We are concerned about recent decisions by the U.S. secretary of health and human services that could undermine science-based decision-making about vaccines, including the dismissal of every member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Across administrations of both parties, the committee has had a profound, positive impact on the health of Americans by offering evidence-based guidance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about vaccine use, playing a crucial role in determining who should get which vaccines and when.  

Medical professionals have relied on ACIP’s recommendations for decades, and we are troubled about the potential damage not only to an important source of scientific advice but also to the established processes for evidence-based policymaking on vaccines that have saved millions of lives.  

The National Academies have an extensive body of work on vaccine access, safety, and scheduling. Decades of science demonstrate the safety of vaccines, reinforcing that they offer many health benefits and have few side effects. Vaccines are among the most rigorously tested and monitored medical breakthroughs in history. The risk of serious side effects from vaccination is extremely low; in contrast, many vaccine-preventable diseases carry far greater risks of illness or death.  

In reconstituting the ACIP, we urge the HHS secretary to appoint experts who will adhere to the best available science and evidence to inform decisions about vaccines.  

Marcia McNutt
President, National Academy of Sciences  

John L. Anderson
President, National Academy of Engineering  

Victor J. Dzau
President, National Academy of Medicine    

• Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and Causality

• The Childhood Immunization Schedule and Safety: Stakeholder Concerns, Scientific Evidence, and Future Studies

• Immunization Safety Review Series
  Influenza Vaccines and Neurological Complications
  SV40 Contamination of Polio Vaccine and Cancer
  Hepatitis B Vaccine and Demyelinating Neurological Disorders
  Multiple Immunizations and Immune Dysfunction
  Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine and Autism

• Based on Science (answers to everyday science and health questions from the National Academies)

• Health Basics: Measles (resource from the National Academy of Medicine)

• A collection of National Academies publications on vaccines