President Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has named eight new members to the CDC panel that guides the nation’s vaccine policy.
The announcement came on June 11—just two days after Kennedy fired the entire 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP.
The committee plays a key role in shaping vaccine guidelines and determining which vaccines are covered by insurance.
University of Florida epidemiologist Matt Hitchings is choosing to be optimistic about the new appointees.
“I think it's still perfectly possible that this group could come to a well-reasoned and sensible recommendation based on whatever the next question that arises is,” he said.
But Hitchings is also concerned about how the public will perceive the changes.
“It's unfortunate, right?" he said. "Because I think no matter the expertise of the people that have been chosen, the fact that they were chosen by RFK—it's going to lead to questions about the recommendations that come out.”
In the meantime, Hitchings says the most important vaccine recommendations are the ones given by your doctor.