Experts Recommendations On Rsv And Meningitis Vaccines Will Go To Ex-prosecutor Now At Cdc

A federal panel of medical experts on Wednesday recommended an expansion of RSV vaccinations for adults and a new combination shot as another option to protect teens against meningitis.

The 15-member panel typically makes recommendations to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how vaccines should be used.

But in a break from decades of practice, the person evaluating Wednesday's recommendations won't have a background in medicine: The agency is without a permanent director, so an ex-prosecutor now at the CDC will make the call.

The decision will fall to the CDC's chief of staff, Matthew Buzzelli, said Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon.

Buzzelli is not a physician. His CDC bio touts his experience as an attorney, including as a federal prosecutor.