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Tag: Childhood Immunization

  • US drops the number of vaccines it recommends for every child

    The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of dropping the number of vaccines it recommends for every child—leaving other immunizations, such as flu shots, open to families to choose but without clear guidance.Officials said the overhaul to the federal vaccine schedule won’t result in any families losing access or insurance coverage for vaccines, but medical experts slammed the move, saying it could lead to reduced uptake of important vaccinations and increase disease.The change came after President Donald Trump in December asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to review how peer nations approach vaccine recommendations and consider revising its guidance to align with theirs.HHS said its comparison to 20 peer nations found that the U.S. was an “outlier” in both the number of vaccinations and the number of doses it recommended to all children. Officials with the agency framed the change as a way to increase public trust by recommending only the most important vaccinations for children to receive.“This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement Monday.Medical experts disagreed, saying the change without public discussion or a transparent review of the data would put children at risk.“Abandoning recommendations for vaccines that prevent influenza, hepatitis and rotavirus, and changing the recommendation for HPV without a public process to weigh the risks and benefits, will lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children,” said Michael Osterholm of the Vaccine Integrity Project, based at the University of Minnesota.

    WASHINGTON —

    The U.S. took the unprecedented step Monday of dropping the number of vaccines it recommends for every child—leaving other immunizations, such as flu shots, open to families to choose but without clear guidance.

    Officials said the overhaul to the federal vaccine schedule won’t result in any families losing access or insurance coverage for vaccines, but medical experts slammed the move, saying it could lead to reduced uptake of important vaccinations and increase disease.

    The change came after President Donald Trump in December asked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to review how peer nations approach vaccine recommendations and consider revising its guidance to align with theirs.

    HHS said its comparison to 20 peer nations found that the U.S. was an “outlier” in both the number of vaccinations and the number of doses it recommended to all children. Officials with the agency framed the change as a way to increase public trust by recommending only the most important vaccinations for children to receive.

    “This decision protects children, respects families, and rebuilds trust in public health,” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement Monday.

    Medical experts disagreed, saying the change without public discussion or a transparent review of the data would put children at risk.

    “Abandoning recommendations for vaccines that prevent influenza, hepatitis and rotavirus, and changing the recommendation for HPV without a public process to weigh the risks and benefits, will lead to more hospitalizations and preventable deaths among American children,” said Michael Osterholm of the Vaccine Integrity Project, based at the University of Minnesota.

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  • The addition of the COVID vaccine to the childhood immunization schedule is a recommendation, not a mandate

    The addition of the COVID vaccine to the childhood immunization schedule is a recommendation, not a mandate

    Fact Check By:
    Newswise

    Truthfulness: False

    Claim:

    The CDC is about to add the Covid vaccine to the childhood immunization schedule, which would make the vax mandatory for kids to attend school.

    Claim Publisher and Date: Tucker Carlson, Fox News host on 2022-10-25

    On October 25, Tucker Carlson, the Fox News personality tweeted “The CDC is about to add the Covid vaccine to the childhood immunization schedule, which would make the vax mandatory for kids to attend school.” The tweet included a segment from his show in which he began by making the same claim. The claim is false. Vaccines will not become mandatory in all schools just by being added to the CDC schedule. States and local districts make those determinations.

    Bernadette Boden-Albala, MPH, DrPH, Director and Founding Dean, University of California, Irvine Program in Public Health responds to the claim:

    COVID-19 vaccinations effectively reduce severe symptoms, hospitalizations, and death, which is why the Centers of Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will vote to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the recommended vaccine schedule for children. The vaccine schedule is for healthcare professionals to know what licensed, authorized and routinely recommended vaccinations should be communicated to children and adults. The keyword is recommendation – the CDC does not create laws. CDC spokesperson Kate Grusich said in an email that the agency “only makes recommendations for use of vaccines, while state or local jurisdictions determine school-entry vaccination requirements.” As of now, the state of California has not mandated COVID-19 vaccination requirements for children.

    The data shows us that the best ways to protect yourself and your loved ones this holiday season is to get the bivalent booster because it offers some protection against the new COVID-19 strains, get vaccinated against the flu to help build our immunity and mask up when traveling, in large indoor spaces, and not feeling well.

    Newswise

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