The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will convene Thursday and Friday to review the childhood vaccine schedule, the hepatitis B vaccine, and related topics. This meeting marks the third gathering of the ACIP this year following the dismissal of all 17 previous members by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who appointed new members with varying views on vaccines.

Dr. Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist and former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, will chair the meeting. Milhoan is affiliated with the Independent Medical Alliance, which has promoted unproven COVID-19 treatments. The agenda indicates that the committee will discuss and vote on recommendations regarding the hepatitis B vaccine on the first day, while the second day will focus on the childhood immunization schedule.

Dr. Richard Besser, former acting director of the CDC, expressed concern about the meeting's agenda, stating, "I think every single thing on that agenda is concerning. We have an administration that seems hellbent on undermining people's trust in vaccination."

The first day will feature discussions on the hepatitis B vaccine, including a potential vote on the universal birth dose, which is currently recommended to be administered within 24 hours of birth. This practice has significantly reduced hepatitis B infections among infants in the U.S. However, earlier this year, Kulldorff questioned the necessity of vaccinating every newborn before hospital discharge. Some experts fear the committee may vote to delay or eliminate this long-standing recommendation.

Dr. Fiona Havers, a former CDC official, warned, "I am concerned that the committee is going to attempt to minimize the harm resulting from any changes to this long-standing recommendation. Any hepatitis B infections that occur because a child wasn't vaccinated at birth are an avoidable tragedy."

The second day of the meeting will address the childhood immunization schedule. The agenda includes discussions on vaccine risk monitoring, vaccine schedule history, and considerations for the childhood/adolescent immunization schedule. Earlier this year, the ACIP established two work groups to examine the cumulative effects of vaccines on children and to review vaccines that have not been assessed in over seven years.

Kennedy has raised concerns about the number of vaccine doses children receive, suggesting it has increased from three doses during his childhood to 92 today. However, medical professionals clarify that children typically receive about 30 vaccine doses, with the number of recommended immunizations growing since the late 1940s based on scientific advancements.

Besser noted that he has not encountered safety concerns regarding the immunization schedule from experts or advocacy groups. He stated, "There had not been concerns raised around the immunization schedule and forming a group that is going to look at [the schedule] wholesale when the going-in presumption is that it's not safe really, really worries me."

The committee will also discuss vaccine adjuvants and contaminants. Kennedy has previously claimed that aluminum adjuvants are neurotoxins linked to allergies. The CDC maintains that adjuvants are safe and have been used in vaccines for over 70 years to enhance immune responses.

As the ACIP prepares for this critical meeting, the outcomes could have significant implications for vaccination policies in the U.S.