ACP’s Strong Advocacy Efforts Addressing ACIP and Vaccine-Related Issues
ACP has led the way in advocating to protect access to vaccines and educating about the importance of evidence-based science over the past year following sweeping changes to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ACP has issued evidence-based clinical recommendations for influenza, COVID-19, and RSV; enacted sustained advocacy campaigns; fought to ensure that evidence-based science is the basis for immunization recommendations; and dispelled medical mis- and disinformation. ACP remains steadfast in our commitment to protecting physicians, your patients, and all of our communities. Our goal is clear: to be the foremost voice to protect public health and ensure that our government makes decisions in the best interest of our nation.
ACP’s Adult Immunization Resource Hub is a comprehensive repository for all of ACP’s vaccine-related efforts and is updated regularly.
We have consistently communicated the importance of vaccines through dozens of letters to the administration, media statements, extensive media coverage, member communications, and leadership perspective articles. Below are some highlights from the past year:
- ACP Lawsuit Against HHS: In a recent win on the legal front, a federal district court stayed the appointments of new members to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in a lawsuit brought by ACP and other allied organizations. The lawsuit seeks to invalidate recent votes and other changes to the federal vaccine advisory panel whose members were selected by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), after he fired all 17 independent experts who served on the committee. Developments are ongoing.
- Clinical Recommendations: ACP’s Population Health and Medical Science Committee developed immunization recommendations for Influenza, COVID-19, and RSV using ACP’s established, rigorous clinical policy development process. ACP also supported the 2026 American Academy of Pediatrics vaccine schedule as an alternative resource for physicians and patients to rely on instead of the federal government’s revised schedule that is not supported by evidence.
- Strengthening Our Voice Through Collaboration: ACP regularly collaborates with other medical societies to represent a unified voice for physicians and patients. This year saw joint statements on concern about changes to the ACIP charter; protecting the integrity of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF); and urging the CDC to stop promoting the false, disproven claim that vaccines cause autism and reaffirm evidence-based guidance. ACP also joined more than 200 medical, public health, and patient advocacy organizations in urging congressional representatives to “conduct swift and robust oversight regarding the abrupt changes to the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule.”
ACP is also working in conjunction with The Vaccine Integrity Project, which brought together vaccine experts and professional societies to provide recommendations on vaccines for the U.S. population.
Countering Medical Misinformation and Disinformation and Promoting Reputable Content
ACP is committed to stopping and preventing the spread of disinformation and misinformation and vigorously supports the use of science and scientific expertise based on the best available evidence. ACP has resources to help communicate and deliver accurate, fact-driven health care information to patients and communities; respond to different health narratives; identify and interpret reliable information; and help communicate about evidence-based, personally appropriate health decisions. ACP and Annals of Internal Medicine also host a series of virtual forums to counter misinformation through clinical discussions and this year featured:
- Dementia
- Talking With Patients About Mis- and Disinformation
- Vaccines: Decision Making Amid Conflicting Recommendations