Each year in March, the US Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) meets to discuss and make recommendations on the influenza virus strains to be targeted by next season’s flu vaccine. However, this year’s meeting, which was set for March 13, has been canceled. With no reason given for the cancellation and no rescheduled date set, there is concern among healthcare leaders that vaccine manufacturers will not have accurate data or enough time to develop an updated vaccine before the start of the 2025-26 flu season.
The VRBPAC is a group of vaccine experts who volunteer their time to review data on new vaccines against infectious disease, including the yearly update to the flu vaccine, with a primary responsibility to discuss their safety and effectiveness. The committee’s flu vaccine recommendation also takes into consideration recommendations from the World Health Organization and data from the Southern Hemisphere flu season which occurs prior to the Northern Hemisphere. The committee’s objectivity is ensured by its independence from government, with no voting members being active government employees, although officials can join in the discussion.
With the cancellation of the March flu vaccine review meeting, which has occurred every year since the 1960s, the FDA published a statement saying, “The FDA will make public its recommendations to manufacturers in time for updated vaccines to be available for the 2025-2026 influenza season.” However, there was no information on how the recommendation would be determined or when it would be made.
The importance of effective vaccines is shown by this year’s flu season data: While CDC has classified it as “high severity” and rates of hospitalizations and outpatient visits for influenza are at a 15-year high, those who were vaccinated were shown to be up to 78% (children and teen) and 55% (adults) less likely to be hospitalized for flu.
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- A second fatality has been linked to the Sudan Ebola strain in Uganda. 8 patients have recovered, and hundreds remain under strict quarantine. There is no vaccine for this strain.
- In the DRC, more than 60 deaths related to a mysterious illness have been reported, with at least 1,000 cases, though early tests have ruled out Ebola and Marburg disease. Several children who died reportedly ate a bat before illness onset. Symptoms of the illness include fever, muscle aches, and vomiting. There is suspicion that chemical poisoning or rapid-onset bacterial meningitis might be causing the sudden onset of deaths, especially in young men. Researchers with assistance from the WHO are continuing in their investigations.
- As of March 6, 2025, 222 measles cases were reported by 12 US jurisdictions: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington. Most cases are in Texas and are among children aged 18 and under and persons who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown. Two deaths have occurred so far. For comparison, in all of 2024, 285 cases of measles were reported in the US.
- The CDC has launched a new tool to enhance transparency regarding conflicts of interest among current and past members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), dating back to 2000. The tool allows the public to search for declared conflicts, as ACIP members must disclose any potential conflicts and recuse themselves from related discussions and votes. This follows the cancellation of ACIP’s February meeting and an FDA advisory committee meeting on flu vaccine strains. Former CDC Director Tom Frieden defended the tool, emphasizing that ACIP members follow strict safeguards and evaluate vaccines based on science, not profit.
