efficacy and safety, and cost and implementation considerations. The new charter downplays the value of immunizations for both communities and individuals.
“The charter adds several new organizations as liaison members to the committee who are known for sharing false information, including the debunked link between vaccines and autism. Liaisons’ role is typically to offer clinical and scientific expertise on implementing new or updated immunization recommendations in real-world settings, including assessing potential risks, and to ensure alignment on guidance.
“Taken together, these revisions will alter the focus of ACIP, potentially jeopardizing access to life-saving vaccines for Americans of all ages. ACIP’s recommendations are tied to 13 federal statutes and define vaccine coverage for Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, the Veteran’s Health Administration, and the Vaccines for Children program, which covers half of America’s children and ensures access to vaccines, regardless of their families’ ability to pay. The proper functioning of ACIP is too important to allow the committee to be used to sow confusion and distrust in immunizations.
“As medical, public health and patient advocacy organizations, we call for an ACIP charter that correctly and comprehensively evaluates scientific data and emphasizes weighing the benefits and risks of vaccines and reducing morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases. The ACIP charter should not be an ideological document and must support a rigorous method for evaluating evidence and require a balanced representation for its voting members and liaison organizations.”
Download Joint Statement