WAR ON VACCINESStates Go Their Own Way as RFK Jr. Shifts Federal Vaccine Policy
In response to the new federal vaccine guidance, advanced by anti-vaxx activists now determining vaccine policy at HHS, many states have created formal alliances to share health information and formulate science-based policies for their residents. “The science is clear. Vaccines remain the best protection for keeping children and communities healthy,” the Northeast Public Health Collaborative said in a statement.
New federal guidance to reduce the number of vaccines recommended for all children from 17 vaccines down to 11 comes as states already are charting their own courses on vaccine policy.
The new federal guidelines mention a directive issued by President Donald Trump in December calling to align the U.S. vaccination schedule with “peer” countries, including Denmark, that recommend fewer childhood vaccines — even though those countries provide more robust government-funded health systems.
At stake are requirements for attending public schools, where most states have seen lower vaccination rates since the pandemic, as well as insurance coverage that makes vaccines affordable. At least 17 states have announced they will disregard the new federal guidance.
Many have created formal alliances to share health information. The Northeast Public Health Collaborative, composed of Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York state, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and New York City, announced Monday it will continue following guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“The science is clear. Vaccines remain the best protection for keeping children and communities healthy,” the collaborative said in its announcement. “The vast majority of American adults and parents believe routine childhood vaccines are important for public health.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics held a news conference this month to denounce the changed recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Literally children’s health and children’s lives are at stake,” Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the association’s committee on infectious diseases, said at the Jan. 5 event. “There’s no evidence that skipping or delaying certain vaccines is beneficial for U.S. children. What we do know is that whenever children go without recommended vaccinations, they’re at risk for these diseases that we can prevent.”
And governors of 14 states have formed another alliance to share public health information, including on vaccines. The updated CDC guidance “creates confusion and introduces unnecessary barriers for families who want to protect their children from serious illness,” said the Governors Public Health Alliance in its Jan. 6 news release. The governors are all Democrats, though the group says it is nonpartisan.
New Jersey Moves
One of the states rejecting federal guidelines is New Jersey.
Jeffrey Brown, the acting commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health, issued an executive order in December opting to keep older federal recommendations for a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, despite changes in federal guidelines from the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
