Alarms raised as Trump’s CDC cuts number of suggested vaccines for children

Following President Donald Trump’s unprecedented decision to reduce the number of vaccines it recommends for children, leading medical organizations in the United States have reawakened.

The recommendation for rotavirus, influenza, meningococcal disease, and hepatitis A vaccines for children was removed in Monday’s sweeping decision, which advances the Trump-appointed Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda.

According to government data, vaccination rates have been declining in the US and the prevalence of diseases that can be prevented with vaccines, such as measles and whooping cough, are rising nationwide.

In a statement on Monday, Kennedy said, “This decision protects children, respects families, and restores trust in public health.”

The American Medical Association (AMA) responded by saying that the recent changes to the childhood vaccination schedule, which have an impact on the safety and well-being of millions of children, are “deeply concerning.”

In a statement posted on the AMA’s website, Dr. Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, a doctor and AMA trustee, stated that “vaccine policy has long been guided by a rigorous, transparent scientific process grounded in decades of evidence showing that vaccines are safe, effective, and lifesaving.”

She argued that the CDD’s decision lacked “careful review” and transparency, which were necessary for significant policy changes.

Without a robust, evidence-based process, she said, “it undermines public trust and puts children in unnecessary danger of preventable disease” when outdated recommendations are changed.”

Without the agency’s standard outside expert review, the change took effect right away and was approved by another Trump appointee, CDC acting director Jim O’Neill.

Without any evidence that the current recommendations are harmful to children, according to Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the changes were made by political appointees.

According to him, “It’s crucial that any decision regarding the US childhood vaccination schedule be based on evidence, transparency, and established scientific processes, not comparisons that disregard crucial differences between countries or health systems.”

According to the new CDC guidance, protections against those diseases are only suggested for certain groups that are considered high risk, or when doctors make recommendations in “shared decision-making.”

The states have the authority to impose vaccination requirements on schoolchildren, not the federal government.

However, state regulations are frequently influenced by CDC requirements, and some states have begun forming their own alliances to oppose the Trump administration’s vaccine recommendations.

The US health secretary, John Kennedy, has long been skeptical of vaccines.

Public health experts immediately question Kennedy’s announcement in May that the CDC no longer recommends COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women. They did not find any new evidence to support the change.

Kennedy later installed several of his own replacements, including numerous vaccine sceptics, after firing the entire 17-member CDC vaccine advisory committee in June.

He made the announcement in August that the US would cut funding for developing mRNA vaccines, which is “dangerous” and could increase US exposure to COVID-19-related outbreaks.

Kennedy also personally directed the CDC to withdraw its position that vaccines don’t cause autism in November without providing any additional supporting evidence.

Source: Aljazeera