Beneath anti-vaccine Well being Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., federal well being officers on Monday introduced a sweeping and unprecedented overhaul of federal vaccine suggestions, abruptly paring down advisable immunizations for youngsters from 17 to 11.
Officers claimed the rationale for the change was to align US vaccine suggestions extra carefully with these of different high-income international locations, particularly Denmark, a small, far much less various nation of round 6 million individuals (smaller than the inhabitants of New York Metropolis) that has common well being care. The officers additionally declare the change is critical to deal with the decline in public belief in vaccinations, which has been pushed by anti-vaccine activists, together with Kennedy.
“This choice protects kids, respects households, and rebuilds belief in public well being,” Kennedy stated in an announcement.
Well being specialists disagree. “Kennedy’s choice will hurt and kill kids, like all of his anti-vaccination choices will,” virologist James Alwine, who works with the group Defend Public Well being, stated in an announcement.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, a vocal critic of Kennedy, blasted the adjustments, saying “to arbitrarily cease recommending quite a few routine childhood immunizations is harmful and pointless,” AAP President Andrew Racine stated. “The USA just isn’t Denmark,” he added.
Beneath the brand new federal suggestions, universally advisable immunizations are pared down to those 11 illnesses: measles, mumps, rubella, polio, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae sort B (Hib), pneumococcal illness, human papillomavirus (HPV), and varicella (chickenpox).
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