Opinion: Former chairs of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on the panel’s role
Six former chairs of the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices explain how the committee works — and why it’s so important.
The recent postponement of a key federal advisory committee meeting is deeply alarming and signals that it may no longer be able to provide independent scientific guidance to federal agencies.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), has served the American people since 1964. ACIP advises the director of the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention on how to use vaccines in the U.S. population to prevent the spread of infections, such as measles, influenza, whooping cough, and polio, and how to prevent serious complications from infections such as hearing loss, cancer, or death. But the ACIP meeting planned for three days in late February was recently delayed, reportedly to allow for public comment.
