Avalere Health Advisory experts were honored to attend and contribute to the 2026 National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit (NAIIS), where leaders across public health, clinical care, and industry gathered to discuss challenges shaping the current immunization landscape. In 2025 and early 20206, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) introduced significant uncertainty and change to the vaccine policy landscape; at NAIIS, we saw how stakeholders have rapidly adapted to address gaps across key areas:

• Vaccine Evidence Review and Recommendations: In the absence of an operating Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices (ACIP), the burden of generating and synthesizing the evidence base for vaccine recommendations has increasingly fallen to independent bodies. Representatives from the Vaccine Integrity Project at the University of Minnesota Centers for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) and professional medical societies discussed how they have collaborated to quickly develop evidence-based immunization schedules for different populations (e.g., American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] for children, Infectious Diseases Society of America for immunocompromised people, and American Academy of Family Physicians for adults). While their work has been effective, some providers and public health officials pointed to the complexity of having various recommending bodies, highlighting the eventual need for a reformed ACIP.
• Coverage: A March 2026 preliminary injunction blocked HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s ACIP appointments and maintained broad coverage of immunizations, but many states and health plans already independently took action to maintain coverage policies. NAIIS attendees noted the tenuousness of such arrangements.
• Implementation and Communication: Stakeholders emphasized the importance of capitalizing on this inflection point in vaccine policy to rebuild patient trust. For example, speakers from The Evidence Collective, a group of public health stakeholders, discussed how they leverage social media and other channels to spread evidence-based vaccine messaging. Similarly, other vaccine advocacy groups highlighted how they are working to diversify their messengers and seek new partners (i.e., moving towards trusted local sources) to reach historically under-vaccinated communities.

Throughout NAIIS, consensus emerged that while public health officials and partners have adapted to ensure vaccine coverage and access, the resulting fragmented vaccine ecosystem spanning recommendations, coverage, and implementation is not sustainable. Stakeholders emphasized that they are currently serving as a stopgap to preserve evidence-based immunization guidance, but the fragmented nature of the current environment is not sustainable long term. No single organization can fully replicate ACIP’s statutory authority, Vaccines for Children-linked responsibilities, or resource-intensive functions such as conducting comprehensive evidence reviews and staying abreast on the most up to date vaccine data, underscoring the need for an eventual return to a reformed and stable ACIP.

Looking Ahead

Moving forward, participants emphasized that collaboration between the public and private sectors and across local, state, and federal government will be essential to safeguard patient access to vaccines.

The Avalere Health’s Vaccines Team is helping immunization stakeholders navigate new and evolving policy and access issues. To learn how, connect with us.