2 days ago
Maryland holds firm due to new law amid federal vaccine policy shake-up
A Maryland pediatrician is expressing deep concern after U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly dismissed all 17 members of a key federal vaccine advisory panel.
On June 9, RFK Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, announced that he had fired the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine policy.
The panel was composed of independent medical public health experts who review data and make national immunization recommendations.
Concerns after dismissal of federal vaccine advisory panel
Experts said Kennedy's move could weaken trust in vaccines and public health infrastructure.
"Before this week, we knew that the ACIP was full of epidemiologists, biologists, pediatricians, infectious disease specialists – people who had dedicated years and years, decades of their lives to studying vaccines. Their effectiveness, and really the importance," said Dr. Monique Soileau-Burke, District Vice Chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Some fear he may attempt to replace the independent panel with members who share his anti-vaccine views, potentially altering future guidance around immunizations.
"We really base our clinical decisions on a daily basis, knowing that that panel is trustworthy and scientific-based research," Dr. Soileau-Burke said.
In recent months, Kennedy has also dropped CDC recommendations about routine COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women. The decisions prompted backlash from the medical and science communities.
Maryland's protections for vaccine access
Despite changes at the federal level, Dr. Soileau-Burke said Maryland is better positioned than some other states due to new protections for vaccine access.
"In Maryland, we're very lucky in that our state actually recently passed legislation that went into effect on June 1," she said. "Medicaid, private insurances, [and] other providers will have to continue to cover the cost of all the recommended vaccines as of December 31, 2024, that were on the CDC's recommended list. So, in Maryland, I think we're in a better place than a lot of states."
The CDC confirmed that ACIP will still hold its planned meeting later in June, though it is expected to be led by new members.
Health policy experts said the decision not only risks weakening federal vaccine recommendations but could also slow response times during health threats, especially as the U.S. faces an upcoming school year.
Kennedy has claimed that the panel was plagued by "persistent conflicts of interest."
Medical organizations, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America, have dismissed those claims as "completely unfounded."
Dr. Soileau-Burke emphasized that the stakes are high, not just for individual families, but for entire communities.
"We're not just protecting our own children," she said. "We're protecting everyone's children. We're protecting grandmas who might be immunocompromised or other members of our community."
