The Flu-Vaccine Routine Is Breaking
The routine process for approving seasonal flu vaccines in the U.S. is currently disrupted due to the suspension of the CDC's advisory panel, ACIP. This suspension follows a federal judge's ruling that questioned the legality of recent changes made to the panel's membership. Experts remain cautiously optimistic that Americans will still receive flu vaccines this fall, despite uncertainties surrounding COVID vaccine recommendations.
- ▪The CDC's advisory panel, ACIP, has been suspended due to a federal judge's ruling regarding its membership selection process.
- ▪Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made attempts to reconstitute ACIP, while President Trump signed an executive order related to vaccination schedules.
- ▪Experts believe that despite the disarray, Americans will likely still receive their flu vaccines this fall.
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HealthThe Flu-Vaccine Routine Is BreakingNormally, the CDC's vaccine advisors weigh in on flu vaccines in June. This year, the panel is in disarray.By Katherine J. WuIllustration by Matteo Giuseppe Pani / The Atlantic*June 7, 2026, 8 AM ET ShareSave In a typical year, the process of bringing a new seasonal flu shot to market is one of the United States’ most predictable vaccine routines. This, however, is not a typical year.Vaccine manufacturers have prepared updated versions of the annual flu shot, as they normally do. The FDA has green-lighted those recipes, as it normally does. And normally, the next step would fall to the CDC’s expert vaccine advisory panel, known as ACIP, which guides the agency’s recommendations for which Americans should take those shots.
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