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CDC Advisory Committee Meeting Cancelled After HHS Directive, Members Uninformed

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HHS Announces Sudden Cancellation of ACIP Meeting On February 19, 2026 the Department of Health and Human Services announced that the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will not convene next week, saying further information will be released when available [1]. The decision follows internal HHS guidance, according to an anonymous source, and was communicated without prior notice to the committee members, who remained unaware as of Wednesday night [1]. The cancellation interrupts the regular schedule of the ACIP, which has guided U.S. vaccine policy since its inception in 1964 [1].

Secretary Kennedy’s Overhaul of ACIP Membership Continues In June 2025 HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy removed all 17 existing ACIP members, calling them a “rubber stamp for industry profit‑taking agendas” and appointing new members aligned with his anti‑vaccine stance [1]. The recent meeting cancellation reflects the ongoing restructuring, as the newly appointed members have not yet been briefed on upcoming agenda items [1]. Critics argue the overhaul undermines the committee’s scientific independence and has prompted lawsuits from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other groups seeking to block policy changes [1].

Controversial Statements on COVID‑19 Vaccine Safety Surface Former ACIP member Dr. Robert Malone, an early mRNA researcher, used a podcast to claim COVID‑19 vaccines could cause cancer, a position contradicted by regulatory agencies [1]. Malone warned that if the FDA does not intervene, “other entities will” act, urging listeners to stay tuned for the cancelled meeting’s outcomes [1]. His remarks have intensified scrutiny of the ACIP’s direction under the Kennedy administration and highlight the polarized debate over vaccine safety [1].

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Timeline

1991 – The U.S. begins recommending a hepatitis B vaccine dose within 24 hours of birth, a policy credited with cutting pediatric hepatitis B cases from ~18,000 to ~2,200 annually and preventing an estimated 90,000 deaths over the ensuing decades [3][13][27].

June 2025 – Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismisses all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and appoints new advisers with anti‑vaccine views, reshaping the panel that guides U.S. vaccine policy [2][11].

Dec 4 2025 – ACIP convenes to consider revising the universal hepatitis B birth‑dose recommendation; the agenda lists a vote on shifting from a universal to an individual‑decision approach, but the meeting’s voting language is repeatedly revised, prompting a postponement [21][22][24].

Dec 5 2025 – After a brief delay, ACIP votes 8‑3 to end the universal hepatitis B birth‑dose, limiting it to infants of mothers who test positive or are untested and recommending the first dose at age 2 months for others; the vote sparks sharp criticism from pediatric leaders who warn it “condemns hundreds of children to a shorter life” [19][30] and from Dr. Vin Gupta who said the change will “sow confusion and doubt about vaccine safety” [29].

Dec 6 2025 – Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill is tasked with deciding whether to adopt ACIP’s new hepatitis B guidance, while insurers signal they will continue covering the birth dose despite the policy shift [15].

Dec 16 2025 – The CDC formally ends its universal birth‑dose recommendation, stating the dose will now be given only to babies whose mothers test positive for hepatitis B or are untested; the agency notes the change aligns with the ACIP vote [13][27].

Dec 19 2025 – Michigan’s chief medical executive, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, instructs physicians to follow AAP and AAFP schedules rather than the CDC’s delayed hepatitis B timing, calling the AAP schedule “well‑evidenced” and urging removal of access barriers [12].

Dec 30 2025 – Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) branding spreads across federal agencies, while former FDA leaders publicly denounce an internal memo that questions COVID‑19 vaccine safety, highlighting the broader politicization of vaccine guidance [11][23].

Jan 5 2026 – The CDC releases a revised childhood immunization schedule that trims universal recommendations from 17–18 diseases to 11 (measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis, tetanus, diphtheria, Hib, pneumococcal disease, HPV, varicella); the change is framed as aligning U.S. practice with peer nations after a Trump‑ordered review [1][26][10].

Jan 6 2026 – President Donald Trump posts that “America will no longer require 72 ‘jabs’,” conflating the CDC’s reduced federal recommendation list with state‑mandated requirements; fact‑checkers note the claim misrepresents the actual drop from ~23 to ~11 universally recommended injections [8].

Jan 10 2026 – Washington state pediatricians, including Dr. Francis Bell, decry the CDC’s reduction as a “retrograde step,” warning that eliminating universal flu shots amid a peak season could jeopardize child health; the state health department pledges to keep aligning with the AAP [7].

Jan 26 2026 – The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) publishes a policy statement reaffirming routine vaccination for 18 diseases, rejecting the CDC’s narrowed schedule and emphasizing that “for more than 60 years, millions of children… have benefited from routine childhood vaccinations” (Dr. Andrew Racine) [6]; simultaneously, the AAP’s updated schedule adds a routine RSV vaccine and is endorsed by twelve major medical societies [5].

Jan 27 2026 – AAP leaders, including Dr. Sean O’Leary and Dr. Claudia Hoyen, urge parents to trust pediatricians and cite historic successes such as the disappearance of rotavirus season after vaccine introduction, underscoring the stakes of the federal policy shift [5][6].

Feb 19 2026 – HHS announces the cancellation of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting that was to occur the following week; the move follows internal guidance and occurs amid lawsuits by the AAP and other groups seeking to block the schedule changes [4].

Future (Feb 2026 onward) – The postponed ACIP meeting is expected to reconvene later in February to address the broader childhood vaccine schedule, while several states (e.g., all Democratic‑governed states) have already signaled they will not follow the federal schedule, creating a partisan patchwork of vaccine guidance [5][7].

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