Recognizing the Role of Vaccines

6/16/2025

Because the OMA recognizes the role of vaccines in protecting the health of individuals and communities, recent federal action to remove all sitting members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) raises concerns about the nation’s future ability to guard against communicable diseases many of which have been controlled by science-driven vaccine programs.

ACIP members must be trusted medical professionals and scientists who believe in evidence-based medicine and who have a track record of promoting science. If the ACIP process becomes arbitrary and less than transparent, physicians and patients may no longer be able to rely on vaccine guidance the CDC has provided for decades. This could lead to lower vaccination rates in adults and children against easily preventable and painful diseases like measles, mumps, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis, and polio.

Maintaining trust in the actions of our nation’s public health institutions is vital to saving lives.

Heidi Beery, MD
OMA President