Confusion, Delays and Rising Concerns Over Transparency
The vote had already been delayed once after several members said they had not been provided final language in advance and raised concerns over redundancy and lack of evidentiary backing. Similar confusion caused the panel to postpone a vote in September.
Critics say the committee’s expansion of “individual-based decision-making” reduces clarity rather than providing it.
“What the public wants… is clarity,” said Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute, arguing that ACIP is sidestepping its responsibility to set firm, evidence-based policy.
The panel is expected to resume discussions Friday afternoon on aluminum adjuvants and the broader childhood immunization schedule, signaling more contentious debates ahead.
