Trump administration changes childhood vaccine guidance

SANDUSKY — The Trump administration's top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been trying to reduce the number of routine childhood vaccinations. So far, the change in federal priorities hasn't affected what's required in Ohio or what's offered at the Erie County Health Department. The changes have also drawn a lawsuit challenging them. Kennedy, Trump's cabinet secretary for Health and Human Services and a prominent vaccine skeptic, recently pushed through changes at the CDC which reduce the number of recommended vaccines for children from 17 to 11. What's changed? The new CDC rules, which traditionally are influential on state policies but not binding, call for all children and adolescents to still get the shots for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Haemophilus influenzae type b, pneumococcal conjugate, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, HPV and chickenpox. But other vaccines, which were recommended for everyone before, are now recommended only for "high-risk" people: Respiratory syncytial virus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, meningococcal ACWY and meningococcal B. And the new rules suggest asking the doctor first before getting shots for rotavirus, COVID-19, flu, meningococcal disease, hepatitis A and hepatitis B. A Trump administration fact sheet states the new recommendations bring the U.S. in line with most other developed nations and "allows for more flexibility and choice, with less coercion, by reassigning non-consensus vaccines to certain high-risk groups or populations and shared clinical decision-making." Insurance will still cover all of the 17 previously recommended vaccinations, the fact sheet says. What's done in Ohio? Ohio currently requires shots for grades K-12 for 10 diseases: diphtheria, hepatitis B, meningococcal, mumps, pertussis, polio, rubella, tetanus and chickenpox. Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the state health department, downplayed the changes during a Jan. 7 press conference, noting that it's always been considered a good idea for parents to consult with doctors. The new recommendations align pretty well with Ohio's requirements, he noted. "Your child's doctor knows your child's individual health care needs the best," he said. Pete Schade, Erie County's health commissioner, said the new CDC recommendations haven't affected the Erie County Health Department yet. A full range of vaccines against vaccine-preventable diseases will still be offered at the health department to both children and adults, he said. The health department would have to take another look at its current vaccination policies if the federal government started cutting off federal funding to health departments to force changes in vaccination policy, Schade said. Changes challenged A coalition of various medical professional groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association, has gone to federal court to try to overturn the new Trump administration recommendations for childhood vaccinations. The groups accuse the Trump administration of relying upon "spurious evidence" for the changes. "Children's health depends on vaccine recommendations based on rigorous, transparent science. Unfortunately, recent decisions by federal officials have abandoned this standard, causing unnecessary confusion for families, compromising access to lifesaving vaccines and weakening community protection," said Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Vanderhoff and other health advocates said it's important for people who haven't gotten the flu shot to go ahead and get it to lessen their chances of getting seriously ill. The dangers from flu should be taken seriously, Vanderhoff said. Ohio reported its first pediatric flu death, a Greene County teen, at the end of December. The latest numbers show that Ohio continues to have "high" flu activity, the CDC stated. Flu activity nationally remains high but is generally decreasing, although there's been little decline in the Midwest, the agency said. "CDC estimates that there have been at least 19 (million) illnesses, 250,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths from flu so far this season," the agency stated, adding how the deaths include 44 flu-related pediatric deaths so far.