Since 1982, NVIC has advocated for well-designed, independent, on-going scientific studies to: (1) define the various biological mechanisms involved in vaccine injury and death: (2) identify genetic and other biological high risk factors for suffering chronic brain and immune system dysfunction after vaccination; and (3) evaluate short and long-term health outcomes of individuals, who use many vaccines, and those, who use fewer or no vaccines, to determine the health effects of vaccine policies and laws on individuals and the public health.
NVIC's co-founders worked with Congress on the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, which acknowledged that vaccine injuries and deaths are real and that the vaccine injured and their families should have access to both a federal vaccine injury compensation program (VICP) administrative alternative to a vaccine injury lawsuit, while protecting access to the civil justice system to seek compensation for harm caused by federal recommended childhood vaccines. Congress recognized the need to make the mass vaccination system safer and NVIC co-founders were responsible for securing vaccine safety informing, recording, reporting and research provisions in the 1986 Act.
Congress established a National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the 1986 Act and also created several new federal vaccine advisory committees: Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV) and National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC). Together with the long standing Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), these vaccine advisory committees play pivotal roles in HHS in the licensing and regulating of vaccines, the processing of claims in the federal vaccine injury compensation program (VICP) and in the shaping of vaccine policy and law in the U.S.
The public may attend and make public comment in person or view federal vaccine advisory committee meetings online. However, it should be understood that these committees are advisory in nature, as noted in the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Since 1988, NVIC has participated in, monitored and reported on the activities and recommendations made by these committees. Committee minutes and updates of votes and actions taken are posted on their respective websites.
For more information on federal vaccine advisory committees and to read a selection of written and oral public comments NVIC has provided to these committees on vaccine-related issues, click the links below.
