Membership criteria also differ dramatically between the current charter and today’s update. Currently, ACIP members “must be selected from among competent authorities knowledgeable in the fields of immunization practices and public health, experienced in the use of vaccines and other immunobiological agents in clinical practice or preventive medicine, experienced in clinical or laboratory vaccine studies, or experienced in evaluating vaccine efficacy and safety.” These specific basic requirements for expertise in immunization practices and vaccine science formed the basis of Murphy’s conclusions that Kennedy’s appointees were unfit to serve on the committee.
The update notice did not mention these criteria, but instead discussed members with “geographical balance” (representing different parts of the country) and “specialist balance”. It provided a long list of medical and scientific fields and potentially broader areas of specialization. These include: “biostatistics, toxicology, immunology, epidemiology, pediatrics, internal medicine, family medicine, nursing, consumer issues, state and local health department perspective, academic perspective, public health perspective, etc.”
Proposed changes
Some of the changes in the update may have come from a push by an anti-vaccine group close to Kennedy. The group is the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), led by Kennedy’s anti-vaccine ally Del Bigtree, who worked with attorney Aaron Siri on Kennedy’s failed presidential campaign and has filed numerous lawsuits seeking compensation for alleged vaccine injuries. Siri is also notable for applying to the Food and Drug Administration cancel the polio vaccine.
last month, ICAN urged Kennedy to revise ACIP’s charter and provided by Siri law firm draft complete with path-changed textwhat they want for the new charter. The bill states that ACIP members must have expertise in any field “the Secretary deems appropriate.” However, it specifically states that “at least two members must have direct and significant experience in the protection and/or treatment of vaccine-injured victims.”
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to Ars Technica’s questions about the changes in the update notice or potential updates to the CDC’s full statutory language. In an emailed-only statement, spokesman Andrew Nixon said the update was “part of routine legal requirements and does not signal a broader policy change.”
