Statement on September 2025 Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Meeting

NFID Urges ACIP to Uphold Evidence-Based, Transparent Process

Bethesda, MD (September 17, 2025)—The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is urging the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to maintain the long-standing, evidence-based, and transparent process that has guided deliberations on US vaccine policy for decades.

In comments submitted to ACIP ahead of its September 18–19, 2025 meeting, NFID emphasized that any changes to US vaccine recommendations should only occur after a rigorous scientific review and should be evidence-based, noting that ACIP recommendations directly impact the availability of vaccines, insurance coverage, Medicare and Medicaid benefits, and equitable access through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program.

NFID joins the medical and scientific community in urging ACIP not to convene in the absence of a thorough, balanced, and vetted review of available data by qualified experts. “For decades, ACIP’s strength has been its rigorous, transparent, evidence-based process,” said NFID Medical Director Robert H. Hopkins, Jr., MD. “Any departure from that approach undermines public trust and risks weakening the nation’s response to serious infectious disease threats.”

NFID comments on the ACIP agenda include:

• COVID-19 vaccines, including mRNA options, have saved millions of US lives, remain the most effective tool to prevent severe illness due to COVID-19, and should remain available, with equitable access, to all who want them.
• Hepatitis B vaccination from birth and across the lifespan is critical to eliminating this serious liver disease as a public health threat in the US.
• Measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccines are essential to preventing dangerous outbreaks, especially amid rising measles cases.
• RSV vaccines and immunizations are critically important advances that help protect infants and older adults who are most at risk of severe RSV disease.

NFID strongly supports the use of evidence-based guidance to inform public health policy and will work to preserve equitable access, choice, and public and private insurance coverage to life-saving immunizations to protect the health of people across the US.

About the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases

Founded in 1973, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to educating and engaging the public, communities, and healthcare professionals about infectious diseases across the lifespan. NFID has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and has earned a Platinum transparency seal from Candid/GuideStar. For more information, and to access trusted science-based resources on immunization for both healthcare professionals and the public, visit www.nfid.org.

Contact: Diana Olson, communications@nfid.org