officials are calling out the Trump administration's move to oust members of a vaccine advisory panel.

Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Junior recently dismissed all 17 members of the advisory committee on Immunization practices in named 8 new vaccine Policy Advisors to replace them.

Kennedy insists the move was necessary to, quote, re-establish public confidence in vaccine science.

However, some public health officials are calling the move deeply concerning.

Joining us now on what it could mean for vaccine guidance going forward.

Our doctor, Tina Tan, professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases at Northwestern School of Medicine and physician at Lurie Children's Hospital.

And on Zoom, Doctor, Samir Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Thanks you both for joining us.

Welcome back.

Thank you, Dr. Tan first to you.

Remind us what the advisory Committee on Immunization Practices does Cip is a committee of highly that.

It expert.

>> On vaccines, infectious diseases and they're all different fields and what they do is a very carefully review.

All the scientific information on the vaccines.

And they put together sound recommendations for the use of the vaccines and persons of all ages.

What are some of their their backgrounds, the mix of of, you know, >> professional disciplines that that makes up a good panel.

So it's a panel made up of people that are infectious diseases, Pediatrics, family practice OBGYN Public Health epidemiologist researchers.

So it's a very, very diverse panel which basically looks at all the scientific data from all the different angles to come up with the most sound recommendations for the use of the vaccines.

>> Dr for a Secretary Kennedy.

He got through his Senate confirmation with a vote from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy because Cassidy said that Kennedy promised that he would, quote, not mess around with vaccines too much.

Will these new members that he has appointed to this?

Will they have the power to affect vaccine policy?

>> Well, Doctor 10 mention right?

rigorous process in which members a cip are hard shows and and cip as currently constituted often set important recommendations in which practitioners like Dr Tan and I have used to make in recommend vaccine guidance to our patients.

Also a number of states use a CPA cip guidance are mentioned in state law those things were done and often states and local jurisdictions respected cip process based on the credibility and the non-partisan way in which those recommendations were made, the decisions by the secretary now put that trust and credibility at risk, which is why it has been concerning to many states, including us here in Illinois as well as national state and local leaders and specialty societies and other individuals that depended on a cip guidance for decision-making.

>> Dr Tan RFK Junior, the secretary.

He has retired all 17 members, replace them with 8 new members.

As we mentioned.

Is that enough can do the job of 17?

And is that enough of the diversity that we were talking about earlier?

So it's not the number that makes a difference is expertise.

>> And the 8 members that RFK basically chose are not experts.

Many of vaccine skeptics, some of them are anti-vaccine anti-science and some of them are not even in the medical field.

Was that make you think is a practitioner, whatever as a practitioner, it's going to be very difficult.

>> For that group to point out scientifically sound recommendations for the use of vaccines and all age groups.

cip is recommendations also determine which vaccines get covered by the Vaccines for Children program.

That's readily funded initiative provides free access to slow low income and underinsured children.

>> Who will be most impacted by this movie are tense.

So >> basically here in the United States, we have been very fortunate in the past that Vfc basically uses the exact same vaccines that children whose parents have insurance Hughes now, if there is an impact on the F C there's going to be a problem with regards to access to the vaccines.

So that, you know, kids that are on Medicaid or who don't have insurance, going to find it very difficult to get vaccine.

If the vfc basically suffers from this.

>> Dr or what about those of us who do have insurance?

Will we will?

Our insurance companies continue to cover if we would like to get vaccines will pay for it.

>> I think part of Has been created a lot of uncertainty from the secretary's recommendations.

>> And as we've seen kind of changing recommendations around COVID-19, it's unclear where those a set recommendations will be and how insurance companies will fall and it places a situation where as we look at this, we don't know what the landscape will look like and we'll all be waiting.

And I think it really puts both >> are.

>> The residents that we serve here in Illinois providers, but also how the medical and health care system works.

Even a cloud of uncertainty that is really causing concern throughout the nation.

>> Dr got about 45 seconds left on.

How is it pH responding to these changes to ensure that you all and practitioners have sound information to guide patients with.

>> Well, we're definitely not standing.

Still part of great mission here.

The only apartment public health is to ensure that credible Processees founded on up-to-date scientific evidence are being followed in our recommendations.

Follow that as well.

We're working to make sure that we're analyzing Illinois, specific data.

We're convening independent experts like a doctor tan and her colleagues in Illinois to have robust conversations, including with our Immunization Advisory committee to ensure that residents that here the only apartment public health we are a credible source.

So that individuals information that they need.

>> I'm sure and I'm sure that the work continues.

That's