The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will meet from December 4 to 5 to discuss childhood immunizations, hepatitis B vaccines, vaccine risk monitoring, adjuvants, and contaminants.
Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist and pastor, will chair the meeting after being appointed earlier this week. He replaces Martin Kulldorff, who took another position within the Health Department. Milhoan has recently expressed controversial views about COVID-19 vaccines. At a Texas church event in October, he stated that the shots are “contaminated” with “naked DNA” at levels “almost a hundred times the level that’s allowed.” He further claimed that naked DNA “causes cancer,” and said there is an 80% chance of miscarriage if the vaccine is given during the first trimester of pregnancy. These statements were made without supporting evidence. In an interview with Endpoints News, Milhoan did not dispute the authenticity of these remarks.
According to a draft agenda posted by the Department of Health and Human Services, the first day of the ACIP meeting will focus entirely on hepatitis B vaccination policy. The committee had previously discussed moving the recommended timing for hepatitis B vaccination from birth to one month after birth but postponed any decision until this upcoming session.
During ACIP’s September meeting, Vicky Pebsworth, regional director at the National Association of Catholic Nurses and committee member, raised concerns about gaps in knowledge regarding hepatitis B vaccines: “Concluding that they are safe for neonates is perhaps immature.” This was despite CDC staff stating there is “no evidence” suggesting higher adverse event risks in newborns compared to older infants and noting lower rates of hepatitis B in the United States than elsewhere.
The CDC maintains on its website that “scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports the safety of hepatitis B vaccines,” reporting seroprotection in 98% of vaccinated infants.
On December 5, ACIP will turn its attention to broader topics including vaccine risk monitoring systems and updates to childhood and adolescent immunization schedules. The current administration has placed ongoing emphasis on reviewing these guidelines. In May, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed COVID-19 vaccination from routine recommendations for healthy children. In August, he reinstated the Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines—dormant for nearly three decades—to review U.S. childhood immunization schedules.
The committee will also address issues related to adjuvant use and potential risks associated with vaccine contaminants during its second day.
