The Trump administration has officially disbanded the Healthcare Infection Control and Practice Advisory Committee (HICPAC), wrapping up three decades of guidance that was utilized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A few committee members mentioned that the CDC informed them about HICPAC’s termination last Friday.
This change took effect over a month ago, on March 31, as indicated in a letter reviewed by NBC.
As reported, HICPAC had made 540 recommendations regarding infection control, with 90% of these measures being fully adopted by the CDC.
The committee provided essential practices aimed at preventing and controlling medical-related infections, offering guidelines on disinfection, sterilization within healthcare settings, environmental infection control, and hand hygiene, among other important topics.
One fellow from the American Infectious Diseases Society who joined HICPAC in January noted that the committee was in the process of creating new guidelines focused on airborne pathogens before it was dissolved.
Current government webpages related to HICPAC have now been archived and will not receive any further updates.
This decision aligns with President Trump’s February executive order, which aimed to reduce federal bureaucracy by streamlining the workforce.
While the order did not specifically mention HICPAC, it did identify five advisory committees set to be disbanded within a defined timeline.
The CDC has not yet provided a response to inquiries regarding the matter.
