Havers’ departure comes just days after U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed all members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and replaced them with new appointees. It makes recommendations on use of vaccines in the U.S.

The 17 members of a federal vaccine advisory committee, who were ousted last week, argued their abrupt dismissal has "left the U.S. vaccine program critically weakened." The group, speaking collectively for the first time since Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F.

Kennedy Jr. poses a direct threat to American health. Far from restoring trust—Kennedy’s stated aim—this action dismantles a process that was a model for the world, built over six decades, and will create confusion for doctors,