Did you see our January and February cover stories? Dr. Demetre Daskalakis talks about leaving CDC and criticizing RFK Jr.
The main federal vaccine advisory committee has postponed its next meeting after a federal judge blocked what scientists said were dangerous changes to U.S. vaccination policy being pushed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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The Advocate has learned that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, known as ACIP, has suspended its scheduled March 18-19 meeting following the ruling. Asked for comment, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that “the ACIP meeting has been postponed.”
The disruption comes after U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts temporarily halted several elements of President Kennedy’s overhaul, including overhauling the childhood vaccination schedule and creating new ACIP members. In doing so, the court effectively sidelined the reconstituted commission and froze actions taken under it.
Related: Judge blocks RFK Jr.’s dangerous vaccine policy changes. Former CDC leader calls this ‘big news’
Related article: Former CDC vaccine director Demetre Daskalakis appointed as chief medical officer of New York City LGBTQ+ Health Center
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Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Karen Lord’s medical director and former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, who has long guided the federal government’s HIV and vaccine policy, told The Advocate that the ruling represents a necessary correction, but it comes at a significant cost.
“We should all be relieved that science and law have come together to reverse a capricious vaccine policy designed to legitimize the Secretary of Health’s authoritarian and self-serving policies,” Daskalakis said. “I’m concerned that so much damage has already been done. But this is an important statement about the legitimacy of Kennedy’s place in health leadership.”
Murphy’s order suggests the administration has bypassed long-standing scientific and procedural safeguards governing how vaccine recommendations are developed. Although advisory, these recommendations shape clinical practice, insurance coverage, and public health strategy nationwide.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, which helped bring the lawsuit, called the ruling “historic” and a “welcome outcome” and warned that the changes had caused “confusion and disruption” to families and health care providers.
Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
