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News|Videos|March 17, 2026

Understanding the Current ACIP

Fact checked by: Justin Mancini

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) was supposed to convene this week to discuss COVID-19 vaccines. However, a district court’s decision to block recent vaccine policy changes has delayed the committee's meeting amid ongoing controversy over immunization guidance and rising public health concerns such as measles outbreaks. Here is some commentary on the inner workings of the current ACIP.

This video initially appeared on an episode of The Health Beat, a medical news podcast series from MJH Life Sciences® that provides in-depth coverage and expert perspective on the headline topics in health care.

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) was supposed to convene for the first time since a series of highly controversial vaccine schedule changes; a flurry of relevant personnel changes, including the appointment of Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD; and the recent addition of 2 more voting members to the committee.

Interviewees

Guests:

John Parkinson, assistant managing editor of Contagion® Live

Robert Hopkins Jr, MD, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases

Featured Experts:

William Schaffner, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Jacinda Abdul-Mutakabbir, PharmD, MPH, associate professor of clinical pharmacy and antimicrobial resistance researcher at the University of California San Diego

Sharon Nachman, MD, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Stony Brook Children's Hospital

This meeting was pushed back after it was initially scheduled for late February.

Yesterday, a district court judge blocked the federal government from implementing a series of vaccine-related policy decisions made over the past year by US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) leadership.

By pausing those decisions, the court has effectively prevented the ACIP from holding its scheduled meeting, which was scheduled to be held this Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the COVID-19 vaccines and long COVID.

Nonetheless, the subject of vaccination policy remains at a fever pitch amid measles outbreaks across the country and the ongoing debate about the value of vaccines. The ACIP is in the middle of the controversy. Here is some new commentary on the committee, including how they operate, new vaccine recommendations, and what we can expect the next time they meet.


Episode notes and references:

CDC ACIP Meeting Agenda, March 18-19, 2026 https://www.regulations.gov/document/...

HHS Secretary Kennedy Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee https://www.contagionlive.com/view/hh...

HHS Secretary RFK Jr Replaces CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel With New Appointees https://www.contagionlive.com/view/rf...

HHS and CDC Appoint 5 New ACIP Members Ahead of Fall Meeting https://www.contagionlive.com/view/hh...

New Acting CDC Director Named https://www.contagionlive.com/view/ne... Measles Update: March 13, 2026 https://www.contagionlive.com/view/me...

The Evolving Childhood Vaccine Schedule: Current ACIP’s Differing Meeting Approach https://www.contagionlive.com/view/th...

The Evolving Childhood Vaccine Schedule: Where’s the Data? https://www.contagionlive.com/view/th...

A Pediatrician’s Perspective on the Latest ACIP Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendations https://www.contagionlive.com/view/a-...

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