Statement from Leading Medical, Health and Patient Advocacy Groups on CDC Vaccine Meeting

Dec. 5, 20205- "We are deeply alarmed by the actions taken this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The apparent goal of this meeting was to sow doubt in vaccines rather than advance sound vaccine policy, and we will all pay a price for that.

"This is a significant departure from the historic role ACIP has played in shaping vaccine policy in the United States. Previously, we could expect science to drive decisions, experts to debate evidence, and consensus to lead to shared, clear recommendations. That is not the case with the current committee, and this change puts Americans' health at risk.

"For example, ACIP's decision to downgrade the longstanding recommendation to vaccinate all newborns against hepatitis B at birth will lead to more childhood hepatitis B infections, will lead to more chronic infections that will follow patients into adulthood, and will complicate vaccine access for children. No new data was presented during the ACIP meeting to justify this change.

"The evidence remains clear: the hepatitis B birth dose is safe and an essential component in helping children develop immunity against a serious, potentially lifelong disease. In fact, since the U.S. implemented the hepatitis B birth dose in 1991, annual hepatitis B infections among infants and children have dropped 99%, from 16,000 to less than 20. This progress is directly attributable to timely vaccination. 

"ACIP's actions will harm children, their families and the medical professionals who care for them. That is why we are joining together to speak up. American families deserve information grounded in science and clear, consistent guidance - not speculation intended to scare them. We urge the CDC leaders to reject ACIP's new recommendation and instead retain the current, evidence-based approach."  

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American Academy of Pediatrics

Academic Pediatric Association

Alliance for Aging Research

American Association of Colleges of Nursing

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy

American College of Emergency Physicians

American College of Nurse Midwives

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

American College of Physicians

American Families for Vaccines

American Medical Association

American Medical Group Association (AMGA)

American Pediatric Society

American Public Health Association

American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science (ASCLS)

American Society for Meningitis Prevention

America's Physician Groups

Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Caregiver Action Network

Families Fighting Flu

Families USA

Georgetown University Center for Children and Families

Global Liver Institute

HealthHIV

Hepatitis B Foundation

Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology

Infectious Diseases Society of America

International Vaccine Access Center

March of Dimes

National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners

National Foundation for Infectious Diseases

National Hispanic Health Foundation

North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology

Nurses Who Vaccinate

Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease

Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society

Public Health Foundation

Sepsis Alliance

Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Society for Pediatric Research

Trusted Messenger Program

Vaccinate Your Family

Vaccine Integrity Project