US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has abruptly dismissed all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory committee, a sweeping move that has stunned the medical community and drawn sharp condemnation from leading public health figures.

The decision, announced Monday, dissolves the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices ACIP, a nonpartisan body long regarded as the gold standard in US vaccine policy. Kennedy, a former prominent anti-vaccine activist, has not yet named replacements but said the panel will reconvene in Atlanta in two weeks with new appointees.

The move effectively resets the committee, whose members were all appointed during the Biden administration. Kennedy defended the purge in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, arguing that a “clean sweep” was necessary to restore trust in vaccine science, which he claims has been tainted by conflicts of interest.

“Without removing the current members, the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028,” Kennedy wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece. “A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science.”

Critics across the medical and scientific community swiftly condemned the decision.

Dr. Tom Frieden, a former CDC director, called the dismissals “a dangerous and unprecedented action” that risks public health. “Politicising the ACIP will undermine public trust under the guise of improving it,” he said.

Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, described the ouster as “a coup,” adding, “This isn’t how democracies work.” He accused Kennedy of breaking his promise to maintain the panel’s scientific integrity and vowed to monitor his actions “like a hawk.”

Dr. Bruce Scott, president of the American Medical Association, warned that Kennedy’s decision could lead to a rise in vaccine-preventable diseases. “This undermines trust and upends a transparent process that has saved countless lives,” Scott said.

Until now, ACIP has been instrumental in guiding the nation’s vaccination policies, including the COVID-19 rollout, by providing evidence-based recommendations to providers, insurers, and the public. Experts worry that Kennedy’s new appointees could introduce ideology into what has been a strictly science-based advisory group.

Dr. Noel Brewer, a behavioral scientist on the outgoing panel, said members received a vague termination email on Monday afternoon with no explanation. “Up until today, ACIP recommendations were the gold standard,” Brewer said. “It’s unclear what the future holds.”

The committee had already been in flux. Its first meeting of 2025 was postponed by the Department of Health and Human Services in February, shortly after Kennedy assumed his role.

The backlash isn’t limited to the public health sector. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician who supported Kennedy’s confirmation despite reservations, said he was “deeply concerned” and had spoken directly with the health secretary. “The fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion,” Cassidy wrote on social media.

In a symbolic gesture that alarmed observers, the CDC web page listing the ACIP’s members was quietly taken down Monday evening following the announcement.

While Kennedy insists the shakeup is about transparency and restoring credibility, opponents fear it’s the beginning of a politicisation of science with potentially dangerous consequences for American health policy.

Erizia Rubyjeana

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