The future of vaccines

"Wipe Out" was the surf music instrumental released in 1963 by the group Surfaris. The members of the group included Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller, and Ron Wilson. Wilson was the drummer for the song and his fast-paced drumming is considered a classic by musicians. The song has been featured in over 20 films and TV series since 1964. The Beach Boys made a cover of the song with the hip-hop group the Fat Boys in 1987 and retitled the song "Wipeout!" Similar to the Surfaris, the Beach Boys had their first hit in 1963 with their song "Surfin' U.S.A." The Beach Boys included brothers Carl, Dennis, and Brian Wilson along with cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. Sadly, on June 11, Brian Wilson passed away. Both groups were California based and embodied the surfer lifestyle in their songs. "Wipeout" is a term used by surfers to indicate when a surfer is knocked off their board while riding a wave. On June 9, the Department of Health and Human Services wiped out all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The reason given for the wipe out was to "reestablish public confidence in vaccine science." The ACIP makes recommendations to the director of the CDC for developing federal vaccine recommendations. The ACIP has voting members who are all physicians with no affiliation to the CDC, but rather are experts in their respected fields. In addition, there are 39 liaisons to the committee representing nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, pharmacists, and public health experts. The ACIP individuals who were dismissed were chosen for their scientific knowledge and expertise, regardless of their political party affiliation. On June 11, the new replacement members for the ACIP were announced to the public. There were seven men and one woman named with various credentials. Four of the eight do have a history of views against vaccines within the United States. The new members of the ACIP will meet together at the next schedule ACIP meeting June 25-27. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will also be attending the June meeting. Part of the justification for the wipe out was related to the Presidential Executive Order on May 23 titled the Restoring Gold Standard Science. There are 8 components of the Restoring Gold Standard Science including transparency without conflicts of interest. All 8 items do assure science is well done and the results are good evidence. Most studies as well as their publication in scientific journals follow these 8 items already. The justification for the wipe out was mostly related to potential conflicts of interest with ACIP members. A study published in the journal Science on March 7 investigated the claims of conflicts of interest by ACIP members and found no evidence to support those claims. Many different healthcare professional organizations have some significant reservations related to this wipe out. Physician groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics have made public statements with concern over the elimination of trusted ACIP members. The president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Susan Kressly, has been quoted saying "this move undermines the trust pediatricians have built over decades with our patients and leaves us without critical scientific expertise we rely on." How these new ACIP members and recommendations will impact healthcare in the near future including COVID-19 and flu vaccines for this fall is really not known at this time. Hopefully, the June meetings will provide additional insight for recommendations. We will watch for the recovery after the wipe out! Karen Kier is a pharmacist with Ohio Northern University HealthWise Pharmacy.