National Vaccine Advisory Committee Meeting Wrap Up: June 2024

Good day. My name is Bob Hopkins, I’m a Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and the current Chair of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee. At the June 2024 National Vaccine Advisory Committee meeting, Admiral Rachel Levine, the Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services, charged the committee with providing guidance and recommendations to support the development of the next 5-year national strategic plan for vaccines. These plans provide a vision and are important to continue to be responsive to an evolving vaccine and immunization landscape. The committee heard presentations on vaccine production readiness capabilities, with the backdrop of 3 human cases of H5N1, and avian flu virus circulating in birds and cows. We also heard about mpox vaccination responses, and my take home messages were, partnerships, partnerships, partnerships, and that scarcity can be the enemy of equity in vaccine access. Presentations on lessons learned and planning for the 2024-25 fall and winter respiratory disease season emphasized the need to continue to work collaboratively across the immunization neighborhood to assure vaccine access and that uptake will depend on clear, transparent, and open communication with updated data delivered by trusted messengers. We also hosted a brief update on how public health officials and health care providers worked together to defeat an outbreak of measles in Illinois. Our final first day panel on cancer vaccine innovations provided us with a brief foundation on the challenges and opportunities for cancer vaccines to prevent recurrence, treat cancer and to prevent and interrupt cancers. Success in the cancer vaccine space will require breaking down siloes, investment, and continued innovation. On the second day of the meeting, we started the day with a panel on innovations, improvements, and updates to immunization data. These data help meet goals for routine vaccination across the lifespan and in public health emergencies, where targeted data can help public health and healthcare leaders make better decisions. We also celebrated global immunization efforts — with estimates that these efforts have saved over 154 million lives – or the equivalent of 6 lives every minute of every year – over the past 50 years. We heard about a recent study that found substantial increases in antibody response to two-dose vaccinations when the vaccine was administered into each arm instead of both vaccines administered into one arm. Finally, we heard a presentation providing some background for the new charge and then spent some time discussing the charge. We also heard updates from our federal agency members and our liaison representatives about work they are doing to advance immunization, and we closed both days of the meeting with public comment. Advisory committees like NVAC play a key role in enhancing the public understanding of science-based decision-making. This meeting also provides a forum to hear diverse perspectives from the public and others working in the field. For more information about NVAC membership and activities, visit hhs.gov/vaccines/nvac. Thank you for your time.