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Day 1 of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) September meeting is officially underway, with day 2 scheduled for 19, 2025. The Committee is set to discuss several vaccine recommendations and hold votes, according to an agenda published by the CDC, including recommendations for Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella (MMRV), Hepatitis B, and COVID-19 vaccines.¹

Below, find an outline of the agenda for the 2-day meeting.

Thursday, September 18

MMRV

According to the ACIP's final agenda, the committee will kick off its vaccine discussions centered around the MMRV vaccines. Arjun Srinivasan, MD, deputy director for Program Improvement in the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, CDC, will provide background on MMRVs and a presentation on febrile seizures following MMRV vaccine.^1,2

MMRV vaccine manufacturers will have an opportunity to speak to the Committee before proposed recommendations and discussion take place.¹

Hepatitis B Vaccine

Following a lunch break, the meeting will continue with an introduction on Hepatitis B vaccines, starting with a presentation on birth dose vaccination, followed by safety updates, vaccine manufacturer statements, and proposed recommendations.

Votes

Following a period where the CDC, CMS, FDA, HRSA, IHS, and NIH will provide agency updates, the committee is slated to vote on MMRV vaccines, MMRV Vaccines for Children, Hepatitis B vaccines, and Hepatitis B for the Vaccines for Children program.

The meeting is scheduled to adjourn at 5:30 pm ET, following these votes.

Friday, September 19

On day 2 of the ACIP September meetings, the Committee will begin Friday with an introductory update on COVID-19 epidemiology, as well as "updates to 2024-2025 COVID-19 implementation considerations."

Arjun Srinivasan, MD, is then scheduled to provide an update on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and safety. Discussions on COVID-19 will continue through the lunch hour before the Committee will propose recommendations. After a public hearing, votes will take place on COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.

New vaccine appointees

The September meeting of the ACIP comes just 3 days after the CDC announced 5 new Committee members. The new members include³:

• Catherine M. Stein, PhD, professor, Department of Population & Quantitative Health, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
• Evelyn Griffin, MD, obstetrician and gynecologist, Baton Rouge General Hospital, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
• Hillary Blackburn, PharmD, MBA, director of Medication Access and Affordability, AscensionRx, St. Louis, Missouri.
• Kirk Milhoan, MD, PhD, medical director, For Hearts and Souls Free Medical Clinic, Kihei, Hawaii.
• Raymond Pollak, MD, FACS, FRCS, who previously served as chief of Liver Transplantation and director of Multi-organ Transplant Programs at the University of Illinois, has held leadership roles with the United Network for Organ Sharing and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Recap of June's ACIP meeting

In June, the newly constructed Committee voted on several pediatric-related vaccine recommendations. Among the decisions, the committee endorsed Merck’s monoclonal antibody clesrovimab (Enflonsia) for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants. The FDA approved the therapy earlier in June for use in infants aged 8 months and younger who are not protected by maternal vaccination. The committee also voted to update the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program to include clesrovimab, ensuring access for eligible children.⁴

READ MORE: Committee recommends clesrovimab for RSV, reaffirms routine influenza vaccination

The RSV vote was supported by Merck as a significant step forward in reducing the disease burden among infants, families, and health care systems. The recommendation comes ahead of the 2025–2026 RSV season, when the antibody is expected to be available as a preventive option. Final sign-off on the ACIP votes will require approval from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the absence of a confirmed CDC director.

In addition, the ACIP reaffirmed its recommendation for annual influenza vaccination for all persons aged 6 months and older. The committee further recommended that children up to age 18 years and pregnant women receive only single-dose influenza vaccine formulations free of thimerosal as a preservative for the upcoming season.

References:

1. Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). CDC. Published September 17, 2025. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/acip/downloads/agendas/final-posted-2025-09-17-508.pdf
2. Arjun Srinivasan, MD. CDC. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://blogs.cdc.gov/safehealthcare/bios/arjun-srinivasan-md/
3. HHS, CDC announce New ACIP members. US Department of Health and Human Services. Published September 15, 2025. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-cdc-announce-new-acip-members-sept-2025.html
4. Fitch J. ACIP updates: Committee recommends clesrovimab for RSV, reaffirms routine influenza vaccination. Contemporary Pediatrics. Published June 26, 2025. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/acip-updates-committee-votes-5-2-to-recommend-clesrovimab-to-protect-against-rsv